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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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1804 results for: wdh24metadata

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Image of Seattle's first motor-driven sightseeing bus, Seattle, 1907
Photograph

Seattle's first motor-driven sightseeing bus, Seattle, 1907

In 1907, Seattle residents and visitors could climb on the city's first motor-driven sightseeing bus. The vehicle carried passengers to The Meadows racetrack and other destinations. The bus was also used to show visitors the sights at the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE).
ID Number:SHS16180
Date:1907
Image of Motorcycle police squad outside station, Seattle, October 22, 1914
Photograph

Motorcycle police squad outside station, Seattle, October 22, 1914

In early 1910, the Seattle police department invested $1,329 in its first three motorcycles, with seven patrolman selected as the first members of the "motor cops" squad. In this 1914 photo, a motorcycle squad of 15 officers shows off its new Indian brand motorcycles. Executives of the Seattle Police Department stand to the right of the fleet: left to right,…
ID Number:SHS16707
Date:1914
Image of Postcard of monorail test track, Seattle, 1911
Photograph

Postcard of monorail test track, Seattle, 1911

In this image, a portrait of William H. Boyes appears above a test track he demonstrated in 1911 in the tide flats of Seattle. Boyes sold shares in his Pacific Railway Company for the proposed monorail electric system operating passenger and freight trains between Elliott Bay in Seattle and Commencement Bay in Tacoma. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on May…
ID Number:SHS16810
Date:1911
Image of Shell Company gas station, Seattle, 1915
Photograph

Shell Company gas station, Seattle, 1915

This exterior image of Shell Oil Company's "Show Place" gas station was taken at Eastlake Avenue East and East Hamlin Street, looking West over Lake Union towards Queen Anne Hill. At the time gasoline sold for 12 cents per gallon. Caption information source: http://www.nacsonline.com/yourbusiness/fuelsreports/gasprices_2013/pages/100plusyearsgasolineretailing.aspx
ID Number:SHS17057
Date:1915
Image of Moritz Thomsen family, Seattle, circa 1914
Photograph

Moritz Thomsen family, Seattle, circa 1914

Born in what is now Denmark, Moritz Thomsen (1850-1932) arrived in Seattle in 1896 to build a second flour mill for Centennial Mills (now Krusteaz Brand). A tireless industrialist, Thomsen at one time was president of 14 corporations, including the Centennial Mill Company, and the Denny-Renton Clay & Coal Company.In this image, Thomsen is pictured here with his family in…
ID Number:SHS17070
Date:Circa 1914
Image of Seattle City Light line crew with horse-drawn wagon, January 1914
Photograph

Seattle City Light line crew with horse-drawn wagon, January 1914

By the 1910s, electricity from Seattle City Light powered homes and businesses as well as the streetlights and trolleys. This photo, taken in 1914, shows a Seattle City Light line crew and their horse-drawn wagon parked near a power line. The caption on the photo notes that this was one of four line crews, and identifies the workers as, left…
ID Number:SHS17525
Date:1914
Image of Officers of last Volunteer Fire Department, circa 1889
Photograph

Officers of last Volunteer Fire Department, circa 1889

The creation of the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) can be traced back to July 6th, 1876, when the all-volunteer Seattle Engine Company No.1 was organized. In 1883, the City Charter was amended to create and fund equipment, but not staff, for a centralized municipal fire department. The volunteer-based system persisted until pressure from the insurance industry and citizens after the…
ID Number:SHS17710
Date:Circa 1889
Image of PT&T operators working at Garfield Exchange, Seattle, circa 1921
Photograph

PT&T operators working at Garfield Exchange, Seattle, circa 1921

Telephone service in Seattle began with 90 customers in 1883. One of Seattle's original service providers, Sunset Telephone-Telegraph Company (later Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Company, then AT&T) built a new exchange building in 1921 to help handle what was by then 83,347 customers, making half-a-million local telephone calls every day. The Garfield Exchange was built on Queen Anne Hill at…
ID Number:SHS17731
Date:Circa 1921
Image of Ice cream delivery wagon, circa 1880
Photograph

Ice cream delivery wagon, circa 1880

Ice cream was a popular summer dessert even before electric refrigeration. Recipes for flavored sweet cream and iced creams appeared in many 18th century English and American cookbooks. Fruit such as lemon, raspberry, and orange were popular flavorings, as well as vanilla, honey, pistachio, and chocolate. The first commercial production of ice cream in the Pacific Northwest was begun in…
ID Number:SHS17804
Date:Circa 1880
Image of Henry Finch posing with diving equipment, Seattle, January 1924
Photograph

Henry Finch posing with diving equipment, Seattle, January 1924

In January 1924, divers from the Seattle marine engineering firm Henry Finch & Son were called in to repair a broken six-inch water main running beneath the Duwamish Waterway. This image, from an album of photographs taken for the Finches, shows Henry Silas Finch, Jr. (1887-1961), posing in diving gear at the job site. He is holding a helmet and…
ID Number:SHS18658
Date:1924
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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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