• Visit
    • Museum Accessibility
    • Community Access
    • Group Visits and Tours
    • Programs
      • History Café
      • MOHAI Mercantile Literary Series
      • First Thursday
      • Denny Lecture
      • Al Young Educator of the Year
      • Everyday Heroes
    • MOHAI Mercantile
    • Gourmondo at MOHAI
  • Exhibits
  • Events
  • Collections and Research
    • Collections Search
    • Themed Collections
    • Research Library
    • Image Ordering
    • Donate an Artifact
    • Curator’s Fellowship
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Membership at MOHAI
    • Gift Memberships
    • Corporate Support
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • Self-Guided School Year Explorations
      • Creating Our Community
      • Cracking the History Code: Salish Stories
      • Cracking the History Code: Settling Around the Sound
      • Hands on History
      • Self-Guided Summer Field Trips
      • Homeschool Group
    • Portable Museum Program
    • Scholarships
    • Education FAQ
    • Primary Source Analysis
    • Online Curricula
    • Teen Programs
    • Idea Lab
    • Discovery Packs
    • Summer Camps
  • About
    • Annual Reports
    • The MOHAI Blog
    • Contact MOHAI
    • Opportunities
    • Leadership
    • Private Events
  • Donate
  • Tickets
  • Membership
HomeCollections and ResearchCollections Search

Collections Search

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.

Download lower resolution images directly from an item page. MOHAI offers high-resolution digital reproductions of photographs and other materials from our collections for personal and professional use.

We have many more items in our collections and not everything you see online is on view at the museum. We have additional materials online at the University of Washington’s Digital Collections.

MOHAI Statement on Harmful Content

Search by Collection

Not finding what you are looking for?
Ask the MOHAI Collections Staff

217 results for: Railroads

Share:
Image of Railroad tunnel construction camp at Scenic, Washington, April 30, 1927
Photograph

Railroad tunnel construction camp at Scenic, Washington, April 30, 1927

In 1925, the Great Northern Railway Company began work on its new Cascade Tunnel beneath Stevens Pass, Washington. A. Guthrie & Company of St. Paul, Minnesota, the general contractor, built a camp at Scenic to house some of the construction workers. The tunnel, still in use in the 1990s, runs from Scenic, on the west side of the summit, to…
ID Number:1990.85.7
Date:1927
Image of Men drilling in the new Cascade Tunnel, 1927
Photograph

Men drilling in the new Cascade Tunnel, 1927

In 1925, the Great Northern Railway Company began work on its new Cascade Tunnel near Stevens Pass, Washington. On the western part of the route, crews first bored and blasted a pioneer work tunnel which then let them start work on various sections of the parallel main tunnel.This 1927 photo shows construction workers in the center heading of the Great…
ID Number:1990.85.10
Date:1927
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 Steam train at Keechelus, circa 1910
Photograph

Steam train at Keechelus, circa 1910

The Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railroad, completed through Snoqualmie Pass, Washington in 1909, connected Seattle with Ellensburg. The railroad carried men and supplies to a growing number of mining operations and logging camps in the Cascade Mountains. It also brought tourists to view the scenery and enjoy other outdoor activities.This photographic postcard of a Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound…
ID Number:1992.44.17
Date:Circa 1910
Image of Passenger cars at North Bend depot, circa 1910
Photograph

Passenger cars at North Bend depot, circa 1910

The railroad was a key element in the development of the area around North Bend, Washington. In 1889, the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad connected North Bend with Seattle and other west coast areas, and in 1910, the Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railroad (The Milwaukee Road) connected the town with the midwestern United States as well.This photographic postcard,…
ID Number:1992.44.22
Date:Circa 1910
Image of Hull Creek railroad trestle, circa 1907
Photograph

Hull Creek railroad trestle, circa 1907

The railroads faced significant geographical obstacles in building routes across Washington's Cascade Mountains. Construction workers had to deal with steep and rocky terrain with deep ravines and fast-moving rivers. The trestles and tunnels they built to carry the railroad tracks through the mountains were considered engineering marvels.This photographic postcard, probably made around 1907, shows a Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound…
ID Number:1992.45.7
Date:1907
Image of View of Alpine, Washington from railroad station, circa 1910
Photograph

View of Alpine, Washington from railroad station, circa 1910

The town of Alpine was located just east of Skykomish in northeastern King County, Washington. It was originally called Nippon for the Japanese laborers who worked at one of the town's sawmills. In 1911, Alpine had a population of 75 people, almost all of whom were involved in logging and lumber. Although the town no longer exists, it lives on…
ID Number:1993.4.41
Date:Circa 1910
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
Previous 1 … 12 13 14 15 16 … 22 Next

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
  • Plan a Visit
  • Directions and Parking
  • Accessibility
  • Group Tours
  • About

Sign up to Receive our Newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright 2026, Museum of History & Industry. All Rights Reserved