• Visit
    • Museum Accessibility
    • Community Access
    • Group Visits and Tours
    • Programs
      • History Café
      • MOHAI Mercantile Literary Series
      • First Thursday
      • Denny Lecture
      • Al Young Educator of the Year
      • Everyday Heroes
    • MOHAI Mercantile
    • Gourmondo at MOHAI
  • Exhibits
  • Events
  • Collections and Research
    • Collections Search
    • Themed Collections
    • Research Library
    • Image Ordering
    • Donate an Artifact
    • Curator’s Fellowship
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Membership at MOHAI
    • Gift Memberships
    • Corporate Support
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • Self-Guided School Year Explorations
      • Creating Our Community
      • Cracking the History Code: Salish Stories
      • Cracking the History Code: Settling Around the Sound
      • Hands on History
      • Self-Guided Summer Field Trips
      • Homeschool Group
    • Portable Museum Program
    • Scholarships
    • Education FAQ
    • Primary Source Analysis
    • Online Curricula
    • Teen Programs
    • Idea Lab
    • Discovery Packs
    • Summer Camps
  • About
    • Annual Reports
    • The MOHAI Blog
    • Contact MOHAI
    • Opportunities
    • Leadership
    • Private Events
  • Donate
  • Tickets
  • Membership
HomeCollections and ResearchCollections Search

Collections Search

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.

Download lower resolution images directly from an item page. MOHAI offers high-resolution digital reproductions of photographs and other materials from our collections for personal and professional use.

We have many more items in our collections and not everything you see online is on view at the museum. We have additional materials online at the University of Washington’s Digital Collections.

MOHAI Statement on Harmful Content

Search by Collection

Not finding what you are looking for?
Ask the MOHAI Collections Staff

135 results for: Government and Public Services

Share:
Image of Button pin,

Button pin, "I Dig Downtown Metro," ca. 1990

This button promotes the project to build the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT), or Metro Bus Tunnel, which opened in 1990. Only buses used the tunnel until 2005 when light rail was added.
ID Number:2019.40.16
Date:Circa 1990
Image of Extra-long handled shovel, or

Extra-long handled shovel, or "spade," used for digging power pole holes, ca. 1910s-1940s

This type of long-handled shovel was used prior to electric augurs or hole digging machines. A crew of ten to twelve men would work together to dig power pole holes using a "spade, spoon, and bar," which consisted of a pointed shovel (spade), round shovel (spoon), and steel bar. These extra-long tools may have been used by predecessors of Joe…
ID Number:2019.68.1
Date:Circa 1910-1940
Image of Extra-long handled shovel, or

Extra-long handled shovel, or "spoon," used for digging power pole holes, ca. 1910s-1940s

This type of long-handled shovel was used prior to electric augurs or hole digging machines. A crew of ten to twelve men would work together to dig power pole holes using a "spade, spoon, and bar," which consisted of a pointed shovel (spade), round shovel (spoon), and steel bar. These extra-long tools may have been used by predecessors of Joe…
ID Number:2019.68.2
Date:Circa 1910-1940
Image of Long steel bar used for digging power pole holes, ca. 1910s-1940s

Long steel bar used for digging power pole holes, ca. 1910s-1940s

This steel bar was used along with shovels to dig power pole holes prior to electric augurs or hole digging machines. A crew of ten to twelve men would work together to dig power pole holes using a "spade, spoon, and bar," which consisted of a pointed shovel (spade), round shovel (spoon), and steel bar. These extra-long tools may have…
ID Number:2019.68.3
Date:Circa 1910-1940
Image of Seattle park sign,

Seattle park sign, "Leave 6 ft Between You and Others," 2020

The Seattle Parks Department created a selection of instructional signs for use in local parks during various stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Strongly recommended health and safety protocols included staying six feet away from each other at all times.
ID Number:2020.44.3
Date:2020
Image of Seattle park sign,

Seattle park sign, "Crowded Parks Lead to Closed Parks," 2020

The Seattle Parks Department created a selection of instructional signs for use in local parks during various stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. As social distancing was a strongly recommended health and safety protocol, people were encouraged not to crowd together. One unfortunate oversight on this particular sign is the incorrect spelling of "excercise."
ID Number:2020.44.4
Date:2020
Image of Seattle park sign,

Seattle park sign, "Small, Simple, Socially Distant," 2020

The Seattle Parks Department created a selection of instructional signs for use in local parks during various stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Strongly recommended health and safety protocols included social distancing and keeping groups small, even when gathering outside.
ID Number:2020.44.5
Date:2020
Image of Seattle Transit System Visitor pin, ca. 1940s-1950s

Seattle Transit System Visitor pin, ca. 1940s-1950s

Seattle had a robust streetcar system up until 1940 when the Muicipal Street Railway System transitioned to an all-bus network and became the Seattle Transit System, or what is today known as the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle (METRO).
ID Number:2021.20.1
Date:Circa 1940-1950
Image of METRO pin,

METRO pin, "Ride with Pride," ca. 1990s

King County Metro, established in 1973, is the public transit authority for Seattle and King County, Washington. The slogan "Ride with Pride" was later used to celebrate the LGBTQ community.
ID Number:2021.20.15
Date:Circa 1990-1999
Image of King County Metro Uniform rain shell jacket, 2018-2019

King County Metro Uniform rain shell jacket, 2018-2019

King County Metro, established in 1973, is the public transit authority for Seattle and King County, Washington. This jacket belonged to a Metro bus driver who worked from 2018-2019.
ID Number:2021.46.1
Date:2018
Previous 1 … 11 12 13 14 Next

Land Acknowledgement

MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
  • Plan a Visit
  • Directions and Parking
  • Accessibility
  • Group Tours
  • About

Sign up to Receive our Newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright 2026, Museum of History & Industry. All Rights Reserved