Frequently Asked Questions 
of the Pacific County Historical Society and Museum
Last modified on May 24th, 2006 / Contact
the Museum / Web editing done by Brian Davis at
bridavis@gte.net
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Q:
Can you help me find my ancester?
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A:
The Museum has a number of reference works which can be of help in searching
for ancesters in Pacific County. Besides the Sou'wester
index posted on this site we also have an index to proper names
in Pacific County Newspapers. At the moment this is only available
in print form at the museum, but you do not have to make an appointment
to use it and it is very helpful. The only catch is that we do not
yet have all the newspapers or newspapers on microfilm that are listed
in the index. The Museum director can provide some assistance in
locating newspaper collections, or making available those papers that are
in the museum collection. As always, please remember that access
to the Society's historical collections is by appointment with the museum
director. Other resources include Federal Census indexes from 1860
to 1910 (excepting 1890 which was destroyed in a fire long ago), and the
incomplete set of County Directories we own. Please remember that
research is a very time consuming process and the Society has very limited
staffing. E-mail
and letter requests are often not a high priority, although we try to answer
as many as possible.
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a note from the editor: here are some genealogy links:
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Q:
I would like to donate something to the museum. Can you tell me what
its value is?
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A:
Museum staff, volunteers, and board members are not permitted to appraise
objects. Our IRS non-profit status would be jepardized if we did.
I can sometimes give the name of a few qualified appraisors, depending
on the kind of item, but we are a long way from the big city, where most
of the truely knowledgeable (and honest) appraisors live. Remember
that an honest professional appraisor will charge a fee. Most of
the dishonest/unreliable appraisors work for "free".
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Q:
How long has the museum been here?
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A:
The Pacific County Historical Society is a stepchild of the Pacific County
Pioneers Association which started holding annual picnics in 1920.
The Society was organized in 1949, and incorporated as an IRS 501-(c)(3)
non-profit organization in 1966. The Society's Museum was started
by Ruth Dixon in rented space in the Lumber Exchange Building in 1970.
We purchased the current builing and moved in in 1980.
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Q:
Is the Museum a unit of government?
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A:
The Museum is a program of the the Pacific County Historical Society, a
non-profit, educational organization. The Museum building and everything
in it is owned by the Society. The Museum Director is an employee
of the Society. The Society receives no money from property tax.
We have been fortunate to receive grants from the County's Lodging Tax
Fund in recent years to support operation of the museum as a visitor information
center.
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Q:
Do you have old photos?
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A:
We have tens of thousands of historic photos of Pacific County. With
the help of our Polaroid MP-4 4x5 copy camera (donated in 1993 by Boeing)
we are adding about 500 images a year to the collection. Cataloging
of the Society's photo collection is ongoing, but incomplete. Contact
the Museum Director for assistance in locating particular images.
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Q:
Are you interested in stories for publication in The Sou'wester?
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A:
Yes, definitely! We are always looking for articles. Please
contact the Editor through our post office box in South Bend.
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Q:
Are there public beaches on Willapa Bay?
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A:
Yes, but I have never found them. The safest assumption is that all
tideland and especially all shellfish beds are private property.
The Bay is also a very treacherous place for small boats and kayaks.
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Q:
I see a lot of clearcuts along the highway. Are most of the trees
gone forever?
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A:
No. Most of the forest land in Pacific County is a privately owned
tree farm. In fact many areas are on their third harvest and growing
strong! The productivity of our forests is simply amazing.
Of course the trees will never be as big as they were when logging started
in the 19th century, but the total board feet per acre per year is higher
than ever.
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Q:
How many people live here?
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A:
Pacific County's population is now slightly over 20,000. South Bend
has 1,600, and Raymond has about 3,000. Most of the recent population
growth, however, has occured outside the incorporated cities, and especially
on the Long Beach Peninsula.
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Q:
Does it rain a lot here?
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A:
Yes. South Bend gets an average of about 85 inches of rain in a year.
Rainfall is, however, variable across the county, with most (up to 100)
inches falling at higher elevations in the WIllapa Hills, and the least
falling on the Ocean Beach areas.
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