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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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3379 results for: Seattle Photographic Co.

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Image of U.S.S. Nebraska launching October 7, 1904
Photograph

U.S.S. Nebraska launching October 7, 1904

In 1904, the Moran Brothers shipyard in Seattle launched the battleship "Nebraska." This vessel was the first steel ship to be built on Puget Sound and the first naval battleship to be built in the Pacific Northwest. At the launching, bands played, people cheered, dignitaries made speeches, and the daughter of the Governor of Nebraska christened the vessel with a…
ID Number:SHS2042
Date:1904
Image of Steamship
Photograph

Steamship "Queen" and schooner at Seattle pier, circa 1898

So many people wanted to go north to the gold fields of the Klondike region that all sorts of boats and ships were pressed into service. Some were more seaworthy than others.This photo, taken in 1898 or 1899 shows a group of men at the Seattle waterfront looking at the steamer "Queen" (right) and a small wooden schooner (left). The…
ID Number:SHS2075
Date:Circa 1898
Image of Smith Tower under construction, Seattle, circa 1913
Photograph

Smith Tower under construction, Seattle, circa 1913

The Smith Tower was Seattle's first skyscraper. This photo shows the skeleton of the skyscraper in the midst of construction that took four years to complete. The construction company, E.E. Davis Co., set a record by using a single crane to erect 8 floors of steelwork in one week. Upon opening in 1914 it was the tallest building west of…
ID Number:SHS2129
Date:Circa 1913
Image of Seattleites posing with goods salvaged from the fire, June 1889
Photograph

Seattleites posing with goods salvaged from the fire, June 1889

The Great Fire of June 6, 1889 was a significant turning point in Seattle's history and changed both the physical and political landscapes of the City, destroying 100 acres of Seattle's business district and waterfront. The city didn't take much time to mourn; most businesses decided to rebuild where they had been, and rebuilding began almost immediately. Relief bureaus were…
ID Number:SHS2150
Date:1889
Image of Native camp on the beach, Seattle, circa 1885
Photograph

Native camp on the beach, Seattle, circa 1885

In 1865 the Board of Trustees of Seattle passed Ordinance No. 5 banning Indigenous people from living in the city unless they worked for a non-Indigenous resident and lived on their employer’s property. Despite this attempt to enforce separation between Indigenous people and the settlers, Seattle depended on Indigenous people. Settlers relied on Native people for domestic work and for…
ID Number:SHS2174
Date:Circa 1885
Image of Indigenous encampment at the Seattle waterfront, circa 1895
Photograph

Indigenous encampment at the Seattle waterfront, circa 1895

In 1865 the Board of Trustees of Seattle passed Ordinance No. 5 banning Indigenous people from living in the city unless they worked for a non-Indigenous resident and lived on their employer’s property. Despite this attempt to enforce separation between Indigenous people and the settlers, Seattle depended on Indigenous people. Settlers relied on Native people for domestic work and for…
ID Number:SHS2210
Date:Circa 1895
Image of Chesheeahud and others in a canoe on Lake Union, Seattle, circa 1885
Photograph

Chesheeahud and others in a canoe on Lake Union, Seattle, circa 1885

Chesheeahud (also spelled Cheshiahud) was a Duwamish chief and guide to the lakes and rivers around what is now Seattle, living between the mid-19th and early 20th centuries. He led a village called hehs-KWEE-kweel (meaning Skate), at the south edge of the mouth of Union Bay onto Lake Washington. hehs-KWEE-kweel was near a vital portage used by the Duwamish between…
ID Number:SHS2228
Date:Circa 1885
Image of Members of Seattle Police Department, Ballard Station, April, 1913
Photograph

Members of Seattle Police Department, Ballard Station, April, 1913

Ballard was an independent city from its incorporation in 1890, until a vote to annex to Seattle passed 996 to 874 on November 6, 1906. On May 29, 1907, the City of Ballard officially became simply Ballard, a neighborhood of Seattle.In the 1910s, Seattle had neighborhood police headquarters in Ballard, West Seattle, Columbia City, Densmore (now Wallingford), and Georgetown. This…
ID Number:SHS2273
Date:1913
Image of August Wenzel in front of his blacksmith shop at 7th and Pike, Seattle, 1889
Photograph

August Wenzel in front of his blacksmith shop at 7th and Pike, Seattle, 1889

August Joseph Wenzel (1856-1945) was born in Kingdom of Prussia, Germany, and moved to Seattle in 1888 with his wife Maria and their 8 children. He opened a blacksmith and cooper shop on Pike Street between Fourth Avenue and Fifth Avenue. Next door to the blacksmith shop he owned a wagon works shop and next to that a meat market.…
ID Number:SHS2303
Date:1889
Image of Mayor Bertha K. Landes at her desk, Seattle, circa 1927
Photograph

Mayor Bertha K. Landes at her desk, Seattle, circa 1927

In 1926, Bertha Knight Landes was the first woman to be elected mayor of a major American city when she became mayor of Seattle. She vowed to clean up city government, running on the platform of "municipal housekeeping." She served only one term as mayor but remained a civic leader in such organizations as the Women's University Club, the Women's…
ID Number:SHS2344
Date:Circa 1927
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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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