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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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707 results for: Labor and Labor Unions

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Image of Strawberry pickers in the field, circa 1921
Photograph

Strawberry pickers in the field, circa 1921

In the 1920s, farmers in the fertile valleys of the White, Duwamish, Cedar, and Little Black Rivers of western Washington state grew fruits and vegetables for shipment to Seattle and other markets. On average, local strawberry farmers grew 6,000 lbs. of berries per acre of land. In this photo, taken around 1921, strawberry pickers stand in a field somewhere near…
ID Number:1983.10.2179.1
Date:Circa 1921
Image of Train at Skagit River power site, circa 1921
Photograph

Train at Skagit River power site, circa 1921

Harsh terrain made the development of Seattle City Light's three Skagit River dams very difficult. Once they got permission to proceed on the Gorge Creek Diversion Dam in 1918, workers built access roads and a railway line, the Skagit River Railway, to haul supplies and workers to the construction site.This photo, taken around 1921, shows what is probably an excursion…
ID Number:1983.10.2251.6
Date:Circa 1921
Image of The Scandinavian Seamen's Home and Mission Hotel, circa 1922
Photograph

The Scandinavian Seamen's Home and Mission Hotel, circa 1922

Sometimes sailors found themselves in Seattle without a place to stay between voyages. Others were too old or too sick to continue work. In the 1920s, organizations which helped them included the Scandinavian Seaman's Home and the Mission Hotel, managed by Reverend E.B. Slettedahl.This photo, taken in about 1922, shows the seamen's home and hotel building on Marion Street, convenient…
ID Number:1983.10.2327
Date:Circa 1922
Image of Schwabacher delivery truck with Carnation milk, circa 1920
Photograph

Schwabacher delivery truck with Carnation milk, circa 1920

Schwabacher Brothers & Company, a San Francisco firm, opened an branch in Seattle in the 1860s. Within a short time, the firm became Puget Sound's major wholesaler of canned goods, dry goods, and other materials to the logging camps, mill towns, and farming communities. The first supplies were delivered across the water and upriver by steamer. In later years, the…
ID Number:1983.10.2435.1
Date:Circa 1920
Image of Woman at switchboard, Seattle, circa 1922
Photograph

Woman at switchboard, Seattle, circa 1922

Today, telephone call connections are made electronically. At first, however, each connection had to be made individually by an operator at a switchboard. This was a popular job for women.In this photo, taken in the early 1920s, a Seattle telephone operator uses a telephone switchboard to connect people who've called with the people they're calling. Handwritten on sleeve: Telephone Girls…
ID Number:1983.10.2720.1
Date:Circa 1922
Image of Telephone switchboard operators, circa 1922
Photograph

Telephone switchboard operators, circa 1922

Today, telephone call connections are made electronically. At first, however, a telephone operator seated at a switchboard manually connected each local and long-distance call. Most telephone operators were women. In this photo, taken in the early 1920s, a Seattle telephone operator uses a telephone switchboard to connect people who've called with the people they're calling. Photographer's Reference Number: 95450
ID Number:1983.10.2720.2
Date:Circa 1922
Image of Man mowing lawn at Seattle Golf Club,  The Highlands, circa 1922
Photograph

Man mowing lawn at Seattle Golf Club, The Highlands, circa 1922

The Seattle Golf and Country Club moved to its current location in The Highlands in 1908-1910. Their clubhouse was designed by noted architect Kirtland K. Cutter. Here, a worker mows the lawn at the club. Handwritten on sleeve: Tractor Eqpt. Co., Country Club Mower.Photographer's Reference Number: 94064
ID Number:1983.10.2828
Date:Circa 1922
Image of Workers cleaning cabbage, circa 1925
Photograph

Workers cleaning cabbage, circa 1925

In the 1920s, some of the produce from the fertile farmland around Kent, Washington went directly to Seattle markets, and some was processed locally. The Libby, McNeil & Libby plant in Kent canned beans, cabbage, and sauerkraut grown on contract by area farmers. In this photo, taken around 1925, men and women prepare cabbage at an unidentified location in Kent.…
ID Number:1983.10.3050.3
Date:Circa 1925
Image of Interior view of a Sumner factory, January 16, 1926
Photograph

Interior view of a Sumner factory, January 16, 1926

Sumner, Washington, is the oldest town in the Puyallup Valley. The area was settled in the early 1850s, and by the 1910s, it had developed into a center of berry growing and dairy farms. Canning factories, crate plants, and other industries developed to support the agricultural activities. This photo, taken in Sumner in 1926, shows the interior of what appears…
ID Number:1983.10.3116.1
Date:1926
Image of Olympic Manor house under construction, April 7, 1926
Photograph

Olympic Manor house under construction, April 7, 1926

Seattle grew quickly after 1900. New residential areas extended out from the central city. Houses in those areas were often individually built by skilled carpenters and other craftsmen.In this photo, two plasterers stand by a new house in Olympic Manor, a housing development in north Seattle in the Crown Hill neighborhood. They are mixing plaster for surfacing the interior walls.…
ID Number:1983.10.3148.2
Date:1926
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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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