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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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707 results for: Labor and Labor Unions

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Image of Newspaper boy with mask standing in front of closed theatre
Photograph

Newspaper boy with mask standing in front of closed theatre "closed" sign on box office, Seattle, 1918

In the fall of 1918, the worldwide influenza epidemic hit Seattle. The flu was sudden and deadly. The city's health commissioner banned dances and closed theaters, churches, and schools. At the height of the epidemic, anyone going out in public was required by law to wear a mask made of six layers of gauze. This was supposed to keep the…
ID Number:SHS6338B
Date:1918
Image of Miners and sluices on Bonanza Creek, circa 1898
Photograph

Miners and sluices on Bonanza Creek, circa 1898

Miners used water running through sluice boxes to wash the gold out of the pay dirt. Lumber for the sluice boxes was cut from the surrounding hills and finished in a nearby sawmill. As the hills were cleared, lumber became even more expensive. By the time this photo was taken, large mining companies had begun to replace small scale mining…
ID Number:SHS7300
Date:Circa 1898
Image of View of sluices and piles of gravel at Ophir, circa 1905
Photograph

View of sluices and piles of gravel at Ophir, circa 1905

Gold strikes were made on Ophir Creek, near Nome, Alaska, in 1897. By 1905, the day of the individual miner had passed, giving way to larger scale industrial mining at Ophir and elsewhere.This photo, taken by Albert Kinne around 1905, shows the hoisting works at claim 14 at Ophir Creek. The hoists, possibly pulled by the horses (center left), lift…
ID Number:SHS7301
Date:Circa 1905
Image of Women cleaning strawberries at Spokane Street terminal, Seattle, circa 1921
Photograph

Women cleaning strawberries at Spokane Street terminal, Seattle, circa 1921

In 1921 the Port of Seattle completed the Spokane Street Terminal, with nearly 200,000 square feet of space and state-of-the-art cold storage facilities used for freezing, handling, and storing fish from Alaska and local produce until they were exported or sent to local markets. That same year, Puget Sound berry growers harvested 3,160 acres of strawberries, mainly for the processing…
ID Number:SHS7309
Date:Circa 1921
Image of Seattle Electric Railway Company trolley with motormen, circa 1890
Photograph

Seattle Electric Railway Company trolley with motormen, circa 1890

Seattle's first electric streetcars began carrying passengers in 1889. By 1892, the city had 48 miles of electric streetcars and 22 miles of cable railway. In the mid-1890s, motormen were paid 22 cents an hour, but only while the cars were rolling. They weren't paid for the time it took to get the cars ready in the morning, keep them…
ID Number:SHS7701
Date:Circa 1890
Image of Down in a Nome gold mine, circa 1903
Photograph

Down in a Nome gold mine, circa 1903

In Alaska and the Yukon, placer gold was found along ancient stream beds, some of which were underground. This often required much digging and long hours in the cold and dark. Candles were scarce and expensive at a dollar apiece.This photo, taken in Nome sometime between 1899 and 1906, shows a group of people working 110 feet underground for the…
ID Number:SHS7980
Date:Circa 1903
Image of Three men and a rocker in the Nome gold fields, circa 1905
Photograph

Three men and a rocker in the Nome gold fields, circa 1905

Many gold miners used rockers (also called cradles) to remove gold from pay dirt. They shoveled the dirt and gravel into a tray at the top of the rocker, and they shook the rocker back and forth as they poured water on the tray. Finer pieces of gold and dirt washed through holes in the tray into the box beneath.…
ID Number:SHS7986
Date:Circa 1905
Image of Relief project crew working on streetcar tracks, March 12, 1934
Photograph

Relief project crew working on streetcar tracks, March 12, 1934

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the United States government started a number of programs to help the unemployed. The Civil Works Administration (CWA) provided money for short-term public works projects during the winter months of 1933-1934. Thanks to funding from the CWA, King County was able to hire tens of thousands of workers for local projects.This photo, taken…
ID Number:SHS8525
Date:1934
Image of Woodland Dairy employees and delivery cart, Seattle, circa 1912
Photograph

Woodland Dairy employees and delivery cart, Seattle, circa 1912

In this image two employees of Woodland Dairy Company pose in front of their horse-drawn delivery cart. The men are identified as Frank Haberbush, left, and Harold Poole. Typed on verso: Woodland Diary Co. horse-drawn home delivery cart. driver on right - Harold Poole, on left - Frank Haberbush. ca. 1912. In Green Lake district.SHS category: Transportation - Horse Drawn
ID Number:SHS8540
Date:Circa 1912
Image of Seattle City Light service truck, September 21, 1917
Photograph

Seattle City Light service truck, September 21, 1917

By the 1910s, electricity from Seattle City Light powered homes and businesses as well as the streetlights and trolleys. This 1917 photo shows Seattle City Light "Underground Service" truck No. 29, with an workman at the wheel. Photographer's number: 3886SHS category: Lighting
ID Number:SHS8748
Date:1917
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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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