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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 Early mill on Lake Washington, circa 1885
Photograph

Early mill on Lake Washington, circa 1885

In the 1870s, thick forests covered the shores of Lake Washington, east of Seattle. As logs were cut, they were floated to small sawmills like this one and cut into lumber, which was used to build the growing city.
ID Number:SHS6671
Date:Circa 1885
Image of Waterfront and downtown, Seattle, 1888
Photograph

Waterfront and downtown, Seattle, 1888

Signs in image: Our House. Clothiers. Safe Deposit Co. Gordon Hardware Co. Seattle Hardware Co. The Arcade - W.P. Boyd & Co. Drugs - [Asten?] & Co. Columbia House [...]. San Francisco Store - Dry Goods. St. Elmo Hotel. New England Hotel. Live Stable.Caption on mount: Peiser - 817 and 819 Second Street, Seattle, W.T.Caption on verso: First-class Work Guaranteed,…
ID Number:SHS7637
Date:1888
Image of Steamship office and drug store in Nome, Alaska, circa 1903
Photograph

Steamship office and drug store in Nome, Alaska, circa 1903

By late fall 1899, reports of gold strikes at Nome gained enough credibility to draw gold seekers from Dawson. Some 2,500 people left Dawson for Nome, traveling by river or trail. Once the word was out in Seattle and elsewhere, the small settlement grew quickly.This photo shows a commercial building in Nome sometime between 1900 and 1905. A drugstore and…
ID Number:SHS7900
Date:Circa 1903
Image of People and pack animals on the Chilkoot Trail, April 21, 1898
Photograph

People and pack animals on the Chilkoot Trail, April 21, 1898

The Chilkoot Trail, also called the Dyea Trail, had been an Indigenous trade route for generations. Gold seekers followed the old trail north from Dyea along the river towards Chilkoot Pass. Those who could afford it hired people or pack horses to carry their goods as far as Sheep Camp.This 1898 photo shows people and pack animals at a stop…
ID Number:SHS8396
Date:1898
Image of Post Building before the fire, circa 1885
Photograph

Post Building before the fire, circa 1885

For Seattle's early citizens, the elegant Post Building, at the foot of Mill Street (now Yesler Way) was the best evidence that their town was no longer a pioneer village. The building had good reasons for its name. It housed the Post-Intelligencer newspaper; it was built at the corner of Mill Street and Post Alley; and, for a short time,…
ID Number:SHS9295
Date:Circa 1885
Image of Ezra Meeker, Seattle, circa 1925
Photograph

Ezra Meeker, Seattle, circa 1925

Born in Ohio in 1830, Ezra Meeker married and headed west with his wife and newborn son to seek a prosperous life. They settled in Puyallup and developed a successful business raising hops. Later in life Meeker developed an avid interest in commemorating the Oregon Trail route of the early pioneers. He traveled the route in his replica covered wagon,…
ID Number:SHS9432
Date:Circa 1925
Image of William Charles Meydenbauer, Seattle, circa 1892
Photograph

William Charles Meydenbauer, Seattle, circa 1892

Typed on verso: Meydenbauer, William Charles. 1832-1906, died in Seattle, aged 74, for whom Meydenbauer Bay was named, in 1868 took up claim on Meydenbauer Bay, rowed across from Leschi and homesteaded on a Lk. Wash. cove near present-day Bellevue, once owned 120 acres from shore to what is now Bellevue's Main Street, later built home at Hunt's [sic] Point.…
ID Number:SHS9437
Date:Circa 1892
Image of Tekla Fischer Meydenbauer, Seattle, circa 1892
Photograph

Tekla Fischer Meydenbauer, Seattle, circa 1892

Typed on verso: Tekla Fischer Meydenbauer 1836-1920, died in Seattle, aged 84. Born in Germany, wife of William Meydenbauer, who came to Seattle in 1868, ran Eureka Bakery, one for whom Meydenbauer Bay was named.SHS category: Portraits
ID Number:SHS9438
Date:Circa 1892
Image of Landing sheep at Nome for Carstens Brothers & Dashley, circa 1900
Photograph

Landing sheep at Nome for Carstens Brothers & Dashley, circa 1900

There is no harbor at Nome, Alaska, and when the Nome gold rush started in 1899, there wasn't even a city. It was a challenge for ships to bring in passengers and supply the new town with food and fuel. Vessels anchored in deep water and barges brought freight and passengers to the shore through the shallows. Each year, supplies…
ID Number:SHS9552
Date:1900
Image of Log cabin church, Juneau, Alaska, 1896
Photograph

Log cabin church, Juneau, Alaska, 1896

Juneau, Alaska, was settled in 1880. In 1900, the capital of Alaska moved to Juneau from Sitka. In 1905, Juneau was a city of 2,000 people with about 6,000 miners and prospectors working in nearby gold-bearing quartz deposits. Most of the trees on the hillsides above the town were cut to supply wood for buildings, fuel, and other needs.This photo…
ID Number:SHS9764
Date:1896
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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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