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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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534 results for: Businesses and Corporations

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Image of Boeing Corporal  Deputy Sheriff badge, ca. 1940

Boeing Corporal Deputy Sheriff badge, ca. 1940

Wartime production during World War II meant a massively expanded workforce for Boeing and an increased need for plant safety and management.
ID Number:1996.37.5
Date:Circa 1940
Image of Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE) Diploma awarded to Merlino Olive Oil, 1909

Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE) Diploma awarded to Merlino Olive Oil, 1909

Italian immigrants working in the coal mines of the Black Diamond/Ravensdale area wrote home asking friends and relatives to send foods they missed from Italy. Angelo Merlino, one of those miners, opened his first store in 1900. Angelo Merlino & Sons has been shipping cheese, olive oil and Mediterranean delicacies throughout the Pacific Northwest and Alaska ever since. The Merlino's…
ID Number:1996.48.1
Date:1909
Image of Olive oil can, from Merlino Olive Oil Company, 1985-1995

Olive oil can, from Merlino Olive Oil Company, 1985-1995

Italian immigrant Angelo Merlino founded Merlino Foods in 1900 and introduced olive oil to Seattle.
ID Number:1996.48.3
Date:1985-1995
Image of Astoria & Puget Sound Canning Company safe, ca. 1910

Astoria & Puget Sound Canning Company safe, ca. 1910

The fishing and canning industry has always been a boon for Seattle and all of the Pacific Northwest, including Alaska. This safe was first used by the Astoria & Puget Sound Canning Company in the early 1900s, and then shipped to Excursion Inlet, Alaska, for use in the company cannery store located there. The tumblers locked in the early 1970s…
ID Number:1997.11.1
Date:Circa 1910
Image of Rainier Brewery crate from Prohibition era, ca. 1920-1927

Rainier Brewery crate from Prohibition era, ca. 1920-1927

During Prohibition, Rainier Brewery produced beverages under the name "Rainier Products", generally referred to as "near beer," which included birch and root beer, ginger ale, and cider.
ID Number:1997.45.1
Date:Circa 1920-1927
Image of Vanity or dressing table, ca. 1942

Vanity or dressing table, ca. 1942

The Iwasaki family owned the Star Lake Nursery in Auburn, Washington. During World War II, the family was incarcerated in California in the Fresno Pinedale camp, then Tule Lake Camp. This vanity was made by a family friend and given to them while they were at Tule Lake. Another friend of the family maintained the nursery back in Washington while…
ID Number:1997.46.2
Date:Circa 1942
Image of Potty chair made from a Carnation milk crate, ca. 1910-1920

Potty chair made from a Carnation milk crate, ca. 1910-1920

Necessity is the mother of invention so they say. This unique potty chair was handmade using a milk crate from the Carnation Milk Company. In 1889, Amos Eldridge Stuart founded the Pacific Coast Condensed Milk Company in Kent, Washington. He changed the name to Carnation Evaporated Milk Company in 1901 and established a cow breeding farm in Tolt, Washington. The…
ID Number:1999.6.31
Date:Circa 1910-1920
Image of Tin of Gold Shield Coffee, 3 lbs., from Schwabacher Bros. and Company, ca. 1910

Tin of Gold Shield Coffee, 3 lbs., from Schwabacher Bros. and Company, ca. 1910

The Schwabacher Brothers, Louis (1837-1900), Abraham (1838-1909), and Sigmund (Sig) (1841-1917), were pioneering Bavarian-born Jewish merchants, important in the economic development of the Pacific Northwest. They owned several businesses bearing their family name, and opened a branch store in Seattle in 1869. Within a short time, the firm became Puget Sound's major wholesaler of canned goods, dry goods, and other…
ID Number:1999.6.71
Date:Circa 1910
Image of Tin of Gold Shield Cayenne Pepper from Schwabacher Bros. and Company, ca. 1910

Tin of Gold Shield Cayenne Pepper from Schwabacher Bros. and Company, ca. 1910

The Schwabacher Brothers, Louis (1837-1900), Abraham (1838-1909), and Sigmund (Sig) (1841-1917), were pioneering Bavarian-born Jewish merchants, important in the economic development of the Pacific Northwest. They owned several businesses bearing their family name, and opened a branch store in Seattle in 1869. Within a short time, the firm became Puget Sound's major wholesaler of canned goods, dry goods, and other…
ID Number:1999.6.77
Date:Circa 1910
Image of Can of “Happy Home Sweet Corn” from Schwabacher Bros. & Co., ca. 1930s

Can of “Happy Home Sweet Corn” from Schwabacher Bros. & Co., ca. 1930s

The Schwabacher Brothers, Louis (1837-1900), Abraham (1838-1909), and Sigmund (Sig) (1841-1917), were pioneering Bavarian-born Jewish merchants, important in the economic development of the Pacific Northwest. They owned several businesses bearing their family name, and opened a branch store in Seattle in 1869. Within a short time, the firm became Puget Sound's major wholesaler of canned goods, dry goods, and other…
ID Number:1999.6.86
Date:Circa 1930
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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
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