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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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736 results for: Transportation

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Image of Sunset Highway, 1915
Photograph

Sunset Highway, 1915

The Sunset Highway was completed in 1914. It was the first automobile road built through Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascade Mountains. Automobile road guides of the time promised drivers "a fine dirt and gravel road" with "good dependable bridges." Today's multi-lane Interstate 90 roughly follows the route of the old Sunset Highway through Snoqualmie Pass.This photo shows a car traveling…
ID Number:1983.10.9989.1
Date:1915
Image of Horse teams pull an automobile from a mudhole at Snoqualmie Pass, May 1915
Photograph

Horse teams pull an automobile from a mudhole at Snoqualmie Pass, May 1915

Early car travel was difficult and sometimes dangerous. In 1914, improvements had been made to the road west of Snoqualmie Pass, but it was still rough going. In this photo, two teams of horses pull an automobile out of a deep mudhole on the Snoqualmie Pass road through the Cascade Mountains. Webster & Stevens number: 44193
ID Number:1983.10.10056
Date:1915
Image of Car on highway between Seattle and Tacoma, 1916
Photograph

Car on highway between Seattle and Tacoma, 1916

Handwritten on sleeve: Tacoma Hiway 1916.Webster & Stevens number: 44559
ID Number:1983.10.10093.1
Date:1916
Image of Cars and streetcar stuck in snow on Pike Street, Seattle, 1916
Photograph

Cars and streetcar stuck in snow on Pike Street, Seattle, 1916

This view taken during the big snow storm of 1916 looks west on Pike Street from 3rd Avenue. Handwritten on sleeve: Cars Stalled in Snow 1916.Webster & Stevens number: 45436
ID Number:1983.10.10099.1
Date:1916
Image of Colman Dock, Seattle, 1915
Photograph

Colman Dock, Seattle, 1915

Before regular ferry service, hundreds of small steamers competed to carry people and freight around Puget Sound. There were so many of these vessels making short runs between so many towns and islands, that they were called the Mosquito Fleet. Some people limit the term Mosquito Fleet to the many small wooden steamers on the sound, while others include larger…
ID Number:1983.10.10135
Date:1915
Image of Pike Place Market from Western Avenue, Seattle, circa 1915
Photograph

Pike Place Market from Western Avenue, Seattle, circa 1915

Seattle's Public Market or "Pike Place Market" opened in 1907 on the edge of a steep hill and over the years has grown to incorporate several lower levels of the original building as well as several additional buildings. A local preservation movement in 1971 established the seven-acre Pike Place Market Historical District which continues to protect the physical and social…
ID Number:1983.10.10173
Date:Circa 1915
Image of Kirkland ferry dock at Madison Park, circa 1920
Photograph

Kirkland ferry dock at Madison Park, circa 1920

In the early 1900s, people could ride King County ferries or Anderson steamboats between Madison Park and Kirkland. By 1920, the real estate partnership of Burke & Farrar had opened a small office at the Madison Park landing. Burke & Farrar developed land for homes in and around Kirkland.This photo, taken sometime around 1920, shows cars being loaded onto the…
ID Number:1983.10.10197
Date:Circa 1920
Image of Leschi ferry dock, 1918
Photograph

Leschi ferry dock, 1918

A number of ferries carried people, goods, and vehicles across Lake Washington before the building of the floating bridges. This photo was taken in 1918 at the Leschi landing. It shows horse-drawn wagons ready to board the Leschi ferry to cross Lake Washington. Webster & Stevens number: 47180
ID Number:1983.10.10200
Date:1918
Image of Standard Oil plant, 1916
Photograph

Standard Oil plant, 1916

By 1920, Seattle had over 44,000 licensed drivers. The Standard Oil Company of California had opened the nation's first gas station in Seattle in 1907, and opened a distribution plant on Harbor Island in 1916.This 1916 photo shows the Standard Oil distribution plant and its industrial neighbors on Harbor Island. Beacon Hill and the Sears Roebuck building are on the…
ID Number:1983.10.10307
Date:1916
Image of Horseless carriage, circa 1916
Photograph

Horseless carriage, circa 1916

Early automobiles looked so much like carriages or buggies that many people called them "horseless carriages." The vehicles were small, lightweight, and had large, narrow wheels which were well-suited to the dirt roads of the time. Most of the earliest cars were powered by steam or batteries.This photo shows R. Hopkins' battery-powered car, thought to be Seattle's first automobile. By…
ID Number:1983.10.10334
Date:Circa 1916
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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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