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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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257 results for: Washington Territory

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Image of Seattle waterfront, circa 1872
Photograph

Seattle waterfront, circa 1872

Around 1872, a sailor named Billy Fife painted a view of the Seattle waterfront from Elliott Bay. Sometime after 1903, Webster & Stevens photographed Fife's painting.In this photo of Fife's painting, Elliott Bay is busy with ships. Small houses dot the hillsides, and a few tall trees still line the hilltops. Original copy negative.Original: Fife, W., 1872?. Painting photographed after…
ID Number:1983.10.6167
Date:Circa 1872
Image of Exterior of Trinity Parish Church, Seattle, circa 1880
Photograph

Exterior of Trinity Parish Church, Seattle, circa 1880

Trinity Parish Church, Seattle's first Episcopal church, was established on August 13, 1865. The congregation's first church building and the rectory next door were located at Third Avenue and Jefferson Street, and were dedicated on June 11, 1871. Both buildings were destroyed in the 1889 Great Fire, and the church moved to its present site, on First Hill at 609…
ID Number:1983.10.6168
Date:Circa 1880
Image of U.S.S. Decatur, circa 1850
Photograph

U.S.S. Decatur, circa 1850

During the early 1850s, hostility grew between the Native peoples and the new 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 where…
ID Number:1983.10.6182
Date:Circa 1850
Image of Budlong's boathouse, circa 1886
Photograph

Budlong's boathouse, circa 1886

Webster & Stevens made copies of the work of a number of earlier Seattle photographers. Some, like this one, show what Seattle looked like a few years before the great fire of 1889.This photo, taken around 1886, shows Budlong's Boathouse on Front Street (now First Avenue) at the foot of Marion Street. The sailboats and other small watercraft that crowd…
ID Number:1983.10.6184
Date:Circa 1886
Image of Oxen hauling logs along waterfront, Seattle, circa 1885
Photograph

Oxen hauling logs along waterfront, Seattle, circa 1885

As Seattle grew, the hills above the city were gradually logged over. Oxen and railroads hauled the logs to the sawmills at the waterfront.This photo, taken in the 1880s, shows a long team of oxen hauling a train of huge logs along a trestle at the Seattle waterfront. It is believed to show the first load of logs carried by…
ID Number:1983.10.6232
Date:Circa 1885
Image of Seattle view looking northwest, circa 1885
Photograph

Seattle view looking northwest, circa 1885

This view looks north and slightly west from around Seventh and James. At left are the mansions of James Colman and M.V.B. Stacy. The home of James McNaught, where the Seattle Public Library is today, is visible in the left center. The large structure on the right horizon is Central School, which was built in 1883 and burned in 1888.…
ID Number:1983.10.6234
Date:Circa 1885
Image of Front Street from Frye's Opera House, circa 1885
Photograph

Front Street from Frye's Opera House, circa 1885

Between 1880 and 1884, Seattle's population grew from 3,533 to 12,632. The city spent $250,000 on street improvements. Businesses along Front Street near Madison and Spring Streets included Frye's Opera House, a market, a drug store, and a boot and shoe store. A nearby stationery store also sold books, magazines, and wallpaper.This photo, taken from Frye's Opera House around 1885,…
ID Number:1983.10.6241
Date:Circa 1885
Image of Downtown Seattle from waterfront, circa 1875
Photograph

Downtown Seattle from waterfront, circa 1875

In the 1870s and 1880s several wharves were built along the waterfront, as white settlers looked to ship lumber and coal. This photo features the construction of one of these docks. Original photo copied by Webster & Stevens.Handwritten on sleeve: Waterfront looking east from ocean dock construct.Webster & Stevens number: 136X
ID Number:1983.10.6254
Date:Circa 1875
Image of Cherry Street in over five feet of snow, 1880
Photograph

Cherry Street in over five feet of snow, 1880

Over five feet of snow fell on Seattle in early January 1880. The city wasn't used to such heavy snow. Schools closed, trains didn't run, and the city's activities ground to a halt.This photo was taken on January 10th, 1880 after the great snow. It shows the view up Cherry Street from First Avenue towards First Hill. Notes: Original copy…
ID Number:1983.10.6267
Date:1880
Image of Locomotive A.A. Denny, circa 1880
Photograph

Locomotive A.A. Denny, circa 1880

Seattle's first railroad, the Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad, was built to carry coal from the mines east of Lake Washington to the Seattle waterfront. The narrow-gauge railroad's first locomotive was named the "A.A. Denny" in honor of one Seattle's founders, Arthur A. Denny. In 1880, the railroad became the Columbia and Puget Sound Railway.This photo, taken around 1880, shows…
ID Number:1983.10.6275
Date:Circa 1880
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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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