Introduction
When Sid Snyder first came to the Capitol Building in 1949, he was a young man just beginning to make his way in a world that was recovering from years of economic depression and war. The state was still struggling to reconstruct itself after years of turmoil and tight budgets. It was the beginning of a new era in state government, though few might have recognized it at the time.
Sid went to work in a Capitol Building that was only twenty-one years old. He began as an elevator operator before the era of mechanized elevators. When he retired as a State Senator in 2002, the Capitol was transformed: every legislator had a private office and on every desk sat a personal computer. Still, despite all the changes, at the heart of state government are the people who travel the halls, lend their voices and will, and make the wheels turn. Senator Snyder's stories help us remember those personalities and events, all part of the rich lore of the Capitol.
This tour was conducted after the powerful earthquake that struck the area in February 2001 damaged the Capitol Building and caused the evacuation of offices for needed repair and rehabilitation. Yellow hazard ribbons rope off damaged areas, but we were still able to move around the building to capture the stories associated with different spaces. We would like to thank Senator Snyder for his time and willingness to share these stories and his reflections on the life and history of the Legislature. We would also like to thank Wayne Lawson and Terri Nelson of the Southwest Branch of State Archives for videotaping help and other assistance.
View Sid Snyder's "Biographical Highlights"
