257 results for: Washington Territory
Manuscript
Henry A. Smith's recollection of 1856 "Battle of Seattle," circa 1900
On the morning of January 26, 1856, the "Battle of Seattle" began when Native Americans raided the settlement of Seattle. Previously warned of the attack, most settlers had barricaded themselves in a blockhouse. The attackers were driven off by artillery fire and by Marines from the U.S. Navy sloop-of-war Decatur, anchored in Elliott Bay. Although there were relatively few casualties…
ID Number:MS.COLL.204
Date:Circa 1900
Ephemera
Territorial anniversary ball invitation, February 20, 1863
In 1853, the Territory of Washington was created from a portion of the Oregon Territory, and in 1863, right about the time the Territory attained its final boundaries, the residents of Seattle threw a tenth anniversary party to celebrate. Although not incorporated as a town until 1865, Seattle in 1863 was a growing community of about 300 white settlers (not…
ID Number:MS.COLL.556
Date:1863
Program
Seattle High School graduation program, June 4, 1886
Public education began in Seattle in 1854, and the University of Washington was founded as the Territorial University in 1861. In the early years of the college, 1861-1867, most of the students were Seattle school children, with very few students at the collegiate level. By 1882 the student population had outgrown a number of temporary housing situations, and what is…
ID Number:MS.COLL.1214
Date:1886
Document
Arthur Denny's Renton Coal Company stock certificate, August 7, 1875
The Denny-Renton Clay and Coal Company was founded in 1892 by Arthur A. Denny (1822-1899) when he bought out predecessor company Puget Sound Fire Clay Company. Clay's popularity over wood as a building material grew substantially after the Great Seattle Fire in 1889. It is unclear if the Renton Coal Company is connected to the Denny-Renton Clay and Coal Company.…
ID Number:MS.COLL.1426
Date:1875
Correspondence
William Pickering's letter to Arthur Denny about Lincoln assassination, Washington, DC, May 4, 1865
Early in 1865, Governor William Pickering made the long journey from Olympia, Washington Territory, to Washington DC on territory business. British-born Pickering had been appointed governor of Washington Territory by Abraham Lincoln, whom he had known in Springfield, Illinois. This is one of a series of letters that Governor Pickering wrote to Territorial Register of Deeds Arthur Denny during the…
ID Number:MS.COLL.1489.1
Date:1865
Manuscript
My First Trip to Seattle, by Nora Leonard Vandeventer, circa 1938
In her story "My First Trip to Seattle," Nora Leonard Vandeventer (1863-1944) recounts the trip she made with her family, as a child of around 10, when they moved from Tumwater to Seattle. She recounts the perilous January trip on the Zephyr, a sternwheel steamer of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet. Nora traveled with her parents Amy and Thomas Austin…
ID Number:MS.COLL.1523
Date:Circa 1938
Photograph
Indigenous women making baskets, Olympic Peninsula, 1926
The women from coastal Washington's Indigenous tribes are known for their basketry. They made twined, coiled, and plaited baskets for gathering clams and berries, storing and serving food, and many other purposes. Basketry techniques were also used for hats and other clothing. At the start of the 20th century, Indigenous artists in the Pacific Northwest were making baskets specifically for…
ID Number:PI23768
Date:1926
Photograph
James Murray Colman, Seattle, circa 1885
Born in Scotland in 1832, James Murray Colman came to the United States and began working in the lumber industry. In 1872 he moved to Seattle, where he operated Henry Yesler's mill. He built the Colman Building on First Avenue and the Colman Dock on Seattle's waterfront. He also founded the Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad, which was eventually bought…
ID Number:SHS88
Date:Circa 1885
Photograph
Elizabeth M. Ordway, circa 1865
A shortage of women in Seattle in the 1860s inspired Asa Mercer to travel to the east coast to find women who might want to resettle in the new city. Elizabeth M. Ordway, nicknamed Lizzie, was a native of Lowell, Massachusetts. She arrived in Seattle in 1864, along with ten other so-called "Mercer Girls." Miss Ordway had a long career…
ID Number:SHS126
Date:Circa 1865
Photograph
Louisa, Madge, David, and Inez Denny, Seattle, circa 1858
David Thomas Denny (1832-1903) and Louisa Boren (1827-1916) were members of the Seattle pioneers known as the Denny Party, 24 white people who settled in Seattle in 1851. The two married in 1853 in city's first wedding of European American settlers, and had eight children together.In this image David and Louisa pose with their children, Emily Inez Denny (1854-1918), and…
ID Number:SHS154
Date:circa 1858