Guide To Washington State History Documentaries

There are numerous film documentaries featuring Washington state history content that can either complement current curriculum goals or stand on their own as separate lesson plans to fulfill Washington state Social Studies academic expectations. 

Many of these documentaries can be found in the 4Culture Heritage Resource Library (101 Prefontaine Place South, Seattle, WA 98104), though possibly only in VHS format.  The following documentaries may be found on DVD through the specific Historical Societies or Museums associated with each project, or through local libraries.

Washington State History Documentaries by Topic:

Architecture:

• Finding Home in Chinatown: The Kong Yick Building produced by the Wing Luke Asian Museum, 1998, 58 minutes (funded in part by 4Culture HSP)

Community/ Neighborhood History

• Alki, Birthplace of Seattle produced by BJ Bullert. 1997 (funded in part by 4Culture HSP)
• An Oily Sky produced by Skykomish Historical Society and Skykomish High School students.
• Counterculture in the Pike Place Market produced by the Market Foundation, 2005 (funded in part by 4Culture HSP)
• Diaries of Delridge produced by Chief Sealth High School Sports and Marketing Class, 2003 (funded in part by 4Culture HCE)
• Diaries of High Point produced by Chief Sealth High School Sports and Marketing Class, 2000
• Diary of West Seattle produced by Chief Sealth High School Sports and Marketing Class, 2001
• Diary of White Center produced by Chief Sealth High School Sports and Marketing Class, 2004 (funded in part by 4Culture HCE)
• FindingPlayland produced by Greg Brotherton (funded in part by 4Culture HSP08)
• History of Skykomish produced by Skykomish Historical Society and Skykomish High School, 2001 (funded in part 4Culture HCE)
• Life Along the Tracks: The Milwaukee Railroad in the Snoqualmie Valley produced by Bryd Productions.
• Memories of the Sammamish Plateau produced by the Sammamish Heritage Society.
• Renton is You: Renton 1901/2001 Centennial, 11 minutes.
• Shoreline: Meeting Place of Cultures produced by the Shoreline Historical Museum, 1993, 17 minutes.
• Tales of West Seattle produced by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, 1999, 30 minutes
• West Seattle Stories: A Presentation of SW Seattle Historical Society’s Oral History Project produced by Sadis and Vaughn, 2001, 23 minutes

Ethnic Communities

• A Coat of Many Colors: A History of Washington State’s Early Jewish Community produced by the Washington State Jewish Historical Society, 1989
• After the Silence: Civil Rights and the Japanese American Internees during World War II (What does it meant to be an American in a time of uncertainty and fear?) produced by Foxglove Films and Bainbridge Island Historical Society ; 30 minutes
• Black Coal Miner. Produced by Ernest Moore, 1989. 53 minutes.
• Cultural History Series (Three short films: Port Blakely, The Red Pines, and Teachings of the Tree People). Produced by Islandwood, 2005. 43 minutes.  
• East of Occidental. Produced by Lucy Ostrander, 2005. 29 minutes.
• Filipinos of the Pike Place Market produced by Sadis and Vaughn, 2002 (funded in part by 4Culture HSP)
• Finding Home in Chinatown: The Kong Yick Building produced by the Wing Luke Asian Museum, 1998, 58 minutes (funded in part by 4Culture HSP)
• The Forgotten Pioneers. Produced by Nerissa Williams and Lisa Cohen, 1989. 24 minutes.
• Home From the Eastern Sea. Produced by Paper Crane Productions in association with KCTS-9, 1989. 58 minutes.
• If Tired Hands Could Talk: Stories of Asian American Garment Workers produced by Wing Luke Asian Museum, 2001, 60 minutes (funded in part by 4Culture HSP)
• Immigrant Stories of Franklin High produced by NW Passage Production, 28 minutes, VHS format (funded in part by 4Culture HSP)
• In Pursuit of Social Justice: An Oral History of the Early Years of Diversity Efforts at the University of Washington. Produced by UWTV, 2007. 58 minutes.
• Our Village is Seattle produced for the Washington State Jewish Historical Society by Sadis and Vaughn,, 2003, 55 minutes (funded in part by 4Culture HSP)
• Present in All That We Do. Produced by Community to Community Development and Whatcom Human Rights Task Force, 2008. 52 minutes.
• Project Kanaka: Hawaiian Pioneers who Settled in King County produced by Native Media with Sue Charles, 2001.
• The Red Pines: Japanese-Americans on Bainbridge Island. Produced by Lucy Ostrander, 2008. 12 minutes.
• Sephardic Jews and the Pike Place Market produced by Perpetual Motion Pictures, 2001, 30 minutes (funded in part by 4Culture HSP).
• Southeast Asians of the Pike Place Market produced by the Market Foundation, 16 minutes,
• The Journey: The Greek American Dream : This story of the Greek migration to America is divided into three sections: Immigrants 1890–1920, Becoming Americans 1920–1960 and The Revival of Ethnicity 1960–1980. Produced by Maria Iliou. The film can be viewed in its entirety at
  www.snagfilms.com/films/title/the_journey_
  the_greek_american_dream.
• The Way We Were: Our Jewish Youth Groups of the 1940’s and 1950’s produced by the Washington Jewish Historical Society, (funded in part by 4Culture HSP).

General History

• The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,to Heritage Education Resourceshttp://historylink.org/Index.cfm?DisplayPage=education/Edu-Documentaries.cfm page under Guide to Washington State Documentaries under General History

Maritime History

• Centuries of Fish produced by the Maritime Heritage Foundation, 2003, 59 minutes.
• Fisherman’s Terminal produced by BJ Bullert, 2006, 57 minutes.
• Of Line and Motion: The Shipwright’s Tale produced by the Center for Wooden Boats
• Sockeye and the Age of Sail produced by Bob Thorenson and Drayton Harbor Maritime Society of Blaine, Washington, 2001, 30 minutes.
• The Days of Salmon Traps and Fish Pirates: Tall Tales from the Fishing Grounds of Yesteryear produced by Bob Thorenson with Semiahmoo Museum and Whatcom Parks, 1995, 30 minutes.
• The Great Salmon and the PAF produced by John Sabella and Associates and Whatcom Museum Society, 1994, 30 minutes.
• The Longline Pioneers (The Northwest and Alaska Halibut Industry: The Men, the Gear, the Vessels, and the Remarkable Fish) produced by Bob Thorenson and the Nordic Heritage Museums, 1996, 30 minutes.
• Wooden Boats and Golden Dreams produced by the Center for Wooden Boats, 35 minutes.

Native American History

• Bernie Whitebear: A Modern Warrior directed by Kurt Feldhun, 28 minutes.
• Chief Seattle produced by BJ Bullert, 2000, 80 minutes.
• Come Forth Laughing: Voices of the Suquamish People produced by the Suquamish Museum, 1984, 15 minutes.
• The Grandmother Video Project(Lushootseed Life).
• Princess Angeline produced by Sandra Osawa, 2008, (funded in part by 4Culture HSP) http://upstreamvideos.com/wp/videos/princess-angeline/