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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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200 results for: European American Settlement

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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 Henry Yesler, circa 1885
Photograph

Henry Yesler, circa 1885

Henry Yesler arrived in Seattle in 1852 looking for a waterfront sawmill location. Other settlers moved the boundaries of their land claims to accomodate space for the mill, its pier, and a skid road, now Yesler Way. Yesler's sawmill, the first steam-powered mill on Puget Sound, started operation in the spring of 1853. In addition to his mill, Yesler owned…
ID Number:SHS1582
Date:Circa 1885
Image of St. James Mission, Tanana, Alaska, circa 1900
Photograph

St. James Mission, Tanana, Alaska, circa 1900

St. James Mission was an Episcopal mission established in Alaska, near the confluence of the Tanana and Yukon Rivers. The point of land between the rivers had been a historic trading place for Athabascan peoples. Built over the years between 1887 and 1900, the site grew to include a school, hospital, and sawmill, as well as the reading room and…
ID Number:SHS2020
Date:Circa 1900
Image of Native camp on the beach, Seattle, circa 1885
Photograph

Native camp on the beach, Seattle, circa 1885

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:SHS2174
Date:Circa 1885
Image of Military road on Beacon Hill, Seattle, circa 1900
Photograph

Military road on Beacon Hill, Seattle, circa 1900

The Fort Steilacoom to Fort Bellingham Military Road was a network of roads running through the Puget Sound area to promote the migration of settlers to Washington Territory and to secure U. S. interests in the region from those of Native Americans. Today’s I-5 roughly follows the route north from Fort Vancouver, built in 1924 by the Hudson's Bay Company…
ID Number:SHS2354
Date:Circa 1900
Image of Freight yard at Dyea, circa 1898
Photograph

Freight yard at Dyea, circa 1898

By the fall of 1897, over 3,000 people had poured into the tiny settlement of Dyea, heading for the Klondike gold fields. At first, ships had to anchor well offshore. The harbor was narrow and had a twenty-foot tide. Klondike stampeders had paid to get to Dyea, but their passage didn't include unloading their supplies and taking them ashore.This photo…
ID Number:SHS2365
Date:Circa 1898
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 George Frederick Frye, Seattle, circa 1888
Photograph

George Frederick Frye, Seattle, circa 1888

Born in Germany, George Frederick Frye came to Seattle in 1853, where he worked with Henry Yesler at his lumber mill. After marrying Louisa Denny in 1860, the couple operated a meat market and bakery, built and invested in real estate, and established the Frye Opera House. They had architects Bebb & Mendel design the 11-story Frye Hotel, which was…
ID Number:SHS2814
Date:Circa 1888
Image of Reindeer and Sami at Woodland Park, 1898
Photograph

Reindeer and Sami at Woodland Park, 1898

In 1892, the United States government started bringing reindeer from Siberia into Alaska as a new food source for the native peoples. In 1898, the government brought in Norwegian reindeer, along with Sami herdsmen and their families. They stopped in Seattle to wait for a ship to Alaska. Some Sami remained in Alaska, while others eventually returned to Seattle or…
ID Number:SHS2899
Date:1898
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
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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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