Commons:Wiki Loves Monuments in the United States/Washington
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   Wiki Loves Monuments - United States Competition |
Welcome to the guide for Washingtonians who are participating in Wiki Loves Monuments in the United States! Living in this beautiful, green state is not a requisite for participating in this competition, so this page is also for those who have ever visited Washington state in the past or plan to do so in the future. Native Washingtonians welcome you and hope you can help photos of monuments in Washington rise to the top in this competition. Whether you live in Washington or not, and this competition intrigues you, visit the national event page for more information!
From islands (San Juan Islands National Monument) to mountains, and more specifically, active volcanoes, (Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument), many of Washington's monuments capture the changing geographical landscape of this area. Washington state is more than just a physical place on a map, however, and is always in need of more freely-licensed photographic perspectives and analysis that cover what it has chosen to memorialize in the form of a monument. Such monuments, like the one at Mount St. Helens focuses on a particular, momentous event in Washington state's history, but monuments are created for more than just volcanic eruptions. Though monuments often commemorate events, they also pay tribute to people who have made noteworthy contributions to serving others and further developing Washington state into what it is today. Please keep this in mind as you look for monuments of interest to photograph and contribute. Our goal with this project is to help document Washington's numerous monuments through photographs, and, in so doing, contemplate the history of photography itself as it has been influenced by the Washington environment. As a side-bonus to this project, we will also be working to improve Wikipedia's coverage of these historic sites and the history of photography around them.
Places to photograph[edit]
National Register of Historic Places[edit]
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the federal government's official list of historic places that are deemed worthy of presentation. Here on Wikipedia we have Washington's NRHP listings sorted by county, with more than 1,500 sites across Washington's 39 counties. Although many of these are already photographed and on Wikipedia, many are also missing and some can use better photos or photos taken from new angles. Explore your county's listing to see what sites are missing photographs.
National Monuments of Washington[edit]
Washington is home to three National Monuments that have been protected by Congress through legislation or by the president through the use of the Antiquities Act. These three monuments are the Hanford Reach National Monument, the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, and the San Juan Islands National Monument. All three of these monuments cover large areas, more than 300,000 acres in total, making them fertile ground for further photographic exploration.
National Historic Landmarks in Washington[edit]
The United States National Historic Landmark listings in the state of Washington express the diversity of Washington's maritime heritage, including vessels and shipyards, but these 24 landmarks also include war camps and forts, dams, viewpoints, parks, and buildings. Explore and document the National Historic Landmarks in Washington (state) near you.
Washington Historical Landmarks[edit]
Not all entries require national historic status. For a good example of the types of landmarks that could also be considered worthy of entry in this category, take a look at Washington's neighbor two states to the south (California), which has a list of California's Historical Landmarks sorted by county, where you will find more than 1,000 sites throughout the state of California, ranging from buildings, to trees, to sites of historical significance unique to the county and state, many of which are missing photographs on Wikipedia. As you consider photographing sites in Washington, consider some of the types of items that are on California's list and make your choices for exploration and photographing with that in mind. Even better, if you are up for the challenge, create a page similar to the one that was made for California's historical sites, applying to it your discoveries in Washington state.
Local/Municipally-Designated Monuments and Historic Sites[edit]
In addition to districts denoted by the federal government, many localities in Washington maintain their own historic sites, landmarks, and districts that are not designated by the NRHP, and many of them are missing photos (and more). Please feel free to add to the page listed below and/or create other pages for other areas of Washington state.
- Seattle