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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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134 results for: Lumber and Logging

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Image of Log rafts being towed through Montlake Cut, Seattle, 1955
Photograph

Log rafts being towed through Montlake Cut, Seattle, 1955

Photographer Josef Scaylea (1913-2004) worked for 35 years as chief photographer for the Seattle Times, winning over 1000 awards for his photographs highlighting the scenery and people in the Pacific Northwest. He donated a collection of his photographs and photography equipment to MOHAI in 1993.Scaylea said of this photo of a log raft being towed, "In the late 40's and…
ID Number:Lib1993.20.196
Date:1955
Image of Boat towing logs on Lake Union, Seattle, 1955
Photograph

Boat towing logs on Lake Union, Seattle, 1955

Photographer Josef Scaylea (1913-2004) worked for 35 years as chief photographer for the Seattle Times, winning over 1000 awards for his photographs highlighting the scenery and people in the Pacific Northwest. He donated a collection of his photographs and photography equipment to MOHAI in 1993.This photo shows a tug towing logs through the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Handwritten on image:…
ID Number:Lib1993.20.271
Date:1955
Image of Tear gas in Tacoma during the 1935 mill strike, June 24, 1935
Photograph

Tear gas in Tacoma during the 1935 mill strike, June 24, 1935

In May 1935, a strike against the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company idled some 40,000 sawmill and timber workers. The workers demanded better pay and shorter working hours. The mill's owners tried to keep the mill open and called in state police and the National Guard to keep order. On June 24, the police and guardsmen used tear gas…
ID Number:PI24070
Date:1935
Image of Juneau, Alaska, June 1897
Photograph

Juneau, Alaska, June 1897

Juneau, Alaska, was settled in 1880 and named after Joseph Juneau, one of the early discoverers of gold in the area. By 1901, Juneau was an important gold mining center and the capital of Alaska Territory.This 1897 photo of Juneau shows a street and businesses in the growing city. Loggers have cut the trees on some of the nearby hills,…
ID Number:SHS30
Date:1897
Image of Arrival of the first log shipment via the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad, Seattle, 1880
Photograph

Arrival of the first log shipment via the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad, Seattle, 1880

As Seattle grew, the trees on the hills above the city were gradually cut down, and logs needed to be hauled a longer distance to the sawmills along the waterfront. In this 1880 image, dignitaries pose by part of the first shipment of logs carried into the city by the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad. Original photo copied by Webster…
ID Number:SHS330
Date:1880
Image of Yesler Way and Yesler's Mill, Seattle, 1873
Photograph

Yesler Way and Yesler's Mill, Seattle, 1873

Henry Yesler arrived in Seattle in 1852 and soon built the first steam-powered sawmill on Puget Sound. It was located on the waterfront at the foot of Mill Street, now called Yesler Way.This 1873 image also shows the Pioneer Drug Store and the Seattle Bakery. Yesler's Wharf, where lumber schooners docked, would be beyond the mill's tall smokestack. Title from…
ID Number:SHS1108
Date:1873
Image of Smith Logging Company, Monroe, 1912
Photograph

Smith Logging Company, Monroe, 1912

Darius Kinsey (1869-1945) was a prominent photographer in the Pacific Northwest, specializing in logging photography. After five years as a photographer for the Seattle and Lake Shore Railroad Co, in 1897 he opened a photography studio in Sedro-Wooley with his wife Tabitha working as his photography assistant. In 1906, he moved his photography studio to Seattle, but continued to document…
ID Number:SHS2626
Date:1912
Image of Waterfront, Seattle, circa 1875
Photograph

Waterfront, Seattle, circa 1875

Handwritten on mount: Seattle Scenery.Handwritten on verso: Peterson & Bros View. Early 1870s.Typed on verso: Seattle from the waterfront in the early day. For a stereoscope.SHS category: Waterfront
ID Number:SHS2951
Date:Circa 1875
Image of Western Mill, Seattle, circa 1894
Photograph

Western Mill, Seattle, circa 1894

Pioneer David Denny owned the land south of Lake Union. In 1882, he opened the Western Mill on the lake's southern shore. A small community soon grew up around the lumber mill. By the end of the 1880s, streetcars and roads had been built, and the area lost its rural look. Typed on sleeve: Western Mill on Lake Union, David…
ID Number:SHS5167
Date:Circa 1894
Image of Early mill on Lake Washington, circa 1885
Photograph

Early mill on Lake Washington, circa 1885

In the 1870s, thick forests covered the shores of Lake Washington, east of Seattle. As logs were cut, they were floated to small sawmills like this one and cut into lumber, which was used to build the growing city.
ID Number:SHS6671
Date:Circa 1885
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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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