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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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200 results for: European American Settlement

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Image of View of Seattle, looking northwest from 12th St. and Dearborn, circa 1882
Photograph

View of Seattle, looking northwest from 12th St. and Dearborn, circa 1882

Much of Seattle was built on land reclaimed from Elliott Bay and the mouth of the Duwamish River. Muddy tide flats once extended all the way to the foot of Beacon Hill. Roads and railroad tracks were built over the flats on wooden trestles. Regrades in the early 20th century flattened Seattle’s hills and also provided more material for reclaimed…
ID Number:1983.10.6089
Date:Circa 1882
Image of Arthur Denny's cabin at Alki Point, circa 1902
Photograph

Arthur Denny's cabin at Alki Point, circa 1902

The twelve adults and twelve children of the Denny Party were among Seattle's first white settlers. They landed at Alki Point on November 13, 1851. David Denny had already arrived before the rest of the group and started the new settlement's first cabin. The second cabin was built for Arthur Denny's family. The cabin was forty years old when it…
ID Number:1983.10.6111
Date:Circa 1902
Image of John J. McGilvra's farm, circa 1870
Photograph

John J. McGilvra's farm, circa 1870

President Lincoln appointed John J. McGilvra United States Attorney for Washington Territory. In 1864, McGilvra and his family settled near Lake Washington, in today's Madison Park district. They called their home Laurel Shade. At his own expense, McGilvra built a road from the farm to Seattle, along the route which became Madison Street.This stereographic photo shows John McGilvra's property, Laurel…
ID Number:1983.10.6122
Date:Circa 1870
Image of Looking south from Denny Hill, 1882
Photograph

Looking south from Denny Hill, 1882

On a sunny summer afternoon in 1882, a person looking south from Seattle's Denny Hill would have had this view. Seattle was still a frontier city of wood frame houses on the recently cleared hillsides above Elliott Bay. The steamers that landed at Yesler's Wharf (right center) were the city's lifeline to the rest of the United States and to…
ID Number:1983.10.6143.1
Date:1882
Image of Seattle waterfront, circa 1872
Photograph

Seattle waterfront, circa 1872

Around 1872, a sailor named Billy Fife painted a view of the Seattle waterfront from Elliott Bay. Sometime after 1903, Webster & Stevens photographed Fife's painting.In this photo of Fife's painting, Elliott Bay is busy with ships. Small houses dot the hillsides, and a few tall trees still line the hilltops. Original copy negative.Original: Fife, W., 1872?. Painting photographed after…
ID Number:1983.10.6167
Date:Circa 1872
Image of U.S.S. Decatur, circa 1850
Photograph

U.S.S. Decatur, circa 1850

During the early 1850s, hostility grew between the Native peoples and the new settlers in the Puget Sound region. The "Decatur" and several other government ships were moved to the area to protect the settlers. On January 26, 1856, following word of a planned attack on Seattle, troops on the "Decatur" fired howitzers into the forest beyond Third Avenue where…
ID Number:1983.10.6182
Date:Circa 1850
Image of Oxen hauling logs along waterfront, Seattle, circa 1885
Photograph

Oxen hauling logs along waterfront, Seattle, circa 1885

As Seattle grew, the hills above the city were gradually logged over. Oxen and railroads hauled the logs to the sawmills at the waterfront.This photo, taken in the 1880s, shows a long team of oxen hauling a train of huge logs along a trestle at the Seattle waterfront. It is believed to show the first load of logs carried by…
ID Number:1983.10.6232
Date:Circa 1885
Image of Seattle view looking northwest, circa 1885
Photograph

Seattle view looking northwest, circa 1885

This view looks north and slightly west from around Seventh and James. At left are the mansions of James Colman and M.V.B. Stacy. The home of James McNaught, where the Seattle Public Library is today, is visible in the left center. The large structure on the right horizon is Central School, which was built in 1883 and burned in 1888.…
ID Number:1983.10.6234
Date:Circa 1885
Image of Front Street from Frye's Opera House, circa 1885
Photograph

Front Street from Frye's Opera House, circa 1885

Between 1880 and 1884, Seattle's population grew from 3,533 to 12,632. The city spent $250,000 on street improvements. Businesses along Front Street near Madison and Spring Streets included Frye's Opera House, a market, a drug store, and a boot and shoe store. A nearby stationery store also sold books, magazines, and wallpaper.This photo, taken from Frye's Opera House around 1885,…
ID Number:1983.10.6241
Date:Circa 1885
Image of Downtown Seattle from waterfront, circa 1875
Photograph

Downtown Seattle from waterfront, circa 1875

In the 1870s and 1880s several wharves were built along the waterfront, as white settlers looked to ship lumber and coal. This photo features the construction of one of these docks. Original photo copied by Webster & Stevens.Handwritten on sleeve: Waterfront looking east from ocean dock construct.Webster & Stevens number: 136X
ID Number:1983.10.6254
Date:Circa 1875
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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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