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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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733 results for: Labor and Labor Unions

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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
Image of Men assembling wooden wings, Boeing Airplane Company, 1922
Photograph

Men assembling wooden wings, Boeing Airplane Company, 1922

In 1921, the Boeing Airplane Company won a large government contract to build 200 single-seater MB-3A fighter planes for the U. S. Army. By the end of 1922, workers had completed the work and had also designed, built, and refurbished several other kinds of planes. This helped keep the company open during the business slump that followed World War I.This…
ID Number:SHS9274
Date:1922
Image of Employees of the Kirkland woolen mill, circa 1900
Photograph

Employees of the Kirkland woolen mill, circa 1900

Edward Eyanson organized Washington state's first woolen mill at Kirkland in 1892 and later sold it to George Matzen, the owner of the Seattle Skirt & Suit Manufacturing Company. The business flourished during the gold rush days of the late 1890s and early 1900s and boomed again during World War I. After several fires during the 1920s and 1930s, the…
ID Number:SHS9276
Date:1900
Image of Group at Campbell Lumber Company, circa 1907
Photograph

Group at Campbell Lumber Company, circa 1907

In April 1905, James Campbell and L.B. Stedman started the Campbell Lumber Company in Redmond, Washington. When their logging camp and sawmill opened, the business was worth $50,000.00. After two booming years of business, the company was worth $170,000.00.This photo, taken around 1907, shows workers standing outside the bunkhouse at the Campbell Lumber Company in Redmond, Washington. SHS category: Lumbering-…
ID Number:SHS9514
Date:Circa 1907
Image of Hydraulic mining at Glacier Creek, near Nome, Alaska, circa 1904
Photograph

Hydraulic mining at Glacier Creek, near Nome, Alaska, circa 1904

By 1904, many of the gold mining claims around Nome, Alaska, were owned and operated by large mining companies. That year, the Miocene Ditch Company used hydraulic mining techniques at Price Bros. claim No. 2 below the original strike on Glacier Creek.This photo shows the Miocene Ditch Company's hydraulic mining operations at Glacier Creek, near Nome. A high powered stream…
ID Number:SHS9547
Date:Circa 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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