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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 SS Pacific, SS San Salvador, and bark Harriet Hunt docked at Yesler's Wharf, Seattle, 1875
Photograph

SS Pacific, SS San Salvador, and bark Harriet Hunt docked at Yesler's Wharf, Seattle, 1875

Seattle Pioneer Henry Leiter Yesler (1810-1892) built a wharf in 1854 at the foot of Mill Street (now Yesler Way). A makeshift affair at first that would eventually extend nearly 1,000 feet into Elliott Bay, it was built next to the steam sawmill he built two years prior. This pier was the center of local maritime commerce until it was…
ID Number:SHS11765
Date:1875
Image of Part of the Brooks packtrain, Atlin, B.C., circa 1900
Photograph

Part of the Brooks packtrain, Atlin, B.C., circa 1900

Gold was also found at Atlin, British Columbia, somewhat east of White Pass. Like Klondike stampeders, many of the gold seekers headed to Atlin used pack horses and mules to carry supplies. Carrying heavy and bulky goods was hard work, and good packtrain owners knew to load their animals carefully and feed them well.This photo, taken around 1900 by Anton…
ID Number:SHS11960
Date:Circa 1900
Image of Cherry Street Parking Garage, formerly the Grand Opera House, Seattle, 1972
Photograph

Cherry Street Parking Garage, formerly the Grand Opera House, Seattle, 1972

The interior of Seattle’s Grand Opera House on Cherry Street burned in January 1917. The building stood vacant for six years, and was then repurposed into one of the city’s earliest parking garages. Construction began in March 1923. When the new garage opened the following August, at a cost of $60,000, the multi-story garage had a capacity of 350 cars…
ID Number:SHS12368
Date:1972
Image of Boeing
Photograph

Boeing "C" seaplane with air mail, 1919

In March 1919, airplane manufacturer William Boeing and pilot Eddie Hubbard carried a sack of mail from Vancouver to Seattle in Boeing's private seaplane. This demonstration flight was the first known international air mail trip. It took the two men three hours each way, including stops. At the time, it took much longer for the mail to travel between the…
ID Number:SHS12544
Date:1919
Image of Bayview Brewery with horsedrawn wagon of beer, circa 1900
Photograph

Bayview Brewery with horsedrawn wagon of beer, circa 1900

The Seattle Brewing & Malting Company was founded in 1878 and built its large new Bayview Brewery on Ninth Avenue South in 1890. When Washington state's prohibition laws closed down alcohol production in 1916, this was the state's largest brewery, and the sixth largest in the world. Rainier Beer was the firm's premium brand.This photo, taken around 1900, shows a…
ID Number:SHS12871
Date:Circa 1900
Image of Snowshoers at Archie Burns freight office scale, December 16, 1898
Photograph

Snowshoers at Archie Burns freight office scale, December 16, 1898

Those gold seekers who traveled in winter usually used snowshoes. This photo of two showshoers at Archie Burns freight office scale was taken by Anton Vogee in the winter of 1898. The roof of the office and nearby piles of freight are covered with deep snow. The scale mentioned in the title cannot be seen in the photo, which was…
ID Number:SHS12973
Date:1898
Image of Two women on bicycles, August 24, 1898
Photograph

Two women on bicycles, August 24, 1898

Before the 1890s, bicycle design and long skirts kept most women from joining men in the new craze for cycling. It wasn't considered proper for a women to wear short skirts or show her legs. By 1895, a number of Seattle women were taking cycling classes and wearing baggy pants called bloomers as they cycled along the city's growing network…
ID Number:SHS13467
Date:1898
Image of Steamboat
Photograph

Steamboat "W.K. Merwin" coming up Five Finger Rapids, circa 1898

At Five Finger Rapids, the Yukon River divided into five channels around four islands. This was so tricky to navigate that a permanent cable was anchored in the rocky side of one channel and ships pulled themselves through.This photo, taken around 1898 by Eric Hegg, shows the steamboat "W.K. Merwin" headed upstream. In other versions of this photo, one can…
ID Number:SHS15884
Date:Circa 1898
Image of Seattle's first motor-driven sightseeing bus, Seattle, 1907
Photograph

Seattle's first motor-driven sightseeing bus, Seattle, 1907

In 1907, Seattle residents and visitors could climb on the city's first motor-driven sightseeing bus. The vehicle carried passengers to The Meadows racetrack and other destinations. The bus was also used to show visitors the sights at the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE).
ID Number:SHS16180
Date:1907
Image of Coxey's Army in Seattle, 1894
Photograph

Coxey's Army in Seattle, 1894

The 1893 nationwide depression threw many Americans out of work. In 1894, the Commonweal of Christ, made up of groups of unemployed people from all over the country, marched to Washington D.C. They wanted the government to create jobs and reform the money system. People called these groups Coxey's Army, after Jacob Coxey, the movement's leader. Congress did not pass…
ID Number:SHS16535
Date:1894
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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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