To preserve stories of pioneers, which had not already found their way into published histories and reminiscences of the State of Washington, a project was begun in the early part of 1936 as part of a Friendly Visiting Program to elderly persons receiving old age assistance from the Washington State Dept. of Public Welfare. Consequently, these elderly persons were interviewed and their early stories, which might otherwise have been lost, have been preserved as part of the pioneer lore of the State of Washington. Selected interviews and excerpts were chosen by the editors based on the most picturesque background and popular appeal for publication as Told by the Pioneers. The book states, "The originals [interviews] are on file at the State Library where they can be consulted for statistics and other data." However, WSL does not and has not had the complete collection of original interviews. The manuscript collection titled, Washington Pioneer Project Records and Interviews 1936-1937, consists of the original interviews that WSL does have that correspond with the book.