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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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257 results for: Washington Territory

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Image of Waterfront, Seattle, circa 1875
Photograph

Waterfront, Seattle, circa 1875

Handwritten on mount: Seattle Scenery.Handwritten on verso: Peterson & Bros View. Early 1870s.Typed on verso: Seattle from the waterfront in the early day. For a stereoscope.SHS category: Waterfront
ID Number:SHS2951
Date:Circa 1875
Image of Game of slahal on a Puget Sound beach, circa 1884
Photograph

Game of slahal on a Puget Sound beach, circa 1884

Slahal, also called the bone game, is one of many games played by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. A team member held up their hands, each of which contained a small bone, and the members of the opposite team tried to guess if a marked bone was in the right or left hand. Slahal often also involved gambling between…
ID Number:SHS3488
Date:Circa 1884
Image of Waterfront from near Yesler's wharf, Seattle, circa 1882
Photograph

Waterfront from near Yesler's wharf, Seattle, circa 1882

Caption on mount: Peterson & Bro., Seattle, Wash. Ter.Caption on verso: Seattle Art Gallery, Peterson & Bro., Photograph Artists, Front Street, Seattle, King Co. Washington Territory.Typed on verso: View looking north from near Yesler, early 1880's.SHS category: Waterfront
ID Number:SHS3506
Date:Circa 1882
Image of Chen Chong and his wife, 1866
Photograph

Chen Chong and his wife, 1866

Chen Chong arrived in Seattle in the 1860s and became one of the city's first Chinese merchants. He owned a cigar store on the east side of First Avenue South, near Washington Street and supplied contract labor to area businesses and industries. In 1866, Chen Chong was married at the Brown (Methodist) Church. Both bride and groom wore borrowed clothing…
ID Number:SHS4000
Date:1866
Image of Joseph William Steele and family, circa 1888
Photograph

Joseph William Steele and family, circa 1888

Joseph William Steele came to Washington Territory by wagon train in 1865 and homesteaded south of Seattle, in the Duwamish River Valley. Mertie Annette Miller traveled to Seattle later on the railroad, and she and Steele were married in 1886. In 1888 or 1889, the Steeles traveled to Seattle where photographer George N. Moore took their family portrait.In this photo,…
ID Number:SHS4960
Date:circa 1888
Image of Second and Union, looking southeast, Seattle, circa 1885
Photograph

Second and Union, looking southeast, Seattle, circa 1885

Between about 1888 and 1893, Seattle grocer Charles Louch sold groceries, seeds, cigars and other goods from his store on Front Street (now First Avenue). At some point, he advertised his store, and his 1888 brand of hams and bacon, using give-away photographs of downtown Seattle with his roof sign prominently displayed in the foreground.This photo, taken by Walter Davis…
ID Number:SHS5336
Date:Circa 1885
Image of The First Regiment band of the Washington National Guard, 1892
Photograph

The First Regiment band of the Washington National Guard, 1892

During the period before statehood, the U.S. Federal Government authorized Washington Territory to form militia units to assist the civil authorities in maintaining law and order. A more permanent force was created on March 9, 1886, with the formation of the First Infantry Regiment of the Washington National Guard, led by Lieutenant-Colonel George D. Hill. The Second Infantry Regiment followed…
ID Number:SHS5837
Date:1892
Image of Railroad construction workers and locomotive at the Green River crossing, 1885
Photograph

Railroad construction workers and locomotive at the Green River crossing, 1885

In the 1880s, Chinese laborers were recruited by railroad companies because they worked for lower pay than whites. Chinese men were often assigned to such dangerous tasks as blasting through rock and laying tracks in tunnels or on river bluffs. Of the 20,000 men that built the Northern Pacific branch line between Pasco and Tacoma, 15,000 were Chinese.This 1885 photo…
ID Number:SHS5907
Date:1885
Image of Sarah Yesler, circa 1865
Photograph

Sarah Yesler, circa 1865

Sarah Burgert married Henry Yelser in Ohio. Once he was settled in Seattle, she traveled out to join him. Sarah Yesler was active in many civic groups including the Ladies' Relief Society, which helped the needy, and the Ladies' Library Board, which founded Seattle's public library in the home of one of the members. Mrs. Yesler was Seattle's first librarian.…
ID Number:SHS6663B
Date:Circa 1865
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
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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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