Paul G. Davis – LICA Archivist
History of the Archive itself

In April, 1993, a group interested in Lummi Island history formed a club to talk with old timers about our history. They named their club Lummi Island Heritage Trust (LIHT). It was deliberate that LIHT, pronounced “light” after Helene Glidden’s book “The Light on the Island” which was about the family operating the navigation light on Patos Island. The history group eventually started gathering historical documents and needed a place to store them. So, they organized an archive and put Paul Davis in charge. A few miscellaneous file cabinets were donated and the Archive was established in the former up-stairs room of the library. Grace Briskey donated a very fine wooden cabinet with many shallow drawers for storing flat items. The church/Civic Club donated a one-drawer fireproof file cabinet for the most valuable documents. FOIL has been very generous and supportive of the Archive
As the years ticked by, LIHT dissolved for lack of participation, and the name Heritage Trust was taken over by the new land preservation organization which was working on acquiring the Otto Preserve. But the Archive did not go to the new Lummi Island Heritage Trust – it just sort of floated along by itself, continuing to ask folks to contribute historical items. Eventually, about 1997, Paul needed financial support and asked LICA to adopt the Archive. They did, and made the Archive a permanent official office of LICA. They appointed Paul as Archivist for life or until it became their pleasure to appoint a new Archivist.
And so, the Archive continued to grow. The one-drawer fireproof file filled to capacity, and in May, 2014 LICA bought a new four-drawer fireproof cabinet and a large vertical file for the Archive. One drawer of the vertical file contains a complete 54 year collection of the paper Tome easily accessible. Of course, a digital file of the Tome is also in the computer for convenient word searching. In 2014, FOIL renovated the library and removed the up-stair room, so the Archive cabinets were temporarily placed on the main floor. In 2019, Friends of Island Library replaced the Noble Barn with a new barn which includes a small, private, secure Archive room financed by a grant from LICA to FOIL.
The Archive now contains a computer and printer with plans to digitally store a vast amount of history for future researchers to study under the watchful eye of the Archivist. The Archive also contains many items which cannot be digitized such as the flag from the Chief Kwina and the century old family Bible of the Richards family who built the Beach Store, and pieces of wood from the North End school on Blizard Road, and sections of the underwater power cable to the Island. etc. The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed progress, but the plan is still intact. The Archivist has the only key to the Archive room.
Contributions of documents, artifacts, photos to the Archive can be made by contacting the Archivist.
About this Index, and How the Archive is handled in order to search it online
Items in Bold are links to history content already uploaded and available on this website. This takes time to do, as we can get to it, and eventually the entire Archive will be online.
The Index provides insight to the content and depth of information that can be retrieved by you, the archivist , or requested to possibly have a copy of on this site sooner.
Note: Because PDF’s cannot be searched, each archive page is only the Content data – Not the original Format of the page. This lets you search for something, and see the original presentation in the archive as well via the PDF.
Items marked SiteOnly are unique to this site, those with a Code are in the Archive itself. The Locate in This Index Box below allows any input and will scan the Title, Description and the Archive Code to give results as you type.. Give it a try..
To find any Content throughout the site use the Primary Search functions in the menu and at the bottom of each page. For instance to find something about Althera Richards, just type that in the Primary Search bar. Anywhere in the site (including the Archive documents that she is mentioned will be listed.
Title | Code | Additional Information about the Section / Excerpt |
---|---|---|
The Silver Horde | SiteOnly | 1920 Movie filmed on Lummi Island, Re-produced as a "Talkie" in 1930 |
Indigenous People | IPX | |
Lummi Island Name | LINZ | How did it get its name? |
The First Settlers | TFS | |
Beach School | BSX | |
Beach Store | BSZ | Historical Background of The Beach Store Cafe And story of the Richards family |
Beth Hudson's Lummi Lore | BHLL | |
Bridge Proposal - Sec A | BR1 | 1960 Bond Issue |
Bridge Proposal - Sec B | BBX | Bridge Backers Meeting |
Bridge Proposal - Sec C | BR2 | LI Improvement Club |
Bridge Proposal - Sec D | BFM | Bridge-Ferry meeting, Jan 24,1959 |
Carlisle Packing Co. | CPC | |
Cemetery | CEMX | |
Church - Congregational | CCQ | |
Cemetery Trees | CTRZ | |
Civic Club | LICIC | Lummi Island Civic Improvement Club |
Echo Lodge | ELXX | |
Ferry Dock - Sec A | FDX | Hickory Dickory Dock |
Ferry Dock - Sec B | FDW | Ferry Dock's Waterloo |
Ferry Fares LI - Sec A | GRFS | Grange Report on Ferry Fare & Schedule circa 1932 |
Ferry Fares LI - Sec B | CTMD | County, Tribe should make a deal (1976) |
Ferry Fares LI - Sec C | LIFF | Ferry rate hike sought Dec 1977 |
Ferry Fares LI - Sec D | FPQO | Fare Policy, Questionnaire |
Ferry Fares LI - Sec E | OFR86 | Ferry Rate Ordinance 1986 |
Ferry Fares LI - Sec F | LIFFP | LI Ferry Fare Policy Study 1986 - Whatcom County Council of Governments |
Ferry Fares LI - Sec G | FF87 | Ferry Finances - 1983 to 1991 |
Ferries - Kwina, Acorn & Before - Sec A | CCF | Good Ferry History - LI Chamber of Commerce case for a new ferry |
Ferries - Kwina, Acorn & Before - Sec B | IMPX | Ferry - Imp |
Ferries - Kwina, Acorn & Before - Sec C | CKAX | Ferry - Calisle II |
Ferries - Kwina, Acorn & Before - Sec D | FCX | Ferry Costs - 1939 to 1958 |
Ferries - Kwina, Acorn & Before - Sec E | GFV | 1957 Monthly Ferry Traffic Statistics |
Ferry Strike - July 7, 1976 | FSK | |
Ferry - Whatcom Chief - Sec A | WCF | |
Ferry - Whatcom Chief - Sec B | GFR | Grange Ferry Report |
Ferry - Whatcom Chief - Sec C | CHCM | LI Chamber of Commerce |
Ferry - Whatcom Chief - Sec D | RIMFM | Rimfire misfires |
Ferry - Whatcom Chief - Sec E | FRYL | Ferry Lore |
Talk of a Larger Ferry | TLFV | |
20 year Ferry plan 2-1-2004 | 20Y | from Whatcom County Council Public Works Committee, with additional comments |
Fire Dept | FIRQ | |
Frank Taft | FTWX | "The Lummi Island Story" |
Grange | GRAQ | |
Alf's Tavern | ALFT | |
Kjerstin Secord's Soup Night | KSS | |
Library - Sec A | ILQ | |
Library - Sec B | HTPD | Home Tour / Progressive Dinner 1987 |
Library - Sec C | LHQ | History |
Loganita | LOGX | |
Lummi Island Abalone Hatchery | LIAH | |
Lummi Island Community Club | LICC* | |
Lummi Island Fire District | FIREX | Campaign to Form, circa 1960 |
Lummi Island Heritage Trust | LIHTX | |
Lummi Island - Sec A | LIGX | General |
Lummi Island - Sec B | POPX | Island Population |
Lummi Island - Sec C | ROAZ | Island Roads are too Narrow Don VV |
Lummi Island Power Association | LIPA | |
Mermaids | MZZ | |
New line to power Lummi Island | NPL | December 5, 2003 |
The Nuns | NUNZ | |
Oral Interviews by Peter Anderson - Sec A | VHX | Vern Hawley |
Oral Interviews by Peter Anderson - Sec B | JBX | John Brown |
Oral Interviews by Peter Anderson - Sec C | JCI | John Curry - 2002 (10 pages) by Constance Drake |
Parish Health Ministries | PHM | |
Paul Davis Day Proclamation | PDP | |
People - Sec A | ADZ | Annie Dillard |
People - Sec B | COTO | Carl Otto |
People - Sec C | DAGX | David Granger |
People - Sec D | RDD | Letter - Roger to David Granger's Daughter |
People - Sec E | FWG | Fannie Winslow Granger letters |
People - Sec F | DONX | Jim - Lane A story |
People - Sec G | LEGX | Legoe brothers |
People - Sec H | NSGE | Nancy Simmerman |
People - Sec I | POLH | Polly Hanson |
People - Sec J | RFK | Ray & Flo Konecky |
People - Sec K | DDD | David Dunn |
People - Unsung Heroes | USHX | |
Post Office - Sec A | POH | Post Office History |
Post Office - Sec B | POX | New post office? |
Post Office - Sec C | NYX | Nyleptha Ford - Post Office History |
Post Office - Sec D | CENX | Centennial |
Post Office - Sec E | FORDX | Ford Retires |
Post Office - Sec F | COOKX | Cookie or Stamp |
Post Office - Sec G | GRX | Greetings from L. A. Ford |
Scenic Estates | ISCX | |
Smugglers Cove | KNS | |
Storm of February, 1989 | TXSX | |
Theatre Guild | LITG | Once Upon a Mattress |
Willows Inn | WILX | |
Keywords:
Team Notes:
We need on this page:
What the Archive is, how LICA provides for it, additional support by FOIL, etc.
A history of the Archive
Why it is Important
How to contribute information and materials to the Archive
Site to look into: https://www.northwestdigitalheritage.org/
Updated: 2022/04/17 @ 6:35 pm Tark Henderson