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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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200 results for: European American Settlement

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Image of Edward and Abbie Denny Lindsley posing for wedding portrait, Seattle, 1877
Photograph

Edward and Abbie Denny Lindsley posing for wedding portrait, Seattle, 1877

Abilene Lucinda "Abbie" Denny (1858-1915) was born in Seattle to pioneers David Thomas Denny (1832–1903) and Louisa (Boren) Denny (1827–1916). In 1877 she married Edward Lawrence Lindsley (1853-1933) who had been born in Wisconsin to Aaron and Maria Newell Lindsley. Abbie Lindsley was a well-known painter and writer, using the pen-names "Chelana" and "Sagebrush." Together the Lindsleys had at least…
ID Number:1999.42.1
Date:1877
Image of Coast Salish group on beach, circa 1885
Photograph

Coast Salish group on beach, circa 1885

By the late 19th century, most Seattle-area Coast Salish peoples had been moved to reservations and were excluded from living in the city. Sometime before 1895, visiting Native peoples started camping on Ballast Island, at the foot of Washington Street. After 1895, waterfront development forced the encampment further from the central waterfront.In this photo, taken during the 1880s, a Coast…
ID Number:2000.107.096.06.01
Date:Circa 1885
Image of Fremont
Photograph

Fremont "Mayor" Bert Williams, Seattle, March 14, 1954

Each year, the Fremont Old Timers' Association elected an honorary "Mayor" of their Seattle neighborhood. In 1954, Albert Paul "Bert" Williams (1876-1955), who had come to Seattle in 1888, accepted the honor. He remembered the Great Seattle Fire and also went to Alaska during the Gold Rush. The retired machinist recalled that when he moved to Fremont in 1901, it…
ID Number:2000.107.173.03.02
Date:1954
Image of C.W. Parker's Military pass during anti-Chinese riots, Seattle, 1886
Photograph

C.W. Parker's Military pass during anti-Chinese riots, Seattle, 1886

During the mid-1880s, a nationwide economic depression led to widespread unemployment. Many white workers accused immigrants of taking their jobs. On the west coast, Chinese laborers were the targets of anger and mob violence.In the fall of 1885, anti-Chinese feelings in Seattle led to four months of riots aimed at driving the Chinese out of the city. Some Seattle citizens…
ID Number:2002.3.156
Date:1886
Image of Anti-Chinese riots, Seattle, 1886
Photograph

Anti-Chinese riots, Seattle, 1886

During the mid-1880s, a nationwide economic depression led to widespread unemployment. Many white workers accused immigrants of taking their jobs. On the west coast, Chinese laborers were the targets of anger and mob violence.In the fall of 1885, anti-Chinese feelings in Seattle led to four months of riots aimed at driving the Chinese out of the city. Some Seattle citizens…
ID Number:2002.3.410
Date:1886
Image of Henry and Sarah Yesler, Seattle, 1883
Photograph

Henry and Sarah Yesler, Seattle, 1883

Henry Yesler arrived in Seattle in 1852 looking for a waterfront sawmill location. Other settlers moved the boundaries of their land claims to accommodate space for the mill, its pier, and a skid road, now Yesler Way. Yesler's sawmill, the first steam-powered mill on Puget Sound, started operation in the spring of 1853. In addition to his mill, Yesler owned…
ID Number:2002.3.488
Date:1883
Image of Plan of city during Battle of Seattle, 1856
Photograph

Plan of city during Battle of Seattle, 1856

During the early 1850s, hostility grew between the Native Peoples and the European American settlers in the Puget Sound region. The "Decatur" and several other government ships were moved to the area to protect the settlers. On January 26, 1856, following word of a planned attack on Seattle, troops on the "Decatur" fired howitzers into the forest beyond Third Avenue…
ID Number:2002.3.549
Date:1856
Image of Opening of Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway, Seattle, circa 1887
Photograph

Opening of Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway, Seattle, circa 1887

The Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad Company was formed in 1885 by Daniel Gilman, Judge Thomas Burke, and other Seattle businessmen. By 1887, it ran from the Seattle waterfront to Smith Cove, across Salmon Bay, and along the northwest side of Lake Washington. By 1888, the line reached Fall City to the east and Snohomish to the north, eventually…
ID Number:2002.3.936
Date:Circa 1887
Image of George F. Frye Master of Steam Vessels Certificate, 1873
Ephemera

George F. Frye Master of Steam Vessels Certificate, 1873

Born in Germany, George F. Frye arrived in Seattle in 1853 at the age of 20. Frye assisted Henry Yesler with the construction of his steam sawmill. Frye also became close friends with Arthur and Mary Denny, and in 1860 he married their 17-year-old daughter Louisa. Together, George and Louisa Frye ran Seattle's first meat market, opened the Frye Opera…
ID Number:2005.38.2.1
Date:1873
Image of Frye's Opera House ledger, Seattle, 1887-1888
Ephemera

Frye's Opera House ledger, Seattle, 1887-1888

In 1883, Seattle businessman George F. Frye and his wife Louisa Denny Frye commissioned the building of a first-class opera house for the growing city. Located at the corner of First Avenue and Marion Streets, the elegant 1300-seat hall opened in 1884. Frye managed the house himself. It featured performances by national and international touring groups and provided a gathering…
ID Number:2005.38.4
Date:1887-1888
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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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