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Nancy Bell Anderson discusses the historical significance of an isolated spot on the Washington side of the mouth of the Columbia River in the presentation, "The Columbia River’s Ellis Island" – The Story of Knappton Cove, including the Columbia River Quarantine Station that was established on the cove in 1899. The program will be held on Tuesday, February 28 at 7:00 pm at the Yelm Timberland Library. A display of artifacts and a slide show of vintage photos will also be included.

Anderson has researched the site back to 1792. Knappton Cove was one of four points of entry on the west coast. In 1891 the U.S. Congress passed the Quarantine Act to control communicable diseases arriving on many passengers ships. From 1899 until it closed in 1938, the station at Knappton Cove quarantined immigrants who might be carrying disease. The site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Today, the station’s hospital building houses the Knappton Cove Heritage Center.

Anderson is a fourth generation Oregonian. She currently serves on the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Association board. The Friends of the Yelm Timberland Library are sponsoring her presentation, which is part of the Humanities Washington Inquiring Mind series.

For more information, please call the library at (360) 458-3374.

Timberland Regional Library serves the information, reading and lifelong learning needs of the Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, and Thurston county public at 27 community libraries and 6 cooperative library service locations. The library system is funded by local property taxes. For information on any subject, the Thurston County public can telephone Timberland’s Central Reference Service at 704-INFO (704-4636) or they can "Ask a Librarian" online at www.trlib.org. Anyone needing special accommodations to participate in a library’s program may contact the library a week in advance.

Revised 02/13/06