Walla Walla County-City Health Department records and photographs of sex workers in Walla Walla
Scope and Contents
The Walla Walla County-City Health Department records and photographs of sex workers in Walla Walla houses the health and law enforcement records of sex workers in Walla Walla, Washington. This collection, which dates from 1939 to 1942, documents medical testing for sexually transmitted infections of sex workers in Walla Walla. These efforts align with a national campaign to limit the spread of sexually transmitted infections among military personnel during World War II.
Dates
- Creation: 1938-1942
Creator
- Walla Walla County (Wash.) (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Materials in the collection contain personally identifiable information (PII) such as names as sexual health status, which are not permitted to be included in reproductions and publications.
Historical Note
Before and during World War II, nationwide campaigns mitigated nationwide concerns about sexually transmitted inflections and the health of U.S. soldiers. In 1938, the U.S. government enacted the Venereal Disease Control Act. The purpose of this act was to allocate funds to education and public health related to sexually transmitted infections. The following year, the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, American Social Hygiene Administration, and U.S. Public Health Service formed the Eight Points Agreement which outlined how to prevent and control sexually transmitted infections within the service branches. The Eight Points Agreement also emphasized the desire to repress sex work and specifically the women involved. In 1941, the U.S. Congress passed the May Act giving the federal government the right to take over policing areas surrounding military bases. This act also specified that sex work was a federal offense within a “resonable distance” of military camps/bases. The laws outlined above criminalized sex work, placing the responsibility of sexually transmitted infection prevention on the women involved, not on the soldiers. This collection consists of Walla Walla Police Department photographs and health records of sexually transmitted infection testing of sex workers in Walla Walla. The exact extent of the collaboration between WWPD and city and county health offices is unclear, as is the circumstances under which these records were collected. Despite this uncertainty, these records can viewed within this larger historical context of World War II and sexually transmitted infection prevention in the United States.
Extent
0.6 Linear Feet (1 manuscript box, 1 half-manuscript box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Before and during World War II, nationwide campaigns mitigated nationwide concerns about sexually transmitted inflections and the health of U.S. soldiers. The Walla Walla County-City Health Department Records and Photographs of Sex Workers in Walla Walla, which dates from 1939 to 1942, houses the health and law enforcement records of sex workers in Walla Walla, Washington.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to the Whitman College and Northwest Archives by Tim Rogers on October 27, 2021. The accession number associated with this donation is 2021-017.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Colby Dragon under the supervision of Dana Bronson. Photographs were placed in protective sleeves and records placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. The original arrangement of records was retained such that the records are organized by hotel within the collection.
- Title
- Guide to the Walla Walla County-City Health Department records and photographs of sex workers in Walla Walla
- Author
- Colby Dragon
- Date
- 2022
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Whitman College and Northwest Archives Repository