Preview up to 100 items from this collection below. Seattle is literally built on sawdust. As pioneer mill owner Henry Yesler told historian Hubert Howe Bancroft, "We commenced sawing wood under a shed in March '53; the saw dust we filled swamps with, and the slabs we built a wharf with." This collection presents some of Seattle's historical "sawdust" - unique and interesting materials from The Seattle Public Library's Seattle Collection.
How Seattle Changed Its Face, 1975
A brief summary of the history of regrading projects in Seattle, written by the City Engineering Department.
Identifier: spl_saw_2085906
Date: 1975
View this itemRestaurants of Seattle 1853-1960
A chronological history of Seattle restaurants written by Hattie Graham Horrocks, a Seattle pioneer. Mrs. Horrocks, a great-granddaughter of Thomas Mercer (after whom Mercer Street and Mercer Island are named), wrote about 18 manuscripts on Pacific Northwest history, including the histories of businesses and restaurants of Seattle and Mercer Island. The Seattle Times published a profile of Mrs. Horrocks on September 27, 1972, when she was 90 years old.
Identifier: spl_saw_275037
View this itemIndian Geographic Names of Washington, 1908
A compilation of Washington State place names of Native American origin, written by Edmond Meany and published by the Hyatt-Fowells School, a Seattle business college. The author, Edmond Meany (1862-1935), was a University of Washington history professor who published numerous books on Washington state history and origins of geographic names.
Identifier: spl_saw_766412
Date: 1908
View this itemSeward Park, the pride of Rainier Valley, 1915
"The queen of Rainier Valley parks, the largest and finest park in the city, and one of the finest in the world is Seward park, consisting of a heavily wooded peninsula jutting into Lake Washington from land contiguous to Columbia and Hillman. It is almost surrounded by water. So far, the park is in its wild state except for a picnic ground and many charming foot paths cut out by the City Park department. The plans which the Park Department have for its ultimate improvement will not mar its pristine glory, but will rather be designed to emphasize and enhance the beauty of the natural features. Its extent is so great that no charm of hill or vale, water or sky, wood or meadow is missing. It even has a beautiful little lake nestling in its bosom. The photograph shows a portion of the picnic ground at the entrance of the park, the slightly sloping beach and excellent opportunities for bathing and boating."
Identifier: spl_saw_557542_p23
Date: 1915
View this itemSouvenir of Rainier National Park, Washington, 1913
Collection of colored photographs of Mount Rainier National Park. Photographs taken by F. H. Nowell, Curtis & Miller, H. L. Toles, Asahel Curtis, and Romans Photographic Company. Booklet is undated; some photographs are copyrighted 1913.
Identifier: spl_saw_2226125
Date: 1913
View this itemThe Story of Hooverville, in Seattle, 1935
Typescript of memoir written by Jesse Jackson, the "mayor" of Seattle's Hooverville, a homeless encampment which stood from 1931 to 1941 at the site of the former Skinner and Eddy Shipyard in Seattle's industrial district. This typescript was presented to The Seattle Public Library by the author.
Identifier: spl_saw_2718576
Date: 1935
View this itemAlbert and Audrey Kerry Interview, March 16, 1988
Albert Sperry Kerry Jr. (1903-1999) and Audrey Legg Kerry (1907-2005) were from pioneering Seattle families and were active participants in the city’s civic and arts organizations. Albert’s father, Albert Sperry Kerry Sr. arrived in Seattle in 1886, working to grow the city’s lumber industry and acting as a prominent civic leader. He served as the vice-president of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in 1909, president of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce and helped raise funds to construct the Olympic Hotel in 1924. Kerry Sr. donated the land that is now Kerry Park to the City of Seattle in 1927. Audrey’s parents, Louis and Helen Legg, were also early Seattle pioneers who moved to Seattle in 1876. Albert Kerry Jr. attended the University of Washington and served on the Seattle Art Museum’s Board of Directors for decades. Audrey Kerry attended Lincoln High School and the University of Washington and served on several clubs and committees including the Sunset Club, the Music and Art Foundation,the National Society of Colonial Dames of America in Washington, and the Committee of 33. Albert and Audrey married in 1928. They were awarded the Corporate Council for the Arts Award in 1997 for their support of the arts.
Identifier: spl_ds_akerry
Date: 1988-03-16
View this itemHistory of Ballard, 1937
Brief history of Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, published by the West Coast Improvement Company, the primary real estate developer of early Ballard.
Identifier: spl_saw_2147870
Date: 1937
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