On May 30, 1940, Seattle area veterans of the Civil War, Spanish American War, and World War I held ceremonies of remembrance and marched in the Memorial Day parade. They gathered on Second Avenue at Virginia Street, moved down Second Avenue to Yesler Way and then marched back north on Fourth Avenue. National guard units, cadet corps, patriotic groups, Red Cross nurses, and others also marched that day.

This photo, taken during the 1940 Memorial Day parade, shows five veterans who fought in the 1898 Spanish American War marching on the 1300 block of Second Avenue in downtown Seattle. The man second from right holds a flag for the Fortson-Thygesen Camp No. 2 local chapter of the United Spanish War Veterans. Next to him, a man holds a flag reading in part "Department of the Columbia, Spanish War Veterans." Two other men carry American flags, and another carries a rifle on his shoulder.

At least one of the veterans depicted in this photo is African-American. Thousands of Black men served in the Spanish-American War, some as experienced soldiers in the Army's Black regiments (called Buffalo Soldiers), and thousands more in volunteer regimens.

Written on negative: Memorial Day 1940-Sp. Am. vets.

Date photograph was filed at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (date of photograph and file date may differ by a month or more): May 30, 1940

Businesses in background: Woolworth & Co.; Grote-Rankin; Karl's Shoes