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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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768 results for: Businesses and Corporations

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Image of Alaskan gold at the Scandinavian American Bank, circa 1901
Photograph

Alaskan gold at the Scandinavian American Bank, circa 1901

Between 1897 and 1910, gold and money from the gold rush poured into Seattle's banks. Between May 1897 and September 1903, deposits at Seattle's Scandinavian American Bank grew from $170,594.08 to nearly $2.7 million.This photo was taken sometime between 1897 and 1902, at the Scandinavian American Bank in Seattle. It shows bank president Andrew Chilberg (right, behind counter) and a…
ID Number:SHS404
Date:circa 1901
Image of Businesses on Second Avenue after the Great Fire, Seattle, July 1889
Photograph

Businesses on Second Avenue after the Great Fire, Seattle, July 1889

Seattle's Great Fire, June 6, 1889, burned its way northwards to roughly Spring Street and Second Avenue. By July, businesses throughout the burned-out area had reopened in tents, houses, or wherever they could find space. This July 1889 image shows Second Avenue north of Spring Street. The large sign at the left boldly promotes "Tents Signs Printed Anytime". Signs visible…
ID Number:SHS514A
Date:1889
Image of Cabins and mining activities near Nome, circa 1905
Photograph

Cabins and mining activities near Nome, circa 1905

By 1901, many of Alaska's small scale mining operations had been replaced by large industrial mining companies. Miners lived in camps near the mining operations.This B.B. Dobbs photo shows cabins and mining activities somewhere near Nome. Piles of pay dirt dwarf the small buildings. The small structure in the foreground may be an outhouse. The building to the far right,…
ID Number:SHS516
Date:Circa 1905
Image of Workman posing at Fremont townsite, Seattle, May 1888
Photograph

Workman posing at Fremont townsite, Seattle, May 1888

Seattle's Fremont neighborhood is located at the northwest corner of Lake Union, and was originally part of the William A. Strickler homestead. On March 1, 1888 David Thomas Denny (1832-1903) and John Philo Hoyt (1841-1926) bought 240 acres from Strickler's estate, then sold the parcel to Carrie and Edward Blewett on March 20, 1888. With the help of their agents,…
ID Number:SHS1047B
Date:1888
Image of Shorey's Books at 3rd Ave. and Cherry St., Seattle, circa 1895
Photograph

Shorey's Books at 3rd Ave. and Cherry St., Seattle, circa 1895

Legendary Seattle bookstore Shorey's was founded by newspaperman Samuel Fernald Shorey (1851-1932) in 1890 as a small magazine and cigar store at Third and James. Sam's great-nephew John W. "Bill" Todd Jr.(1914-2007) bought the store in 1939, and it was later run by his son, Jim Todd. Shorey's maintained its huge inventory even though the store had to move several…
ID Number:SHS1317
Date:Circa 1895
Image of August Wenzel in front of his blacksmith shop at 7th and Pike, Seattle, 1889
Photograph

August Wenzel in front of his blacksmith shop at 7th and Pike, Seattle, 1889

August Joseph Wenzel (1856-1945) was born in Kingdom of Prussia, Germany, and moved to Seattle in 1888 with his wife Maria and their 8 children. He opened a blacksmith and cooper shop on Pike Street between Fourth Avenue and Fifth Avenue. Next door to the blacksmith shop he owned a wagon works shop and next to that a meat market.…
ID Number:SHS2303
Date:1889
Image of Railroad Avenue during the gold rush, circa 1898
Photograph

Railroad Avenue during the gold rush, circa 1898

Seattle's Railroad Avenue ran along the waterfront. During the peak gold rush period, from 1897 through about 1906, the avenue was busy with people headed to the Klondike and Nome gold fields. Merchants set up shops to sell supplies to the prospectors. Signs advertised last-minute purchases.This Anders Wilse photo shows Railroad Avenue (now Alaskan Way) in 1897 or 1898, during…
ID Number:SHS2500
Date:Circa 1898
Image of Jensen Motor Boat Company, Seattle, circa 1935
Photograph

Jensen Motor Boat Company, Seattle, circa 1935

Jensen Motor Boat Company was founded in 1922 by Tony Jensen (1889-1963), a Danish immigrant who came from a family of boat builders. In 1927, Tony, his wife Bessie (1892-1968), and two partners moved the company to 1417 NE Boat Street on Portage Bay. The company specialized in building boats with experimental designs. Sons George (1915-1977) and Anchor (1918-2000) continued…
ID Number:SHS5521
Date:Circa 1935
Image of Yesler-Leary Building, circa 1886
Photograph

Yesler-Leary Building, circa 1886

Seattle's Yesler-Leary Building was built in 1883 on the northwest corner of Mill Street (Yesler Way) and Front Street (First Avenue). Law offices, a bank, and other businesses occupied its many-windowed upper floors. In the basement, people could buy beer and sandwiches or bowl a game or two in the bowling alley. This elegant corner building, was one of several…
ID Number:SHS5559
Date:Circa 1886
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
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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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