Like many other parts of the American West, the area that later became the state of Washington in 1889 was a place of great opportunity, both in terms of the existing natural resources, and in a more intangible fashion, a place that represented a new beginning for those persons venturing west from the Midwest and the East Coast. This recently developed online database presented by the University of Washington Library contains writings, diaries, letters, and recollections from those persons who moved to Washington in the 19th century. Visitors can search the collections, or elect to browse through the collection list, which contains over two dozen primary documents available for viewing. Some of the highlights here include the recollections of Lila Hannah Firth who lived on San Juan Island (located in Puget Sound) in the 1860s and an account of the first ascension of Mount Rainier, one Dr. William F. Tolmie. Rounding out the site is an online exhibition titled Northwest of the West: the Frontier Experience on the Northwest Coast., which serves as a nice introduction to the overall experience of these first pioneers moving west.