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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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736 results for: Transportation

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Image of East face of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, 1950
Photograph

East face of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, 1950

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport opened officially in 1949, providing the region with a state-of-the-art passenger and freight gateway to Alaska and Asia. Four major airlines served Sea-Tac: United, Pan American, Northwest and Western.This 1950 photo shows the front of Seattle-Tacoma Airport. A bus, several cars and a motorcycle with a sidecar have parked on the entry ramp in front of the…
ID Number:SHS6186
Date:1950
Image of Boys with bicycles above Portage Bay, Seattle, circa 1895
Photograph

Boys with bicycles above Portage Bay, Seattle, circa 1895

Two boys pose for a photograph on a tree stump with their bicycles and one other, likely the photographer's, parked in front. The view behind shows Portage Bay and Lake Washington in the distance. Typed on verso: From what is now Interlaken Blvd. toward Portage Bay at left, Montlake, Lk. Wash. in the distance. 1890's.SHS category: Transportation - Cycling
ID Number:SHS6349
Date:Circa 1895
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 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 Dogsled owned by a mail carrier, near Nome, Alaska, circa 1905
Photograph

Dogsled owned by a mail carrier, near Nome, Alaska, circa 1905

Mail delivery quickly became an important service for prospectors arriving in Alaska for the Gold Rush. During the winter, dogsleds delivered first class mail to Nome once a month. Magazines and newspapers had to wait for the steamers which ran after the ice melted. Dogsled mail carriers generally worked in relay, each carrying the mail along a particular section of…
ID Number:SHS7977
Date:Circa 1905
Image of Packers ascending summit of Chilkoot Pass, circa 1898
Photograph

Packers ascending summit of Chilkoot Pass, circa 1898

The Chilkoot Pass had been used as a Indigenous trade route for generations before the Klondike stampede. When the 1897 gold rush started, the Chilkat, Tlingit, and other Native people hired themselves out as packers for the incoming gold seekers, charging $1.00 a pound to carry goods over Chilkoot Pass. The following year, a tramway put many of the Native…
ID Number:SHS8258
Date:Circa 1898
Image of Klondikers shooting White Horse Rapids, 1898
Photograph

Klondikers shooting White Horse Rapids, 1898

Two miles below Miles Canyon, gold seekers on the Yukon River had to navigate through White Horse Rapids. Those who could afford it hired a pilot or portaged their goods around the rapids and used ropes to guide their empty boats through the dangerous rapids. Some boats broke up among the rocks and whirlpools; some took on so much water…
ID Number:SHS8332
Date:1898
Image of People and pack animals on the Chilkoot Trail, April 21, 1898
Photograph

People and pack animals on the Chilkoot Trail, April 21, 1898

The Chilkoot Trail, also called the Dyea Trail, had been an Indigenous trade route for generations. Gold seekers followed the old trail north from Dyea along the river towards Chilkoot Pass. Those who could afford it hired people or pack horses to carry their goods as far as Sheep Camp.This 1898 photo shows people and pack animals at a stop…
ID Number:SHS8396
Date:1898
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
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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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