“The Way We Worked,” celebrates the history of work in America and explores the places Americans worked, from farms to factories and mines to restaurants, as well as in homes. It tells the stories of how hard-working Americans of every ethnicity, class, gender, and age power the nation. Work and the workplace have gone through enormous changes between the mid-19th century, when 60 percent of Americans made their living as farmers, and the early 21st century. This exhibit examines not only the effects of technology and automation, but also how workers striving for better working conditions, wages, and hours, and an end to racial and gender discrimination, changed America’s work history.

A new exhibit connecting the people and stories from local companies, like Kaiser, Armour, McGoldrick Lumber Co, Velox Naval Depot, and more. “The Way We Worked” is accompanied by an audio tour that allows visitors to access additional details. The photos featured in the exhibition come from the vast collection of the National Archives, which is home to thousands of photos of work and workplaces taken by government agencies.

“The Way We Worked,” an exhibition created by the National Archives, is adapted for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and made possible with the generous support of the United States Congress. Additional support is provided by The City of Spokane Valley.