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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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1312 results for: Seattle Center

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Image of Native American leaders performing at Victory Square, Seattle, August 15, 1942
Photograph

Native American leaders performing at Victory Square, Seattle, August 15, 1942

Victory Square, on University Street between Fourth and Fifth Avenues, was the hub of Seattle's home front activities during World War II. Crowds gathered here for parades, war bond rallies and many other patriotic events.In the center of this photo, Tulalip Tribes leader Harriette “Hiahl-tsa” Shelton Dover dances as part of a Discovery Day event held by the Alaska-Yukon Sourdoughs…
ID Number:PI28263
Date:1942
Image of Crowds at Fourth and Pike on V-J Day, Seattle,  August 14, 1945
Photograph

Crowds at Fourth and Pike on V-J Day, Seattle, August 14, 1945

Just after midnight on August 14, 1945, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer hit the streets with the news that the Japanese would accept the allied peace terms. Sirens blared, car horns honked, church bells rang and people danced in the streets to celebrate the end of World War II. The day of the victory over Japan came to be known as V-J…
ID Number:PI28290
Date:1945
Image of Sitka, Alaska, June 1897
Photograph

Sitka, Alaska, June 1897

Some of the shipping companies which carried gold seekers to Skagway and Dyea had already been carrying visitors to Sitka and other southeastern Alaskan ports. Sitka was settled by Russians in 1802 and was the center of their American fur trade. The city overlooks a sheltered harbor on the west shore of Baranof Island, nearly 1,000 miles northwest of Seattle.This…
ID Number:SHS29
Date:1897
Image of Commercial Street looking north, Seattle, 1865
Photograph

Commercial Street looking north, Seattle, 1865

Seattle was first incorporated by the Washington Territorial Legislature in 1865 with a population of 350 and an economy based on timber. This image, taken from about Main Street, looking North along Commercial Street (now First Avenue South), shows the Territorial University of Washington in the center distance, built in 1862 at a location now occupied by the Fairmont Olympic…
ID Number:SHS239
Date:1865
Image of Seattle's downtown before the Great Fire, Seattle, 1883
Photograph

Seattle's downtown before the Great Fire, Seattle, 1883

n the 1880s, Seattle's business district was near Pioneer Square. Loggers, miners, and others came to this part of the city to find work, supplies, and entertainment. Others came to Seattle to attend the Territorial University, which stood on a hill above the city.This photo, taken around 1884, shows the intersection of Commercial Street (now First Avenue South) and Main…
ID Number:SHS470
Date:1880
Image of Pike Street, looking east from west of Second Avenue, Seattle, circa 1898
Photograph

Pike Street, looking east from west of Second Avenue, Seattle, circa 1898

At the turn of the 19th century, businesses near the intersection of Second Avenue and Pike Street included a laundry, a barber shop, a hotel, a tobacco store, a restaurant, and a public bath. One sign of the future is the one-story Bon Marche Department Store (center right, beyond the awning), which opened at the southwest corner of Second and…
ID Number:SHS644
Date:Circa 1898
Image of Firemen posing outside Seattle Fire Department, November 1889
Photograph

Firemen posing outside Seattle Fire Department, November 1889

The creation of the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) can be traced back to July 6th, 1876, when the all-volunteer Seattle Engine Company No.1 was organized. In 1883, the City Charter was amended to create and fund equipment, but not staff, for a centralized municipal fire department. The volunteer-based system persisted until pressure from the insurance industry and citizens after the…
ID Number:SHS700
Date:1889
Image of Signal Corps troops marching at Fort Lawton, January 29, 1944
Photograph

Signal Corps troops marching at Fort Lawton, January 29, 1944

In 1897, the city of Seattle donated land on Magnolia Bluff to the US government to build a new Army post as part of a defense system for Puget Sound; this was designated as Fort Lawton in 1900. During most of its active service, the fort served as an embarkation station where troops gathered before being sent to duty in…
ID Number:SHS822
Date:1944
Image of Signal Corp marching band at Fort Lawton, August 6, 1946
Photograph

Signal Corp marching band at Fort Lawton, August 6, 1946

In 1897, the city of Seattle donated land on Magnolia Bluff to the US government to build a new Army post as part of a defense system for Puget Sound; this was designated as Fort Lawton in 1900. During most of its active service, the fort served as an embarkation station where troops gathered before being sent to duty in…
ID Number:SHS827
Date:1946
Image of Military band parading at Fort Lawton, Seattle, August 9, 1946
Photograph

Military band parading at Fort Lawton, Seattle, August 9, 1946

In 1897, the city of Seattle donated land on Magnolia Bluff to the US government to build a new Army post as part of a defense system for Puget Sound; this was designated as Fort Lawton in 1900. During most of its active service, the fort served as an embarkation station where troops gathered before being sent to duty in…
ID Number:SHS873
Date:1946
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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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