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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 Skagway street scene, 1898
Photograph

Skagway street scene, 1898

By 1898, Skagway, Alaska, had a busy business district which sold goods and services to people leaving for the Klondike gold fields.This photo shows downtown Skagway in 1898. Businesses which can be seen in the photo include drugstores, outfitters, an agency for hiring packers to carry one's supplies along the trail, a hardware store and tinsmith, and several saloons. Two…
ID Number:SHS9768
Date:1898
Image of Charles Terry residence, Seattle, circa 1865
Photograph

Charles Terry residence, Seattle, circa 1865

Charles C. Terry, one of the original Alki settlers, acquired a considerable amount of land in the heart of downtown Seattle. Shortly after 1857, Terry erected a home at the northeast corner of James Street and Third Avenue, later the site of the Public Safety Building. In 1864 Terry became the Treasurer for the Territorial University fund and along with…
ID Number:SHS10237
Date:Circa 1965
Image of Locomotive hauling powder through Skagway, circa 1902
Photograph

Locomotive hauling powder through Skagway, circa 1902

Gold seekers who had made the long boat trip north to Skagway came ashore in an unfamiliar place described as "little better than hell on earth," and "about the roughest place in the world." They were 1,000 miles from Seattle, which was cosmopolitan by comparison.This photo of Skagway was probably taken between 1898 and 1905. The Hotel Seattle and other…
ID Number:SHS10681
Date:Circa 1902
Image of Louisa Boren Denny, circa 1888
Photograph

Louisa Boren Denny, circa 1888

In 1852, twenty-two year old Louisa Boren arrived at Alki with the Denny Party of settlers. She became Seattle's first bride when she married David Denny in January 1853. The new Mrs. Denny was called the "Sweetbriar Bride" because of the sweetbriar seeds she had brought with her from Illinois. Later, she was active in the prohibition and woman suffrage…
ID Number:SHS10806
Date:Circa 1888
Image of Port Blakely planing mill in snow, January 1880
Photograph

Port Blakely planing mill in snow, January 1880

In January 1880, five feet of snow fell in the Seattle area. At Port Blakely, on Bainbridge Island, the lumber mill opened late each day so that workmen could clear the snow off the roofs in town. The weather was so cold that the snow stayed on the ground for several weeks.This photo shows the planing mill and waterfront at…
ID Number:SHS11500
Date:1880
Image of Quileute children and teachers, La Push, circa 1887
Photograph

Quileute children and teachers, La Push, circa 1887

The Quileute are an Indigenous people whose historic lands are on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula, in the valleys of the Quillayute and Hoh Rivers. The Quileute are not related to either the Makah to the north or the Coast Salish peoples of western Washington, and the Quileute language is unrelated to any other in the world. Quileute…
ID Number:SHS12092
Date:Circa 1887
Image of Waterfront of Port Blakely, Washington, circa 1885
Photograph

Waterfront of Port Blakely, Washington, circa 1885

Captain William Renton recognized that Blakely Harbor, on Bainbridge Island, was an ideal site for a sawmill. In 1863, he founded the town of Port Blakely. By 1882, the Port Blakely Mill Company was one of the three largest lumber producers in Puget Sound. This photo, probably taken in the 1880s, shows lumber ships and floating logs at the Port…
ID Number:SHS12507
Date:Circa 1885
Image of Street in Skagway during the gold rush, circa 1898
Photograph

Street in Skagway during the gold rush, circa 1898

Gold seekers who were headed to the Klondike gold fields via White Pass landed in Skagway, Alaska. The weather and the conditions on the White Pass Trail were so bad that people sometimes got stuck in Skagway for several days before they could head north. Businesses in Skagway took advantage of this.This photo, taken around 1898 by Asahel Curtis, shows…
ID Number:SHS14112
Date:Circa 1898
Image of Rail wharves at Skagway, Alaska, circa 1899
Photograph

Rail wharves at Skagway, Alaska, circa 1899

By 1899, the port of Skagway had several large piers and a railroad line to Canada. This helped make Skagway, rather than Dyea, the main port of entry to the Yukon gold fields.This photo, probably taken around 1899, shows the rail wharves at Skagway. Freight and passengers could be unloaded here and loaded directly onto railroad cars for the trip…
ID Number:SHS14114
Date:Circa 1899
Image of Dr. David S. Maynard, circa 1870
Photograph

Dr. David S. Maynard, circa 1870

Dr. David S. "Doc" Maynard arrived in Seattle in 1852. His original plans to salt salmon for the San Francisco market failed, but he set up Seattle's first store, selling medicine and general merchandise in his salting works on First Avenue and Main Street. It was Doc Maynard who proposed naming the new city Seattle after Chief Si'ahl (Chief Seattle)…
ID Number:SHS15461
Date:Circa 1870
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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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