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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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410 results for: Urban Planning

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Image of Great Northern Railroad bridge construction, Ballard, 1912
Photograph

Great Northern Railroad bridge construction, Ballard, 1912

The bascule bridge that crosses Salmon Bay was built for the Great Northern Railroad and completed in 1914. This photo shows its stone supports during the initial stages of construction. The photographer stood on the Magnolia side of the waterway, looking towards Ballard. The brothers Clarence and Otto Langstaff were prolific amateur photographers in Seattle. Clarence worked as a carpenter…
ID Number:Lib1993.8.37
Date:1912
Image of Doe and fawn, Stoneway Concrete, Renton, Washington, 1972
Photograph

Doe and fawn, Stoneway Concrete, Renton, Washington, 1972

Stoneway Concrete was established in 1912 in Renton. This photo of a doe and fawn on the edge of their facility was taken by Seattle Times photographer Josef Scaylea in 1972. Scaylea (1913-2004) worked for 35 years as chief photographer for the Times, winning over 1000 awards for his photographs highlighting the scenery and people in the Pacific Northwest. He…
ID Number:Lib1993.20.161
Date:1972
Image of Decorating  Ballard Bridge for reopening celebration, Seattle, May 1940
Photograph

Decorating Ballard Bridge for reopening celebration, Seattle, May 1940

The Ballard Bridge, also known as the 15th Avenue Bridge, is a double-leaf bascule bridge in Seattle which connects Ballard to the Magnolia and Queen Anne neighborhoods. Opened in 1917 and spanning the Lake Washington Ship Canal, the Bridge originally had wooden approaches intended to last only ten years. The bridge was closed for repairs in 1939 and the approaches…
ID Number:PI20464
Date:1940
Image of Ballard Bridge crossing Salmon Bay, Seattle, May 1940
Photograph

Ballard Bridge crossing Salmon Bay, Seattle, May 1940

The Ballard Bridge, also known as the 15th Avenue Bridge, is a double-leaf bascule bridge in Seattle which connects Ballard to the Magnolia and Queen Anne neighborhoods. Opened in 1917 and spanning the Lake Washington Ship Canal, the Bridge originally had wooden approaches intended to last only ten years. The bridge was closed for repairs in 1939 and the approaches…
ID Number:PI20465
Date:1940
Image of Aerial of Evergreen Point Bridge under construction from southwest, Seattle, 1963
Photograph

Aerial of Evergreen Point Bridge under construction from southwest, Seattle, 1963

Washington's Evergreen Point Floating Bridge carries State Route 520 across Lake Washington, connecting Seattle with the growing area east of the lake. When it opened, the bridge's 7,578 foot floating span was the longest in the world. This was the second floating bridge to cross Lake Washington, and both bridges are overcrowded daily with commuters in their automobiles.This photo shows…
ID Number:PI20474
Date:1963
Image of Aerial view of Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, March 1963
Photograph

Aerial view of Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, March 1963

Washington's Evergreen Point Floating Bridge carries State Route 520 across Lake Washington, connecting Seattle with the growing area east of the lake. When it opened, the bridge's 7,578 foot floating span was the longest in the world. This was the second floating bridge to cross Lake Washington, and both bridges are overcrowded daily with commuters in their automobiles.//This photo shows…
ID Number:PI20478
Date:1963
Image of Engineers Town near site of Grand Coulee dam, circa 1937
Photograph

Engineers Town near site of Grand Coulee dam, circa 1937

Thousands of workers from all over the United States poured into the central Washington to work on the Grand Coulee Dam. Whether they were engineers, office workers or unskilled labor, all of these people and their families needed places to live. In December 1933, at the start of the dam project, workers graded the land for Engineers Town. Six months…
ID Number:PI22025
Date:Circa 1937
Image of Change of shift at dam construction site, circa 1937
Photograph

Change of shift at dam construction site, circa 1937

Work started on the Grand Coulee Dam in the fall of 1933 and was finished ten years later. Workers used a system of cranes, trestles, and conveyor belts to move the concrete and other construction materials into place. The men labored in shifts around the clock in winter and summer to build the dam on the Columbia River.This photo, taken…
ID Number:PI22031
Date:Circa 1937
Image of Trestles and traveling cranes at dam construction site, circa 1937
Photograph

Trestles and traveling cranes at dam construction site, circa 1937

Large concrete dams, like Grand Coulee Dam, are actually built as a series of immense blocks, not as one solid structure. At Grand Coulee, workers poured concrete five feet at a time into wooden forms at the top of each column. A system of trestles and traveling cranes moved the workers and building materials to where they were needed.This photo,…
ID Number:PI22037
Date:Circa 1937
Image of Men emptying cement into form at dam construction site, circa 1937
Photograph

Men emptying cement into form at dam construction site, circa 1937

After much research, the United States Bureau of Reclamation and its contractor, the MWAK Company, developed a very strong type of concrete for the Grand Coulee Dam. Two concrete mixing plants built at the dam site supplied 640 cubic yards of concrete per hour, breaking all earlier records. Traveling cranes moved the concrete to the building site in huge buckets.This…
ID Number:PI22043
Date:Circa 1937
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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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