Published in 1937, Lancaster Pollard's A History of the State of Washington is a comprehensive, multi-volume chronicle that documents the Pacific Northwest's rapid transformation from an isolated frontier territory into an established, industrialized state. The text meticulously details the economic and political forces that shaped the region, covering the early fur trade, pioneer settlements, complex Native American relations, and explosive urban growth. A keen insight drawn from the work is how the state's extreme geographic isolation from the eastern United States forged a distinct, self-reliant "area-kinship" among early settlers, driving them to rapidly develop robust, localized economies centered on timber and agriculture. Additionally, the latter half of the work serves as an invaluable genealogical archive by preserving hundreds of detailed biographical sketches of the prominent pioneers and civic leaders who built Washington's foundational communities.