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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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1580 results for: City of Seattle

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Image of Seattle's first July 4th celebration, 1865
Photograph

Seattle's first July 4th celebration, 1865

Seattle was first incorporated by the Washington Territorial Legislature in 1865, with a population of 350 and an economy based on timber. The Fourth of July celebration depicted in this photo would have been the first for the new city, as well as the first after the end of the Civil War. Pioneers pose in front of a foliage-covered structure,…
ID Number:SHS2772
Date:1865
Image of View of Lake Union from the Lake Washington Bicycle Path, Seattle, circa 1902
Photograph

View of Lake Union from the Lake Washington Bicycle Path, Seattle, circa 1902

Between about 1894-1904, after the horse and before the automobile, bicycles were the hottest new form of do-it-yourself urban transportation in Seattle. The region's many cycling groups regularly sponsored outings along the twenty-five miles of urban bicycle trails which were built, funded, and maintained with the aid of city engineers. Bike cops enforced cyclist speed limits, safety, and dealt with…
ID Number:SHS2964
Date:Circa 1902
Image of Two women on Lake Washington cycling path, circa 1901
Photograph

Two women on Lake Washington cycling path, circa 1901

The 1890s boom in bicycling hit Seattle and the rest of the country. Public and private money built a network of bicycle paths in Seattle and out into the wooded countryside. Four tracks were built for bike racing. As the city grew, many of the trails became streets and lost their use as bike paths. This photo shows two women…
ID Number:SHS2968
Date:Circa 1901
Image of Militia lined up during anti-Chinese riot, Seattle, February, 1886
Photograph

Militia lined up during anti-Chinese riot, Seattle, February, 1886

The Seattle riot of 1886 occurred on February 6–9 amidst rising anti-Chinese sentiment caused by intense labor competition and in the context of an ongoing struggle between labor and capital in the Western United States. The dispute arose when a mob affiliated with a local Knights of Labor chapter formed small committees to carry out a forcible expulsion of all…
ID Number:SHS3486
Date:1886
Image of William Myers and Frank Krauland in Georgetown Market, Seattle, 1911
Photograph

William Myers and Frank Krauland in Georgetown Market, Seattle, 1911

Louis Steen (1845-1922), a butcher born in Germany, came to the U.S. in about 1867 and opened his meat market in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood on Duwamish Avenue, now Airport Way. In this image, two of Steen's employees stand in the interior of the market. William Myers, left, is listed as a meat cutter in the 1911 Seattle City Directory, and…
ID Number:SHS3643
Date:1911
Image of Chen Chong and his wife, 1866
Photograph

Chen Chong and his wife, 1866

Chen Chong arrived in Seattle in the 1860s and became one of the city's first Chinese merchants. He owned a cigar store on the east side of First Avenue South, near Washington Street and supplied contract labor to area businesses and industries. In 1866, Chen Chong was married at the Brown (Methodist) Church. Both bride and groom wore borrowed clothing…
ID Number:SHS4000
Date:1866
Image of Young Indigenous woman named Tasha seated by a tent, circa 1900
Photograph

Young Indigenous woman named Tasha seated by a tent, circa 1900

From the late 1860s to the early 1890s, hop farming was an important activity in the valleys of the Puget Sound region, including Puyallup, White River, and Snoqualmie. Indigenous workers came from throughout the Pacific Northwest, Canada, and Alaska (but especially from regional tribes like the Puyallup, Snoqualmie, Muckleshoot, Duwamish, Sammamish, Lummi, and Nisqually) as a seasonal labor force to…
ID Number:SHS4880
Date:Circa 1900
Image of Indigenous canoes docked at the Seattle waterfront, circa 1892
Photograph

Indigenous canoes docked at the Seattle waterfront, circa 1892

In 1865 the Board of Trustees of Seattle passed Ordinance No. 5 banning Indigenous people from living in the city unless they worked for a non-Indigenous resident and lived on their employer’s property. Despite this attempt to enforce separation between Indigenous people and the settlers, Seattle depended on Indigenous people. Settlers relied on Native people for domestic work and for…
ID Number:SHS5118
Date:Circa 1892
Image of Seattle skyline and suffragists, 1915
Photograph

Seattle skyline and suffragists, 1915

The print pictured here features two panoramic images, one of the Seattle skyline, with many landmarks identified, and the other of a large group of people posing together on a city sidewalk. Most of the individuals are women, and several are proudly displaying copies of The Suffragist, a weekly newspaper published by the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage. Handwritten on…
ID Number:SHS5211
Date:1915
Image of Trackless trolley or electric bus, Seattle, circa 1943
Photograph

Trackless trolley or electric bus, Seattle, circa 1943

As the 1940s approached, Seattle began to modernize its transportation system, replacing its aging trolleys and streetcars with motorized buses and “trackless trolleys” (electric buses powered via overhead lines). In 1941, the last Seattle streetcar made its final run. Streets were repaved as the streetcar tracks throughout the city were torn up and sold as scrap. This image, likely taken…
ID Number:SHS5566
Date:Circa 1943
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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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