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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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653 results for: Urban

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Image of Industrial Boarding School buildings on the Puyallup Reservation, circa 1885
Photograph

Industrial Boarding School buildings on the Puyallup Reservation, circa 1885

The Puyallup people are a Coast Salish group whose historic lands are along the Puyallup River Valley. They call themselves “Spuyalepabs” in their native language of Lushootseed, meaning “people from the bend at the bottom of the river.” Before settlers arrived, the Puyallup lived in villages that spread from the Cascade foothills to the shores of Puget Sound. In 1854,…
ID Number:SHS3491
Date:Circa 1885
Image of Workers pouring concrete for Beacon Hill reservoir, Seattle, circa 1911
Photograph

Workers pouring concrete for Beacon Hill reservoir, Seattle, circa 1911

Washington's Cedar River originates in the Cascade Mountain Range and drains into Puget Sound via Lake Washington. Since 1899 the upper Cedar River watershed, and its subsequent reservoirs and pipeline infrastructure, have been operated by Seattle Public Utilities, providing drinking water for about two-thirds of King County. The population of Seattle and King County grew quickly after the establishment of…
ID Number:SHS3768
Date:Circa 1911
Image of Alaskan Way Viaduct from 1st Ave., Seattle, 1960
Photograph

Alaskan Way Viaduct from 1st Ave., Seattle, 1960

The Alaskan Way Viaduct was an elevated highway in Seattle which was completed in 1966 after 16 years of construction and decades of planning. The double-decked highway ran along the Elliott Bay waterfront above the surface street, Alaskan Way, following previously existing railroad lines. The viaduct provided Seattle with its first bypass route around the downtown business district. The viaduct…
ID Number:SHS3978
Date:1960
Image of Adding floors to the County-City Building, circa 1930
Photograph

Adding floors to the County-City Building, circa 1930

In 1916, the new King County Courthouse and Municipal Building, also called the County-City Building, opened on Third Avenue in downtown Seattle. The building, designed by Seattle architect Augustus Warren Gould, was five stories tall, with a partial sixth story for the use of the city engineer. In 1929-1931, architect Henry Bittman's six story addition expanded Gould's original building upwards.This…
ID Number:SHS6523
Date:Circa 1930
Image of Alaskan Way Viaduct under construction, Seattle, circa 1952
Photograph

Alaskan Way Viaduct under construction, Seattle, circa 1952

The Alaskan Way Viaduct was an elevated highway in Seattle which was completed in 1966 after 16 years of construction and decades of planning. The double-decked highway ran along the Elliott Bay waterfront above the surface street, Alaskan Way, following previously existing railroad lines. The viaduct provided Seattle with its first bypass route around the downtown business district. The viaduct…
ID Number:SHS7287
Date:Circa 1952
Image of Warren Avenue School, Seattle, 1903
Photograph

Warren Avenue School, Seattle, 1903

Construction of Warren Avenue School began in 1902, and the school opened in 1903 on the corner of Harrison Street and Warren Avenue in Seattle’s Lower Queen Anne district. Possibly named for Revolutionary War hero Major-General Joseph Warren, the three-story, wood-frame building helped relieve crowding at nearby Denny and Mercer Elementary Schools at a time the city was booming. In…
ID Number:SHS7726
Date:1903
Image of Mayor Bertha Landes breaking ground for the Civic Auditorium, Seattle, November 7, 1927
Photograph

Mayor Bertha Landes breaking ground for the Civic Auditorium, Seattle, November 7, 1927

Seattle Mayor Bertha K. Landes broke ground for the city's new Civic Auditorium and Stadium in November 1927. The complex, at what is now Seattle Center, was completed the following year. Mayor Landes, who served from 1926 to 1928, was the first female mayor of a major American city. The Civic Auditorium later became the Seattle Center Opera House and…
ID Number:SHS8480
Date:1927
Image of Ballard Bridge, Seattle, July 3, 1938
Photograph

Ballard Bridge, Seattle, July 3, 1938

In 1917, the opening of the first Ballard Bridge over the Lake Washington Ship Canal connected Ballard's business district to downtown Seattle by way of Fifteenth Avenue West and Elliott Avenue. Wooden trestles supported the two-lane roadway, streetcar tracks and sidewalk for most of the bridge's length. After twenty years of increased vehicular traffic and urban growth, the bridge was…
ID Number:SHS8968
Date:1938
Image of Tom McDonald and David Grant in hiking gear, circa 1910
Photograph

Tom McDonald and David Grant in hiking gear, circa 1910

Sometime around 1910, Tom McDonald and David Grant dressed in their hiking clothes and posed for a Seattle photographer. The two young men, identified as students at the University of Washington, hiked across the Olympic Peninsula to the Washington coast. SHS category: Univ. of Wash. - Students
ID Number:SHS8974
Date:Circa 1910
Image of Alaska Building under construction, Seattle, August 9, 1904
Photograph

Alaska Building under construction, Seattle, August 9, 1904

In 1903, work began on the 14-story Alaska Building. This office building was Seattle's first skyscraper to be built with steel framing. Steel framed buildings could be taller than those in Pioneer Square which were built by earlier methods. This photo shows construction of the Alaska Building, which still stands on the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Cherry Streets.…
ID Number:SHS9373
Date:1904
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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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