Great Seattle Fire

Mural of 1889 Seattle Fire painted by Rudolph Franz Zallinger, 1953, MOHAI, 1953.545.1

On June 6, 1889, the Great Seattle Fire forever changed the landscape of the city, sparking a rebuilding and restructuring of Seattle into the innovative city known today.

Discover the history behind this important event in Seattle’s early development using primary source materials from MOHAI’s collection.

Our Great Seattle Fire curriculum consists of four lessons and one additional activities and question for discussion sheet. Each can be downloaded in PDF form with the links below. This curriculum is recommended for Grades 5 and up.

• Lesson 1: What is Going on Here?
• Lesson 2: Introduction to Primary Sources
• Lesson 3: Student and Teacher Slideshow Presentations
• Lesson 4: Who’s Who of the Great Seattle Fire
• Additional Activities and Questions for Discussion

Curriculum downloads are designed to provide educators with everything they need to conduct each lesson and contain the following folders:

• Background information: A historical overview and timeline, sources for more information, and vocabulary list.
• Lesson plans & activities: The lesson plans for this curriculum.
• Image slide show: Historic images related to the Great Seattle Fire and a script explaining each.
• Other supporting files: Primary documents, oral history audio files, video links, and worksheets.

The Great Seattle Fire curriculum is split into two parts, each of which can be downloaded below:

• Great Seattle Fire Curriculum – Part 1
• Great Seattle Fire Curriculum – Part 2