The project began with the finding of a Whatcom Humane Society ledger, a document discovered by staff during a recent move, its pages dating back over a century. Entries in the ledger reveal a unique perspective of the happenings of Bellingham and Greater Whatcom county, each one different from the last. Hundreds of entries span from the turn of the century, the first World War, the beginning of the Great Depression, up until the start of the second World War in Europe. As the second English 402 group to approach this collection, we had the pleasure of combing through each and every page, lifting the ledger’s most interesting and insightful passages.
The Process
Whereas the previous group compiled a working timeline and an extensive report on economic changes in the area, we had a more narrative-driven approach. Stories lifted from the ledger were expanded upon with our external research of Bellingham. Using the Bellingham Herald’s and the local historical archives, we were able to expand on the stories offered and mentioned by the Whatcom Humane Society of the past.
With the plethora of information laid at our feet, we decided to divide and conquer. Each group member was assigned a couple of decades of Whatcom history to comb through and condense into digestible chunks. As our research marched on, we discovered unexpected and strange stories as well as a litany of abuse cases against animals and people alike. After some deliberation, we were able to categorize the stories we came across, picking the most interesting to publish on this website.
As our academic quarter comes to an end, so does our research. The WHS has proposed the creation of a book with collected stories from the ledger, some of which may come directly out of this project’s research.