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Before 1920

  • De Rocco garden
    A Garlic Gulch House
    Slideshow examining the typical aspects of life in a Garlic Gulch house
  • Ark Lodge Building, current home of the Columbia City Cinema
    Ark Lodge Building: Home of Columbia City’s Fraternal Past
    Ark Lodge Building, current home of the Columbia City Theatre, stock image - not photo desriged in text by Mikala Woodward In this 1937 photograph...
  • Phalen's Grocery delivery truck in parade for Rainier Valley Fiesta, Seattle, 1915
    Bill Phalen's Parade
    Phalen's Grocery delivery truck in parade for Rainier Valley Fiesta, Seattle, 1915. Photo property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession Number 93.001.064 by Buzz Anderson,...
  • Holly Street at Rainier Avenue, Seattle, ca. 1908. Brighton School is visible on the left, up Holly Street. Property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession Number 01.067.01
    Brighton Beach
    The original Brighton School was completed in January of 1901 and was located at 51st and Graham Street. It was a one-room school for...
  • Crowd outside Phalen's Grocery during Rainier Valley Fiesta, Seattle, 1915
    Calithumpians in Columbia City
    In 1915, a grocer named Bill Phalen had a vision: a spectacular celebration that would bring the whole Rainier Valley together. (He also had...
  • Car #20 of the Seattle, Renton & Southern RY.
    Car #20 in Columbia City
    by Buzz Anderson, "Days Gone By" The date is 1902. Car #20 of the Seattle, Renton & Southern RY., traveling southbound, has just crested the...
  • Columbia Electric Bakery , 1941
    Columbia Electric Bakery - From Spark to Flame
    By Nancy Dulaney The history of bread goes back some 30,000 years, to the hunting and gathering phase of human development. Fast forward a few...
  • Rainier Avenue streetcar tracks next to Columbia Library under construction, Seattle, July 6, 1915. Property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession Number 96.073.001
    Columbia Library Under Construction
    Rainier Avenue streetcar tracks next to Columbia Library under construction, Seattle, July 6, 1915. Property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession Number 96.073.001 by Buzz...
  • Man with logs at Columbia Mill, Columbia, July 15, 1891, Property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession Number 93.001.530
    Columbia Mill
    The Columbia Mill that was built in 1890, the same year the streetcar tracks were laid starting at Railroad Avenue on Seattle’s waterfront. The...
  • Men in doorway of Rainier Valley Barber Shop and AYP Pool Room, Seattle, 1909
    De Facto Dry in Columbia City, 1893 - 1914
    Photograph, Men in doorway of Rainier Valley Barber Shop and AYP Pool Room, Seattle, 1909. Property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession Number 93.001.708 by...
  • Spaghetti with meatballs
    Dinnertime in Garlic Gulch
    “Thursday and Sunday was spaghetti day” by Mikala Woodward, "Days Gone By", Excerpted from Rainier Valley Food Stories Cookbook Rainier Valley’s Italian heritage goes back a...
  • Rainier Avenue streetcar tracks next to Dugdale Park, Seattle, July 6, 1915. Property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession Number 96.073.003
    Dugdale Baseball Park
    Rainier Avenue streetcar tracks next to Dugdale Park, Seattle, July 6, 1915. Property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession Number 96.073.003 by Buzz Anderson, "Days...
  • Eugene Coleman Oral History
    Abstract: Mr.Coleman discusses buying a house and growing up in Rainier Valley, working in an Alaskan cannery and leisure time activities there, work in...
  • Cabins on Lake Washington, Seattle, 1908.
    Family Celebrations of Days Gone By
    The holidays bring back many memories of family celebrations and hot air balloons over Seattle.
  • Annie and Grace Briglio on 26th Avenue.
    Garlic Gulch under the Microscope
    The Rainier Valley’s Italian community has long been a focus of interest and curiosity. In 1915 sociology graduate student Nellie Roe made Garlic Gulch...
  • Mount Virgin Wedding Party, 1915.
    Garlic Gulch Wedding
    Rainier Valley’s Italian heritage goes more than a hundred years. Back then, the Valley was largely forests and farms, with the streetcar running down...
  • Street grading equipment, Rainier Valley circa 1910
    Grading of Rainier Valley's Streets
    This snapshot depicts the equipment used to grade the streets in Rainier Valley during the early 1900’s. The photo is from the Hall-Summers Collection...
  • Heater Glove employees in front of factory, Seattle, ca. 1925
    Heater Glove Company
    by Buzz Anderson, 1999 "Days Gone By" Columbia City has had its share of manufacturing companies over the years. One of the more noteworthy was...
  • J.E. Keefe Block, Seattle, 1915
    Hillman City through the Ages
    J.E. Keefe Block, Seattle, 1915. Photo property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession Number 93.001.029 Hillman City began as a stop on the Rainier Valley...
  • Keefe Grocery storefront
    Hillman City: The place where they do things
    Slideshow depicting the history of Hillman City, a thriving Seattle suburb annexed in 1907
  • Whitworth kindergarten class 1919
    History of Whitworth School
    Slideshow of Whitworth School's history researched by Orca students in 2007
  • Hitt's Fireworks Company Brochure, Front Cover
    Hitt’s Fireworks: 1905-1976
    Hitt's Fireworks Company Brochure, image property of Rainier Valley Historical Society Fireworks in Columbia City Thomas Gabriel Hitt, known as T.G. Hitt, was born in...
  • Face of "Freed Woman" statue at Juneteenth Memorial Monument, Austin, TX.
    Juneteenth Celebrations
    Face of "Freed Woman" statue at Juneteenth Memorial Monument, George Washington Carver Museum - Austin, TX. Stock photo. by Mikala Woodward, Excerpted from Rainier Valley...
  • Man on top of the 'Big Rock' at 48th & Ferdinand, Seattle, 1901
    Meet You by the Big Rock
    The "Big Rock" at 48th Avenue and Ferdinand Street was once a popular meeting place for Rainier Valley residents. Remnants of the rock are...
  • Seattle, Renton & Southern streetcar #106, Seattle, 1910.
    Memories of a Rainier Valley Street Car Operator
    Seattle, Renton & Southern streetcar #106, Seattle, 1910. Photo property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession Number 93.001.214 DGB - Street Car Memories -2 -...
  • Modern Woodmen of America drill team, Seattle, 1909
    Modern Woodmen of America
    Modern Woodmen of America drill team, Seattle, 1909 by Buzz Anderson, "Days Gone By" The members of the Modern Woodmen of America drill team are standing...
  • Special Events: World's Fair
    Newspaper Collection
    Slideshow showcasing our comprehensive neighborhood newspaper collection, from 1910 through the early 2000s
  • Franklin High School, Seattle, ca. 1913
    Now You See It, Now You Don't: Franklin High School and the Mount Baker Neighborhood
    Franklin High School, Seattle, ca. 1913. Photo property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession number 97.014.003 This photo of the just-completed Franklin High School was...
  • Streetcar #20 at Rainier Beach Station, Seattle, ca. 1908.
    Rainier Beach Station
    Streetcar #20 at Rainier Beach Station, Seattle, ca. 1908. Photo property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession Number 93.001.196 by Buzz Anderson, "Days Gone By" In...
  • Smith M. Wilson's Rainier Valley Dairy business.
    Rainier Valley Dairy
    Smith M. Wilson's Rainier Valley Dairy business. by Buzz Anderson, "Days Gone By" Smith M. Wilson started in the dairy business on Beacon Hill in 1916....
  • Rainier Avenue Electric Railway streetcars, Columbia, 1891, Property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession Number 93.001.199
    Rainier Valley's First Streetcars
    Rainier Avenue Electric Railway streetcars, Columbia, 1891, Property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession Number 93.001.199 by Buzz Anderson, "Days Gone By" The 1891 photo was...
  • Horses hauling logs at Columbia Mill, Columbia, July 15, 1891
    Rainier Valley's Timbered Past
    Horses hauling logs at Columbia Mill, Columbia, July 15, 1891. Photo property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession Number 93.001.531 by Mikala Woodward Big Trees, Shingle...
  • Garlic Gulch in 1915, drawing
    Remembering Garlic Gulch
    Slideshow remembering the bustling Italian community known as "Garlic Gulch"
  • A liquor raid in 1925, in Elk Lake, Ontario
    Roy Olmstead: Seattle's "Rum King"
    A liquor raid in 1925, in Elk Lake, Ontario. Source, Wikipedia Public Domain by Mikala Woodward On March 22, 1920, federal agents nabbed a tugboat crew...
  • Cameron's Drugstore in Toby Building, Seattle, ca. 1925.
    Simeon T. Toby's Bank Building
    Cameron's Drugstore in Toby Building, Seattle, ca. 1925. Photo property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, accession number 93.001.006 by Buzz Anderson, "Days Gone By" This...
  • Title Streetcar wreck, Seattle, April 30, 1910.
    Streetcar Wreck at Willow Street
    Streetcar wreck, Seattle, April 30, 1910. Photo property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession Number 93.001.226 by Buzz Anderson, "Days Gone By" The date was April...
  • The Atlantic Street Center: 100 Years of Service
    The Atlantic Street Center: 100 Years of Service
    Slideshow exploring the many ways the Atlantic Street Center has served a vital role in the Rainier Valley community
  • Lakewood Seward Park Committee
    The Lakewood Seward Park Community Club: 100 Years Strong
    Lakewood Community Club members at a dance, 1940s. 2010 marks the 100th year of operation for the Lakewood Seward Park Community Club Take a look...
  • The Rainier Valley Rephotography Project
    Slideshow of then/now historic images from around around the Rainier Valley
  • Proud Franklin High female athletes sporting school letters.
    Two Franklin High School Letter Girls
    Proud Franklin High female athletes, Charlotte Widrig and Virginia Ulurich sporting school letters. by Mary Ann Balch The female high school athletes are closing out basketball...
  • Six men in front of Valley Fuel Co. structure, Seattle, ca. 1910
    Valley Fuel Company
    Six men in front of Valley Fuel Co. structure, Seattle, ca. 1910. Photo property of Rainier Valley Historical Society, Accession Number 93.001.035 by Buzz Anderson This...
  • Italian prune tree
    What am I going to do with these plums?
    Phyllis Macay's "Now Famous Plum Bread" recipe, Excerpted from Rainier Valley Food Stories Cookbook

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