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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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771 results for: Transportation

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Image of Trolley car and horse barn, Seattle, circa 1886
Photograph

Trolley car and horse barn, Seattle, circa 1886

Public transportation in Seattle has been a topic of debate at least since 1884 when Frank Osgood built Seattle's first horse-drawn street railway on Second Avenue. Horse-drawn, and later electric trolleys and streetcars were a common site until the last Seattle streetcar made its final run in 1941.In this image two of the horse-drawn trolley cars operated by the Seattle…
ID Number:SHS734
Date:Circa 1886
Image of Seattle-Everett interurban trolley, 1907
Photograph

Seattle-Everett interurban trolley, 1907

The Seattle-Everett Interurban Company was organized in 1900, and construction on the electric trolley line began in Ballard in 1901. By 1905, the tracks reached Hall's Lake and in 1910, they were completed to Everett. Passengers traveling between Seattle and Everett changed between the interurban cars and Seattle's local transit system in Ballard.This photo shows Seattle-Everett interurban trolley cars 5…
ID Number:SHS735
Date:1907
Image of Buses in Seattle Transit System's Jefferson Yard, December 15, 1940
Photograph

Buses in Seattle Transit System's Jefferson Yard, December 15, 1940

The Jefferson Street garage, at 14th and Jefferson in the Seattle's Central District, was built in 1910 as a streetcar barn. The station was converted to a garage for trolley buses in 1940. Following service reductions in 1963 and 1970, Jefferson garage was closed in July 1970, except for use by overhead line maintenance crews and for vehicle storage. Jefferson…
ID Number:SHS750
Date:1940
Image of Seattle trolley car on trestle, Woodland Park, circa 1910
Photograph

Seattle trolley car on trestle, Woodland Park, circa 1910

By 1902, the trolley line that ran along the east shore of Green Lake had been extended through Woodland Park. In 1903, the Seattle Electric Company began regular sightseeing tours on the line during warm weather. In their plan for Woodland Park, the Olmsted Brothers wanted low embankments built beside the tracks to cut down on noise and screen out…
ID Number:SHS753
Date:Circa 1910
Image of Baseball fans on Yesler Way cable car, 1912
Photograph

Baseball fans on Yesler Way cable car, 1912

This photograph shows the busy intersection of Yesler Way and Second Avenue in Seattle's Pioneer Square in 1912. In the foreground, the Leschi Park and Lake Washington cable car heads east on Yesler Way, loaded to capacity with passengers. A sign on the front of the car reads "Northwestern League Base Ball Today! Take this car." The baseball fans overflowing…
ID Number:SHS758
Date:1912
Image of WACs parading at Fort Lawton, Seattle, February 3, 1944
Photograph

WACs parading at Fort Lawton, Seattle, February 3, 1944

In 1897, the city of Seattle donated land on Magnolia Bluff to the US government to build a new Army post as part of a defense system for Puget Sound; this was designated as Fort Lawton in 1900. During most of its active service, the fort served as an embarkation station where troops gathered before being sent to duty in…
ID Number:SHS876
Date:1944
Image of Seattle Street Railway car on first day of service, Seattle, September 1884
Photograph

Seattle Street Railway car on first day of service, Seattle, September 1884

In September 1884, Washington Territory's first streetcar line opened in Seattle. By the end of the year, the line had three miles of track and four streetcars which were operated by a total of ten men and twenty horses. One branch ran out to Lake Union, and the other ran to Front Street (First Avenue) and on to Queen Anne…
ID Number:SHS898
Date:1884
Image of Madison Street Cable Railway at 3rd Avenue, Seattle, 1907
Photograph

Madison Street Cable Railway at 3rd Avenue, Seattle, 1907

The Madison Street Cable Railway provided public transportation along one of Seattle's busiest thoroughfares from 1890 to 1940. Built to connect downtown Seattle with Lake Washington, Madison Street was Seattle's steepest cable line, terminating downtown at a turntable on West Street (now Western Avenue), near the present-day ferry terminal on Puget Sound. In this image a Madison Street Cable Railway…
ID Number:SHS915
Date:1907
Image of West Seattle grain elevator, circa 1895
Photograph

West Seattle grain elevator, circa 1895

Colonel Thomas Ewing, the major developer of West Seattle, foresaw a great industrial center on the peninsula. In 1890, Ewing built a grain elevator and hailed it as the key to Seattle's future as a worldwide grain exporter. Ewing convinced the Northern Pacific Railroad to build a trestle across the tide flats to reach his grain elevator. The railroad carried…
ID Number:SHS1053
Date:Circa 1895
Image of Steamboat
Photograph

Steamboat "Bailey Gatzert" at yard, circa 1890

The "Bailey Gatzert," named for an early Seattle businessman and mayor, was launched in Ballard in 1890. The luxury sternwheeler carried passengers on the Columbia River and Puget Sound and was one of the fastest vessels of its day. In 1920, the "Bailey Gatzert" became the first vessel to be rebuilt specifically for ferrying automobiles on Puget Sound. The ferry…
ID Number:SHS1076
Date:Circa 1890
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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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