[From the Seattle Times Mar. 8, 1953. Part of celebrating the centennial of Washington becoming a territory. And also part of my series on dangerous librarians]:

A pair of century-old globes and some yellowed volumes of classical literature and voyages of discovery, exhibited this month at the Washington State Library in Olympia as a feature of the Territorial Centennial, had for their first custodian a man who figured in two sensational gun battles, the last of which terminated in his death.

Though Bion (or Benjamin) Freeman Kendall evidently was not a pistol-packing librarian on his arrival in Washington Territory, less than a decade later he went about the streets of Olympia in fear of his life, with a revolver in his belt.

Gov. Isaac I. Stevens may have influenced Kendall to seek the post of librarian. Before leaving for the West Stevens invested $5,000 appropriated by Congress in books with which to found a territorial library.

The organic act required that the books be kept "at the seat of government for the use of the governor, Legislative Assembly, judges of the Supreme Court, secretary, marshal and attorney of said territory and such other persons and under such regulations as shall be prescribed by law."

Nothing is known of the manner in which the book selections were made. Some time in March or April, 1853, the governor placed orders with D. Appleton & Co. and other dealers for books, which were to be shipped around Cape Horn to Olympia.

From the Dead End Social Club single "My Baby's Okay" b/w "Free The Bears" DESC102.

www.deadendsocialclub.com

For one day only, the Capitol Theater auditorium becomes a local art and craft sale featuring the area's best handmade fashion, artwork, and quirky quality goods—all produced by local and independent artists and artisans.

More info

Come and join the fun of the first annual Olympia Family Barter Circle! This is a community event and we want your support. This one day circle is the seed we are planting for the creation of a future full-weekend barter faire. Bring your barterable goods or skills and a dish for the potluck lunch. There will be music and skill shares. Everything is FREE!. Think local, sustainable, and reusable. No dogs, drugs, alcohol, or weapons please.

What: First annual Olympia Family Barter Circle

Where: Burfoot Park, Olympia

When: September 29, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Set-up is from 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Why: To support our community, encourage an alternative, local economics system, promote the arts and free education. Come out and have fun!

What do you wish people living in our area would understand about homelessness?

The people who become homeless do not usually fit the ‘stereotypical’ idea that many people tend to have of the homeless population. That stereotypical idea is usually of a single person who is drug or alcohol addicted. They are thought to be someone who doesn’t want to work, or doesn’t want to follow the shelter rules, or someone who actually wants to be homeless.

The truth is that while there certainly are people on the street that do struggle with addictions, many homeless people include families with children, the mentally ill, the disabled, and the working poor. Yes, there are a number of homeless on our streets who are working, who can’t afford rent or who can’t get past the background and credit checks. We don’t always see them because many of them are living in tents and cars, but they are there, and their numbers are growing.

The truth is we’ve never yet encountered anyone who said they didn’t want to work (the ability to get a job is another issue), or said they enjoyed being homeless.

The truth is that according to estimates from the Point survey taken by the Thurston County Housing Authority this year, 74% of the homeless population includes the disabled and children.

The truth is that in Olympia there are no shelters for disabled people. To the best of our knowledge, there are no shelters for couples who are not married nor are there shelters for people with companion animals. Even people with service dogs have a difficult time being accepted to a shelter. There are way too many weeks when families with children are calling shelters and services in Thurston County and being told there is no place for them to go.

Duck the Malls 5th Annual Crafts and Arts Sale benefit for the Olympia Film Society/support local artists, Sunday, December 9, 2007.

Now accepting applications from artists and artisans, more information and application available on-line at: http://www.olyfilm.org/gallery/, also posted at the Capitol Theater, or e-mail duckthemalls@yahoo.com/.

Thanks Ruby Re-Usable for passing this on.