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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

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23 results for: Railroad

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Image of Ship's wheel, SS Milwaukee, 1913

Ship's wheel, SS Milwaukee, 1913

The SS Milwaukee, built by Seattle Construction and Dry Dock in 1913, was the last steam tug on Puget Sound. It was used by the Milwaukee Terminus Railway Company to tranship freight from rail to deep sea steamships.
ID Number:1954.559
Date:1913
Image of Painting of Smith's Cove and Dr. Henry Smith's house by Emily Inez Denny, 1870-1880

Painting of Smith's Cove and Dr. Henry Smith's house by Emily Inez Denny, 1870-1880

This painting depicts the home of Dr. Henry A. Smith, who had come west by wagon in 1851. He was a physician who used his skills on the wagon train trip from the Midwest, in Seattle and in Snohomish, where he cared for Native Americans as he developed tidal land there. He was involved in Seattle politics, served as chair…
ID Number:1955.878.3
Date:1870-1880
Image of Pan from the Great Seattle Fire of 1889

Pan from the Great Seattle Fire of 1889

This pan, rescued from Seattle's 1889 fire, features a painting by J.H. Barnes that depicts the railroad depot on Columbia Street.
ID Number:1955.898
Date:Circa 1889
Image of Northern Pacific Railway lantern, ca. 1890s

Northern Pacific Railway lantern, ca. 1890s

The Northern Pacific Railway (NP), completed in 1883, had about 6,800 miles of track that stretched across the northern section of the western US, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. The NP eventually merged with other lines to form the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1970, and then became the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway in 1996.
ID Number:1957.1183.2
Date:Circa 1890
Image of Bedstead, ca. 1865

Bedstead, ca. 1865

This bedstead was brought to the new city of Tacoma in 1874 by George Neal Alexander when he traveled north with the railroad from Oregon. His house, one of the first built in Tacoma, was located where the Hotel Donnelly stands today. Later, Alexander came to Seattle and was the Street Commissioner from 1885-1888 and from 1894-1896.
ID Number:1957.1298.1
Date:1865-1885
Image of White china coffee mug that burned in the Seattle Fire of 1889

White china coffee mug that burned in the Seattle Fire of 1889

The Great Seattle Fire of 1889 burned many of the city's blocks to the ground and left countless damaged items in its wake including this charred coffee mug from the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad Restaurant at Jackson and Commercial Streets. Thomas Marley, owner of the restaurant, saw his land value skyrocket after the fire convincing him not to rebuild.…
ID Number:1961.2371.10
Date:Circa 1880
Image of Railroad combination punch and register, ca. 1874

Railroad combination punch and register, ca. 1874

Mr. John Booth Button, a conductor on the Front Street Cable Railway around 1900, used this punch to check in the cable car riders. It rings a bell each time is it used.
ID Number:1961.2491.1
Date:Circa 1874
Image of Cigar advertising the Northern Pacific Railroad, ca. 1912

Cigar advertising the Northern Pacific Railroad, ca. 1912

Items like these were used in advertising promotions around the turn of the century. This particular cigar was packaged for distribution on the Northern Pacific Railroad.
ID Number:1967.4102.48a
Date:Circa 1912
Image of Blacksmithing anvil, ca. 1900

Blacksmithing anvil, ca. 1900

This anvil belonged to O. Fred Felton (1876-1966), born in Kentucky and moved to Seattle in 1923. He worked for the Great Northern Railroad and may have used this anvil for blacksmithing.
ID Number:1967.4146.2
Date:Circa 1900
Image of Oil portrait of Florence Aurelia Henry by Harriet Foster Beecher, 1904

Oil portrait of Florence Aurelia Henry by Harriet Foster Beecher, 1904

Florence Aurelia Henry (1886-1904) was born in Minnesota to Susan and Horace Henry. Horace brought his family to Seattle to build the Northern Pacific Railroad and he soon became a wealthy man. Tragically, Florence became deathly ill while attending school in Massachusetts and died of appendicitis. Horace, being one of the original Seattle Golf and County Club members, was able…
ID Number:1967.4235.4
Date:1904
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