The German Heritage of the Pacific Northwest

Sabine Wilke

This undergraduate research project concerns the archival reconstruction of the German heritage of the Pacific Northwest region. Major academically focused research into the German heritage of our region has never been undertaken.

Former undergraduates who have started the project in 1998 have established connections to the German community of the Puget Sound through the German Heritage Society and various other cultural clubs and organizations that regularly come together in the German House on First Hill.

We also seek to write the history of German immigration into the Pacific Northwest region. Students collect data from the German community to expand our network of contacts, do library research into the history of early settlements, search the Internet for already existing links to German heritage web pages, and possibly interview German immigrants living in the area.

Students work according to an individually set research plan on a quarterly basis. The project requires good command of the German language and excellent research and/or communication skills.