Chess and Checker Records were popular blues labels in the 1950s and 60s. Based out of Chicago, they were started by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess. Checker Records, a subsidiary of Chess Records, mostly released work by African American…
Replica of a Plains Indian flute. Interior Salish music resembles Plains musical styles in terms of instruments, tonality, and phrase patterns. Typically, wooden flutes such as these are used in the performance of love songs. Carved by Michael…
Not only was Walker the first to turn the Spokane language into a written form, “The Spokane Primer” was also the first item published by a resident of what is now Washington state. The book contains 12 lessons of words, numbers, and moral and…
In the 1860s, General Philip Sheridan led wars against the Native Americans of the Great Plains. Image from the book "Sheridan: A Military Narrative" by Joseph Hergesheimer. Page i.Penrose Catalog: E467.1.S54 H5Find Through Summit
These Native American hymns are from the 19th and 20th centuries. They are in Interior Salish, a language used by the Spokane, Salish, and Kalispel tribes (with variations among the groups). Images from the book "Songs of Power and Prayer in the…
Robert Johnson died in 1938, though the cause of death has been disputed. Some accounts say he was poisoned, others say that he survived the poisoning but contracted pneumonia soon after. Images from the book "Robert Johnson: Lost and Found" by Barry…
In September of 1858, Colonel George Wright and his men killed about 900 Native American horses. This took place near the Spokane River in Washington, at a location that became known as “Horse Slaughter Camp.” Images from the book "The Spokane…