This quarterly magazine “dedicated to safety in the Northwest” began March 30, 1939, under the name of Capitol Capers, which was a monthly newspaper published for Washington State workers that focused on governmental news and lifestyle stories in and around Olympia, Washington. Capitol Capers then briefly became the Washington Observer newspaper between Oct. 31, 1940 through May 20, 1941 before transitioning to the Capitol Observer that year. The Capitol Observer changed its primary focus from state government news to issues about general safety in the Spring 1958 issue and converted to a magazine format in the summer of that same year.