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204 results for: Railroads

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Image of Large group of people at Stampede Pass Tunnel, circa 1888
Photograph

Large group of people at Stampede Pass Tunnel, circa 1888

During the construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad's Stampede Tunnel through the Cascade Mountains, the company regularly took photos of work crews and officials as a way of recording progress and marking major milestones. The group in this late 1880s photo, which includes a few women and children, has gathered near a large trestle.
ID Number:1986.17.4
Date:Circa 1888
Image of Northern Pacific line in Green River Valley, circa 1888
Photograph

Northern Pacific line in Green River Valley, circa 1888

This view of the Northern Pacific Railroad along upper reaches of the Green River was taken in the 1880s. It has been suggested that the smoke in the background is the town of Weston, established in 1886, which lay at the base of the heaviest grade on the west side of the mountains, following a drop of 1,000 feet in…
ID Number:1986.17.8
Date:Circa 1888
Photograph

Northern Pacific switchback bridge #4, circa 1888

During the construction of the Stampede Tunnel, the Northern Pacific Railroad had to provide an alternate route to Tacoma to bring in supplies. Workers built an impressive switchback track across the summit of the Cascades. The steep grades and deep ravines required the construction of numerous trestle bridges. Most were built from wood, which was nearby and plentiful.This photo, taken…
ID Number:1986.17.10
Date:Circa 1888
Photograph

Mosquito Creek Falls, site of Stampede Tunnel, circa 1886

In February 1886, workers from the Northern Pacific Railroad set up camp near Martin, Washington and began work on the east portal of the Stampede Tunnel. Nearby Mosquito Creek Falls provided water for the camp, and its rock face was an ideal site for the tunnel entrance. Before the construction workers could start digging the tunnel, they had to divert…
ID Number:1986.17.11
Date:Circa 1886
Photograph

Locomotive at tunnel near Stampede Pass, circa 1888

Northern Pacific trains heading eastward through the Cascade Mountains passed through several smaller tunnels before reaching the longer Stampede Tunnel. This photo, probably taken in the late 1880s, shows a Northern Pacific train with two engines coming out of Tunnel No. 4 on its way to the main tunnel. Steep grades often required the use of more than one locomotive.
ID Number:1986.17.14
Date:Circa 1888
Image of King Street Station employees posing in coach yard, Seattle, October 2, 1929
Photograph

King Street Station employees posing in coach yard, Seattle, October 2, 1929

From 1888 through the 1950s trains dominated travel in and out of Seattle, via the King Street Station and Union Station in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood. Built between 1904 and 1906, the King Street Station served the Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway until the creation and start of Amtrak in 1971. The depot with its 242-foot clock tower…
ID Number:1989.87.1
Date:1929
Image of Coliseum Theater at night in deep snow,  Seattle, 1916
Photograph

Coliseum Theater at night in deep snow, Seattle, 1916

This image of the Coliseum Theatre on Pike Street and 5th Avenue was taken shortly after the building's opening on January 8, 1916, during the second-deepest blizzard in Seattle's history. The Big Snow of 1916 came after an exceptionally cold January during which about 2 feet of snow had already accumulated. In early February a storm hit which added an…
ID Number:1991.64.1
Date:1916
Image of Locomotive and log train near Hobart, Washington, circa 1915
Photograph

Locomotive and log train near Hobart, Washington, circa 1915

Beginning in 1915, the firm of Wood & Iverson ran a sawmill and logging operation at Hobart, northeast of Auburn, Washington. The company employed about 200 people, primarily of Swedish, Polish, Norwegian and Finnish descent. They felled trees and milled the wood into lumber, shingles, siding, molding and airplane stock. Like many other logging companies, Wood & Iverson had its…
ID Number:1991.82.42
Date:Circa 1915
Image of Great Northern Railway snowshed no. 2-B, circa 1898
Photograph

Great Northern Railway snowshed no. 2-B, circa 1898

In the steep areas of Stevens Pass, Washington, where avalanches were common, Great Northern Railway workers built snowsheds to keep snow off the railroad tracks. Early snowsheds were built of logs which were easily cut in the nearby woods. This photo, taken around 1898 by Norwegian photographer Anders Wilse, shows a log snowshed near Stevens Pass.
ID Number:1994.44.12
Date:Circa 1898
Image of Abandoned Fremont railroad station, Seattle, July 28, 1948
Photograph

Abandoned Fremont railroad station, Seattle, July 28, 1948

This derelict railroad station in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood is located just east of the George Washington Memorial Bridge (commonly called the Aurora Bridge), which is visible in the background of this image. The small depot building was remodeled and is still standing at the foot of Stone Way North as of 2017. The station was probably part of the Seattle,…
ID Number:2000.107.173.03.01
Date:1948
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