Voices of the Migration

Interview with Dot Queen Conner discussing her fathers time working in Washington and how the Washington Migration had an effect on her life.

Oral history with Emerson and Margaret Blanton. Emerson moved to Washington to work in the woods, but soon switched from that to working in a lumber mill. Margaret was born in Washington to parents that were Jackson County locals.

Oral history with Mildred Broom, Ernest Queens sister.

Oral History with Janet Norman, Diana Van Etten and JoAnn Cole. They were all born and raised in Washington after their father Talmadge Queen moved to Washingtn when he was 23 and his wife was 17.

"They really left because of lack of work here and the ones that had done logging and done that here the timber was just gone. I mean ya know they went out there because it was I guess the first ones come back and told them. I know one of my uncles said its Gods country."- Dot Queen Conner

"A lot of them could made $100 a day just falling timber, now I know of school teachers quit teaching school to go fall timber because they made just so much money back in that time."- Emerson Blanton

"It just felt like going home"- Dot Queen Conner

"Every Sunday morning when we would sing the opening hymn he would say now let’s sing this hymn so you can hear it wailing through the Appalachian Mountains."- Emerson Blanton

"He [her farther] sang no matter where he went. He’d be driving down the road and singing and he’d get us girls to sing. You even hummed now and then. Ernest and Carolyn and all of them sang."- Janet Queen Norman

"The mountains, the view, the places, there’s a lot of similarities. But out there where we were raised at in Skagit County, it was more open, big ole valleys, bigger mountains, lot prettier. Rugged. And there’s some beautiful mountains out there. We used to camp a lot out in there."- Diana Van Etten

"But now the people and way of life was the same." JoAnn Queen Cole