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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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736 results for: Transportation

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Image of Aurora Bridge under construction, circa 1931
Photograph

Aurora Bridge under construction, circa 1931

The George Washington Memorial Bridge was Seattle's first high-level bridge. Before the bridge opened in 1932, cars and trucks had to wait while smaller bridges opened and closed to let ship traffic move along the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Because the new bridge carries Aurora Avenue across the canal, most people started calling it the Aurora Bridge.In this photo, probably…
ID Number:1983.10.4971.72
Date:Circa 1931
Image of Wooden sidewalk on Front Street, circa 1878
Photograph

Wooden sidewalk on Front Street, circa 1878

Before the 1870s, Seattle's Front Street was a rough path filled with stumps and cut by ravines. The city pulled out the stumps, filled in the gullies, and smoothed out the street. It also built a new wooden sidewalk with guard rails to keep people from falling down into the tidal flats.This photo, looking south from Madison Street, was taken…
ID Number:1983.10.6138
Date:Circa 1878
Image of Talbot Coal Company wharf and Yesler's Wharf, 1878
Photograph

Talbot Coal Company wharf and Yesler's Wharf, 1878

In the 1870s, coal from Renton was shipped from Seattle to San Francisco. Steamers loaded with coal on the trip south returned to Seattle filled with goods for the growing city.This photo, taken around 1878, shows the pier at the Talbot Coal Company's Seattle yard. The Talbot coal pier was just one of several coal docks at the Seattle waterfront…
ID Number:1983.10.6141
Date:1878
Image of Cherry Street in over five feet of snow, 1880
Photograph

Cherry Street in over five feet of snow, 1880

Over five feet of snow fell on Seattle in early January 1880. The city wasn't used to such heavy snow. Schools closed, trains didn't run, and the city's activities ground to a halt.This photo was taken on January 10th, 1880 after the great snow. It shows the view up Cherry Street from First Avenue towards First Hill. Notes: Original copy…
ID Number:1983.10.6267
Date:1880
Image of Locomotive A.A. Denny, circa 1880
Photograph

Locomotive A.A. Denny, circa 1880

Seattle's first railroad, the Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad, was built to carry coal from the mines east of Lake Washington to the Seattle waterfront. The narrow-gauge railroad's first locomotive was named the "A.A. Denny" in honor of one Seattle's founders, Arthur A. Denny. In 1880, the railroad became the Columbia and Puget Sound Railway.This photo, taken around 1880, shows…
ID Number:1983.10.6275
Date:Circa 1880
Image of First railroad depot in Seattle, circa 1880
Photograph

First railroad depot in Seattle, circa 1880

Seattle's first railway station stood near where King Street Station stands today. At that time, much of the land in that part of the city was still underwater at high tide, and the tracks of the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad ran over the tidelands on wooden trestles. This photo, taken about 1880, shows the depot, sometimes called the Columbia…
ID Number:1983.10.6284
Date:Circa 1880
Image of Front Street at Madison Street, circa 1891
Photograph

Front Street at Madison Street, circa 1891

Seattle's Front and Madison Streets recovered quickly after the Great Fire of 1889. In this photo, taken about 1891, a shoe store, a restaurant, and other businesses occupy new brick buildings. Streetcars run along Front Street's trestle, and cable cars climb Madison's steep hills. Billboards advertise business investments and Levi's clothing. The towers of Providence Hospital (left) and Central School…
ID Number:1983.10.6300.1
Date:Circa 1891
Image of King Street railroad yard, Seattle, circa 1883
Photograph

King Street railroad yard, Seattle, circa 1883

In 1881, the Oregon Improvement Company expanded the King Street Coat Wharf with a new trestle, along with two new docks and warehouses. This new wharf was the end point of the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad, where cargo was loaded into ships. Original photo copied by Webster & Stevens.Handwritten on sleeve: Eng. House of Columbia & Puget Sound RR,…
ID Number:1983.10.6322
Date:Circa 1883
Image of Streetcar employee selling tokens, Seattle, circa 1925
Photograph

Streetcar employee selling tokens, Seattle, circa 1925

Signs in image: Hotel - Cafe. Wanted for U.S. Navy - Americans Ages 17-[...] - Apply Recruiting Station Seattle, Wash. Get Car Tickets Here.Handwritten on sleeve: Street car token selling.Webster & Stevens number: 83459
ID Number:1983.10.6441.2
Date:Circa 1925
Image of Car near tractor with load of hay, 1921
Photograph

Car near tractor with load of hay, 1921

By the 1920s, The Seattle Times ran regular articles describing trips that Seattleites could take in their cars. On a 1921 Seattle Times Auto Tour along the Green River, the photographer snapped this picture of the tour car next to a tractor hauling a huge load of hay. Handwritten on sleeve: Seattle Times Tour, Green River.Photographer's Reference Number: 83535
ID Number:1983.10.6496.7
Date:1921
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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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