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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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39 results for: Seattle Electric Company

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Image of Seattle Electric Company ticket, Seattle, 1903
Ephemera

Seattle Electric Company ticket, Seattle, 1903

In 1898 the Seattle Electric Company was granted a contract to consolidate the city's 22 separate streetcar lines and private street railways. The SEC was an arm of the national Stone & Webster utility cartel, which also controlled the city's electrical grid and operated the Puget Sound Electric Railway (PSE), an interurban line linking Tacoma, Seattle, and Everett. Due to…
ID Number:1953.641.1b
Date:1903
Image of Wilsonian Apartment Hotel lobby, Seattle, December 1923
Photograph

Wilsonian Apartment Hotel lobby, Seattle, December 1923

This image of the lobby of the Wilsonian Apartment Hotel in Seattle was likely taken just after the opening on November 26, 1923, in December 1923. The Wilsonian, located in Seattle's University District on the northeast corner of University Way NE and NE 47th Street, was the crowning achievement of real-estate developers Corinne Simpson Wilson (1867-1929) and her husband and…
ID Number:1955.970.500.36.1
Date:1923
Image of World of Commerce and Industry at Boulevard 21, Seattle World's Fair, 1962
Photograph

World of Commerce and Industry at Boulevard 21, Seattle World's Fair, 1962

The Century 21 Exposition (also known as the Seattle World's Fair) ran from April 21, 1962, to October 21, 1962. Nearly 10 million people attended the fair. As planned, the exposition left behind a fairground and numerous public buildings and public works; some credit it with revitalizing Seattle's economic and cultural life. The site, slightly expanded since the fair, is…
ID Number:1963.3119.65ee
Date:1962
Image of Horace C. Henry home, Seattle, circa 1920
Photograph

Horace C. Henry home, Seattle, circa 1920

One of Seattle's early residents, Horace Chapin Henry (1844-1928) was a businessperson who made a fortune with building contractor Henry Balch when they formed Henry and Balch, a construction company that won many contracts for railroads and roads throughout the United States. Work brought Henry to Seattle in late 1891, and he began to make investments in local businesses, later…
ID Number:1967.4235.6
Date:Circa 1920
Image of Birdseye view of Denny Hill regrade showing conveyors, looking south from Battery Street near 5th Avenue, October 20, 1929
Photograph

Birdseye view of Denny Hill regrade showing conveyors, looking south from Battery Street near 5th Avenue, October 20, 1929

The Seattle Board of Public Works awarded George Nelson & Company the contract for the second and final phase of the regrading of Denny Hill in 1928-1930. Unlike the earlier regrade, this project made use of belt conveyors to move material from the site out to Elliott Bay. An electric shovel removed dirt from the hill and dropped it into…
ID Number:1968.4524.45
Date:1929
Image of Washington Laundry building and delivery carriages, Seattle, 1910
Photograph

Washington Laundry building and delivery carriages, Seattle, 1910

Born in Tennessee, James Thomas Huff (1868-1924) moved to Seattle in 1894, finding work at the Seattle Laundry. In 1904, he established his own laundry business, Washington Laundry, at 1165 Eastlake Avenue on Lake Union.In this image Mr. Huff stands next to his Winton automobile in front of Washington Laundry. The laundry delivery drivers with their horses and wagons are…
ID Number:1969.4602.2
Date:1910
Image of Our Afternoon Trip, April 17, 1906
Manuscript

Our Afternoon Trip, April 17, 1906

Inga Caroline Hoffield (1894-1945) was born in Iowa to Norwegian-immigrant parents Benjamin Kornelius Hoffield (1865-1949) and Ellen B. (Strom) Hoffield (1872-c. 1905). The family moved to Seattle before 1900, and Inga and her two younger sisters attended Salmon Bay School at 26th Avenue W and W Prospect Street.The manuscript pictured here is an essay that Inga wrote while a student…
ID Number:1970.4879.1
Date:1906
Image of Corner of Fourth Avenue and University Street, Seattle, January 31, 1924
Photograph

Corner of Fourth Avenue and University Street, Seattle, January 31, 1924

This photo shows the corner of Fourth Avenue and University Street in downtown Seattle. The building on the corner is the Curtis Studio, a photography business managed by Edward Curtis's wife, Clara. A sign atop the studio indicates that this location is the future site of the Stimson Building, one of a group of buildings designed by architects Howells and…
ID Number:1971.5117.2
Date:1924
Image of James Street cable line, Seattle, 1904
Cartographic material

James Street cable line, Seattle, 1904

The map pictured here shows the route of the James Street cable car line from two perspectives: a "bird's eye view looking south" and a profile view. The drawing was produced by The Seattle Electric Company in May 1904, but the route began in 1891. The final cable car on this route ran in 1940, after which the city switched…
ID Number:1977.6521.3a
Date:1904
Image of Workers in yard across from the N and S Electric Company, Seattle, circa 1903
Photograph

Workers in yard across from the N and S Electric Company, Seattle, circa 1903

In the late 19th century, Smith Cove was being developed as an extension of Seattle’s port facilities. This continued into the new century with the construction of the Great Northern Railroad terminus in the Interbay area and other buildings nearby. On February 1, 1902, plans were filed with the Seattle Building Inspector for a two-story machine shop to be built…
ID Number:1982.65.5
Date:1903
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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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