• 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

183 results for: European American Settlement

Share:
Image of Miniature model made in 1980 of Central School which was established in 1870

Miniature model made in 1980 of Central School which was established in 1870

The Central School was the first building built by the Seattle School District. It opened August 15, 1870 on Third Avenue between Madison and Spring Streets. Lizzie Ordway, a Mercer Girl herself, along with C. M. Sanderson, were the first teachers and they welcomed about 100 students in the first year. This model was built in 1980-1981 by American Miniatures…
ID Number:1981.7294
Date:1980
Image of Brooch owned by Louisa Boren Denny, 1880s

Brooch owned by Louisa Boren Denny, 1880s

Louisa Boren Denny was a member of the Boren and Denny families, early white settlers that came to the Puget Sound in the 1850s.
ID Number:1983.69.9
Date:Circa 1880
Image of Windsor side chair made in the University

Windsor side chair made in the University "Boarding House," 1861-1862

This chair was made by D.C. Beatty who was an early settler in Olympia but came to Seattle when the Territorial University was being built in 1861 on the corner of Seneca Street and Fourth Avenue. Beatty made most of the desks, chairs and benches used in the University.
ID Number:1984.65.1
Date:1861-1862
Image of Watercolor drawing,

Watercolor drawing, "Bargaining with Indian Traders (at Alki Point in 1851)," by Emily Inez Denny, ca. 1870-1915

The daughter of one of Seattle’s founding families, Emily Inez Denny (1853 – 1918) was both a painter and writer. Greatly influenced by seeing the drawings of Sarah Willoughby as a student at the Washington Territorial University, she took on painting as a life-long pursuit. This scene was created by the artist based on stories told to her by her…
ID Number:1984.74.1
Date:Circa 1870-1915
Image of Pencil drawing,

Pencil drawing, "The New Cabin Home," by Emily Inez Denny, ca. 1870-1915

The daughter of one of Seattle’s founding families, Emily Inez Denny (1853 – 1918) was both a painter and writer. Greatly influenced by seeing the drawings of Sarah Willoughby as a student at the Washington Territorial University, she took on painting as a life-long pursuit. A woman who thrived on the creation of art, Emily constantly traveled with a notebook…
ID Number:1984.74.2
Date:Circa 1870-1915
Image of Pencil drawing,

Pencil drawing, "Forsaken (Camp on West Shore of Lake Union)," by Emily Inez Denny, 1876

The daughter of one of Seattle’s founding families, Emily Inez Denny (1853 – 1918) was both an artist and writer. Greatly influenced by seeing the drawings of Sarah Willoughby as a student at the Washington Territorial University, she took on painting and drawing as a life-long pursuit. A woman who thrived on the creation of art, Emily constantly traveled with…
ID Number:1984.74.3
Date:1876
Image of Model for the sculpture of an Alaskan wolf presented at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE), 1909

Model for the sculpture of an Alaskan wolf presented at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE), 1909

This sculpture model is attributed to Bert Convisar, sculptor and father of the arts patron Anne Gerber. Four large sculptures of animals – the wolf, the water buffalo, the polar bear, and the cougar – were placed at the Geyser Basin, the hub of the AYPE, and were meant to represent the early white settlement days in the Pacific Northwest.
ID Number:1984.141.1
Date:1909
Image of Hand-hewn cedar log from homestead cabin built by Albert Burrows, 1883

Hand-hewn cedar log from homestead cabin built by Albert Burrows, 1883

Albert S. Burrows was a homesteader who built his cabin on the shores of Lake Washington in 1882, at Killarney, on the south side of Bellevue.
ID Number:1985.12.3
Date:1883
Image of Folding pocket magnifying glass used by David Denny, ca. 1840-1890

Folding pocket magnifying glass used by David Denny, ca. 1840-1890

David Denny, the brother of Arthur Denny and a founding member of the city of Seattle, used this tool for prospecting and for starting campfires.
ID Number:1986.47.6
Date:Circa 1840-1890
Image of Side chair made by Henry Van Asselt, ca. 1860s

Side chair made by Henry Van Asselt, ca. 1860s

Henry Van Asselt settled in the Seattle area in 1851, intending to make his living through agriculture. When his first homestead was burned in the Battle of Seattle of 1856, he left the area for the Willamette Valley of Oregon, where he polished his cabinet-making skills. He opened up a cabinet shop upon his return to Seattle, and his furniture…
ID Number:1988.33.1
Date:Circa 1860
Previous 1 … 14 15 16 17 18 19 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