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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 WACs parading at Fort Lawton, Seattle, February 3, 1944
Photograph

WACs parading at Fort Lawton, Seattle, February 3, 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:SHS876
Date:1944
Image of West Seattle grain elevator, circa 1895
Photograph

West Seattle grain elevator, circa 1895

Colonel Thomas Ewing, the major developer of West Seattle, foresaw a great industrial center on the peninsula. In 1890, Ewing built a grain elevator and hailed it as the key to Seattle's future as a worldwide grain exporter. Ewing convinced the Northern Pacific Railroad to build a trestle across the tide flats to reach his grain elevator. The railroad carried…
ID Number:SHS1053
Date:Circa 1895
Image of Columbia St., looking east from 3rd Ave., Seattle, circa 1890
Photograph

Columbia St., looking east from 3rd Ave., Seattle, circa 1890

Seattle in the early 1890s was a rapidly growing city. The Seattle City Census of 1888 records population at 19,116, and although 1889's Great Fire leveled 116 acres in the heart of the city's business district, by 1890 the city's population actually grew to 40,000 inhabitants from the influx of people helping to recreate the city. Lumber and coal were…
ID Number:SHS1546
Date:Circa 1890
Image of Occidental Hotel, circa 1886
Photograph

Occidental Hotel, circa 1886

In 1884, John Collins opened his Occidental Hotel at the junction of James Street and Mill Street (now Yesler Way) in Seattle. The ornate, four-story brick building was at the center of the city, just off of what is now Pioneer Square. It was considered to be the grandest hotel in Washington Territory. A bank occupied part of the ground…
ID Number:SHS1581
Date:Circa 1886
Image of Workers pouring concrete for Beacon Hill reservoir, Seattle, circa 1911
Photograph

Workers pouring concrete for Beacon Hill reservoir, Seattle, circa 1911

Washington's Cedar River originates in the Cascade Mountain Range and drains into Puget Sound via Lake Washington. Since 1899 the upper Cedar River watershed, and its subsequent reservoirs and pipeline infrastructure, have been operated by Seattle Public Utilities, providing drinking water for about two-thirds of King County. The population of Seattle and King County grew quickly after the establishment of…
ID Number:SHS3768
Date:Circa 1911
Image of Cars on the Alaskan Way Viaduct, Seattle, 1967
Photograph

Cars on the Alaskan Way Viaduct, Seattle, 1967

The Alaskan Way Viaduct was an elevated highway in Seattle which was completed in 1966 after 16 years of construction and decades of planning. The double-decked highway ran along the Elliott Bay waterfront above the surface street, Alaskan Way, following previously existing railroad lines. The viaduct provided Seattle with its first bypass route around the downtown business district. The viaduct…
ID Number:SHS5152
Date:1967
Image of Sarah Yesler, circa 1865
Photograph

Sarah Yesler, circa 1865

Sarah Burgert married Henry Yelser in Ohio. Once he was settled in Seattle, she traveled out to join him. Sarah Yesler was active in many civic groups including the Ladies' Relief Society, which helped the needy, and the Ladies' Library Board, which founded Seattle's public library in the home of one of the members. Mrs. Yesler was Seattle's first librarian.…
ID Number:SHS6663B
Date:Circa 1865
Image of Harborview Hospital and Harborview Hall, Seattle, circa 1932
Photograph

Harborview Hospital and Harborview Hall, Seattle, circa 1932

Harborview Hospital's large, Art Deco building has dominated Seattle's skyline since it opened in 1931 on Seattle's First Hill. Harborview was modeled after large teaching hospitals in the east and was intended to be both a public city hospital and a statewide health center. It has also served as a primary center for medical and nursing education.This photo shows Harborview…
ID Number:SHS7359
Date:Circa 1932
Image of Court of Honor and Geyser Basin at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, Seattle, 1909
Photograph

Court of Honor and Geyser Basin at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, Seattle, 1909

In the summer of 1909, a world's fair, the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, took place on the grounds of the University of Washington in Seattle. Over three million people visited the buildings, grounds, and sites of the A.Y.P.E. between June 1 and October 1, 1909.This panoramic view shows the Geyser Fountain (now known as Drumheller Fountain) looking north towards the Government Building…
ID Number:SHS7920
Date:1909
Image of Mayor Bertha Landes breaking ground for the Civic Auditorium, Seattle, November 7, 1927
Photograph

Mayor Bertha Landes breaking ground for the Civic Auditorium, Seattle, November 7, 1927

Seattle Mayor Bertha K. Landes broke ground for the city's new Civic Auditorium and Stadium in November 1927. The complex, at what is now Seattle Center, was completed the following year. Mayor Landes, who served from 1926 to 1928, was the first female mayor of a major American city. The Civic Auditorium later became the Seattle Center Opera House and…
ID Number:SHS8480
Date:1927
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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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