{"product_id":"washington-state-robert-e-ficken-9780874222883","title":"Washington State: The Inaugural Decade, 1889-1899","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Residents of Washington, regardless of whether they lived east or west of the Cascades, agreed upon a fundamental point. Their recently-admitted state was, in every possible way, superior to southern California.\"--Robert E. Ficken, in \u003ci\u003eWashington State\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the sequel to his popular \u003ci\u003eWashington Territory\u003c\/i\u003e, Robert E. Ficken, ably and with characteristic wry humor, describes Washington State's turbulent first decade. With a new railroad system, vast natural resources, an irrigation boom, astounding population growth, and strong foreign capitalist investment, the future looked rosy in 1889. Yet those early years were also marked by inept and corrupt legislation, labor disputes, unbridled criminal activity, strained municipal budgets, and tidelands controversy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThen came America's 1893 economic collapse. Bank clearings plummeted, daily newspapers were reduced to four pages, the lumber industry crashed, money disappeared, and unemployment was rampant. Suffering Washingtonians clamored for public works projects to create jobs. They took their opinions to the polls, electing a Populist governor and majority in both the house and senate. Other contentious political issues included railway regulation and unlimited silver coinage. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFinally, after four long years of decline, signs of economic life returned. Newly-elected government officials' fiscally responsible decisions led to renewed outside investment. The Klondike gold rush brought an influx of wealth, and east of the Cascades, the largest crop to date was marketed at prices not seen since the pre-panic years.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1900, Washington's official population was 517,672--a 48 percent increase over 1890. Furthermore, America's economic orientation was shifting from Europe to Asia. At the turn of the century, possessing an ideal geographic location, the Evergreen State stood poised to take full advantage of new trade opportunities, once again heralding a rosy future.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Robert E. Ficken\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0874222885\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780874222883\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Washington State University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/23\/2007\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.07lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.98h x 6.16w x 0.73d","brand":"Robert E. Ficken","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48799439290623,"sku":"9780874222883","price":21.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/washington-state-robert-e-ficken-9780874222883","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}