Front:
1889
FEB
22
1989
98501
WA
70
Back:
WASHINGTON STATEHOOD
First Day of Issue: February 22, 1989
First Issue Location: Olympia, Washington
The earliest written history of Washington state, located
in the northwest corner of the continental United States,
is contained in the records of Spanish, British, and Ameri-
can explorers, some purportedly dated as early as 1592.
The first real settlers, however, were the fur traders and
missionaries who came to the Northwest beginning in the
early 1800's. Later, with the discovery of gold in the
northeastern part of the territory in 1855, came a flood of
prospectors. Rapid population growth in eastern Wash-
ington Territory in the 1860's contributed to the annexing
of parts of the territory to the new Territory of Idaho. By
1863, the permanent boundaries of the future Washing-
ton state were set, except for minor adjustments later in
the San Juan Islands. Because of its remoteness, the region
experienced slow population growth until the coming of
the railroad in 1883. During the Civil War, enthusiasm for
statehood in the Washington Territory became strong,
and Washington was admitted into the Union as the forty-
second state on November 11, 1889.
No. 89-5
©1989 The Maximum Card Collection
A Division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007
Original painting by Ed Little
