Photographs By Asahel Curtis

Klondiker with packhorse and dog on Porcupine Hill, White Pass Trail, ca. 1898. Photo taken by Asahel Curtis during his trip to the Klondike in 1897-1899.

Steamship WILLAMETTE at Pacific Coast Steamship Co. dock, Aug. 9, 1897, ready to leave Seattle for the Klondike.

Skokum Jim, Bonanza Creek, 1898. Hydraulic lift and steam engine seen

Steam used for thawing ground at Eldorado Creek in Klondike during the gold rush, 1898

Underground mining at Klondike gold field, 1898 Public domain photograph of quarry workers, mining, miners, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

In 1902, machines called "Iron Chinks" started replacing the largely Chinese cannery workers who butchered and canned the fish. The use of a racial slur in the machine's name is one example of the discriminatio More

Arthur A. Denny landed at Alki Beach with the Denny Party in November 1851. At first, he and his family lived in log homes. In 1865, they moved to a new house at the corner of First Avenue and Union Street. Den More

Seattleite Asahel Curtis left for the Klondike in 1897 and stayed two years, taking photos for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. With today's tiny cameras and one-hour printing, it is easy to forget that he and t More

This photograph shows the north end of Beacon Hill facing north. Dearborn Street is visible coming from the left center edge of the frame, between Beacon Hill and what will later be the International District o More

In its earliest days, Bothell was the home of a lumber camp and a shingle mill. Later, the area turned to dairy farming, poultry, and produce. Caption on image: Bothell Wash. Caption on border: Asahel Curtis, More

Wisconsin-born C.C. Calkins arrived in Seattle in 1887 and bought a homestead at the north end of Mercer Island. By 1890, he had laid out the town of East Seattle and built an elegant resort hotel. The hotel fl More

The Hän people lived along the Yukon River in eastern Alaska and western Yukon Territory. One of their largest camps was at the junction of the Klondike and Yukon Rivers. It was near here that George W. Carmack More

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chinese labor contractors brought thousands of Chinese men to the Pacific Northwest to build railroads and to work in canneries, logging camps and coal mines. Companie More

In 1890, Seattle's City Hall moved into King County's old courthouse at Third Avenue and Jefferson Street. Seattle's population grew very fast during the next eighteen years. As the city boomed, the city govern More

This image of the construction of Husky Stadium on the University of Washington campus in Seattle was taken on November 6, 1920. Husky Stadium was originally built with a seating capacity of 30,000 to replace More

This image of the construction of Husky Stadium on the University of Washington campus in Seattle was taken on October 19, 1920. Husky Stadium was originally built with a seating capacity of 30,000 to replace D More

This image of the construction of Husky Stadium on the University of Washington campus in Seattle was taken on October 23, 1920. The view is from the centerline at the east end of the stadium, looking northwest More

This image of the construction of Husky Stadium on the University of Washington campus in Seattle was taken on October 30, 1920. The view is from the top of the bowl, looking east, with Lake Washington visible More

This image of the construction of Husky Stadium on the University of Washington campus in Seattle was taken on September 24, 1920. Several laborers are looking towards the camera, pausing in their work to build More

This image of the construction of Husky Stadium on the University of Washington campus in Seattle was taken on November 13, 1920. Husky Stadium was originally built with a seating capacity of 30,000 to replace More

In 1897 and 1898, many of the Klondike stampeders used pack horses and mules to carry supplies along the White Pass Trail. Smart pack train owners took good care of their animals, but the trail was rough and th More

Caption on border: Asahel Curtis, Commercial Photographer, 625 Colman Block, Seattle. Caption on image: Denny Hill Regrade - Moving 7,500,000 Cubic Feet of Earth to Build a City. Seattle Washington. 1906 - Old More

Workers began regrading Seattle's Denny Hill in 1898. At first, the owners of the Washington Hotel didn't want the city to remove their part of the hill. This left the hotel sitting on a raw peak of land while More

Caption on border: Asahel Curtis, Commercial Photographer, 625 Colman Block, Seattle. Handwritten on mount: Snowfall - Feb 2 1916 - 5th & Pike. Subjects (LCTGM): Snow--Washington (State)--Seattle; Street railr More

Embossed on mount: Curtis - 709 - 2nd Ave., Seattle. Handwritten on verso: Fire Chief of Seattle Ralph Cook. Subjects (LCTGM): Fire fighters--Washington (State)--Seattle People: Cook, Ralph

Caption on border: Asahel Curtis, Commercial Photographer, 625 Colman Block, Seattle. Handwritten on mount: View across Greenlake [sic] ca. 1900. Church - Greenlk. Cong.? Subjects (LCTGM): Lakes & ponds--Washi More

This image of the construction of Husky Stadium on the University of Washington campus in Seattle was taken on November 13, 1920. The benches for the amphitheater-style seating are nearly complete. Husky Stadiu More

This image of the construction of Husky Stadium on the University of Washington campus in Seattle was taken on September 1, 1920. The view is from the centerline looking northeast. The amphitheater-style seatin More

This photograph shows the land fill and tidal flats of the SoDo neighborhood south of downtown Seattle. Visible at about the center of the right edge of the frame are men working on a new property by digging ca More

In this image Anna Herr Clise, founder of the Children's Orthopedic Hospital Association, holds a trowel over the cornerstone of Children's Orthopedic Hospital's new 40-bed facility at Warren Avenue and Crocket More

The gold rush and the growth of trade with Asia made the port of Seattle grow quickly after the late 1890s. The waterfront was crowded with longshoremen moving cargo piece-by-piece between ships, transit sheds, More

Seattleite Asahel Curtis left for the Klondike in 1897 and stayed two years, taking photos for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. In 1898, Curtis took this photo of a man named Lucas resting outside his tent. Insi More

The Makah people of the Olympic Peninsula hunted whales and other sea mammals from large seagoing canoes. Eight hunters would paddle several miles offshore in search of migrating whales. If they killed one, th More

Caption on image: Description - The areas in and about Seattle suitable for industrial and commercial purposes are indicated on the map by shading lines in hatching. For the information of those not familiar wi More

Many gold miners used rockers (also called cradles) to remove gold from pay dirt. They shoveled the dirt and gravel into a tray at the top of the rocker, and they moved the rocker back and forth as they poured More

Signs in image: Buy Coal Now. Monks Miller Coal and Wood. Caption on border: Asahel Curtis, Commercial Photographer, 625 Colman Block, Seattle. Handwritten on mount: Coal yard - Lake Union. Subjects (LCTGM): C More

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 Salmo More

Miners used water running through sluices to wash the gold out of the pay dirt. Larger chunks of gold and gravel settled out along the uneven bottom of the sluice boxes. The smallest pieces of gold and dirt wer More

Caption on border: Asahel Curtis, Commercial Photographer, 625 Colman Block, Seattle. Handwritten on mount: Pioneer Square decorated for Presidental visit 1903, T. Roos. Subjects (LCTGM): Festive decorations-- More

After working on ships for a number of years Robert Moran (1857-1943) opened a marine repair shop at Yesler's Wharf in 1882. Shortly thereafter he established Moran Brothers Marine and Sawmill Machinery Company More

Caption on border: Asahel Curtis, Commercial Photographer, 625 Colman Block, Seattle. Handwritten on mount: Pres. T. Roos. disembarking from "Spokane" on visit 1903. Subjects (LCTGM): Steamboats--Washington (S More

Founded in 1889, the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company was also called Puget Sound Bridge and Drydock, Associated Shipbuilders, and Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company. The company participated More

Caption on border: Asahel Curtis, Commercial Photographer, 625 Colman Block, Seattle. Subjects (LCTGM): Sailboats--Washington (State); Sailing--Washington (State); Bodies of water--Washington (State)

This photograph of the exterior of the Salvation Army Industrial Department building on Holgate Street in Seattle was taken on May 22, 1923. This area south of downtown Seattle was originally made up of tidal f More

Caption on border: Asahel Curtis, Commercial Photographer, 625 Colman Block, Seattle. Handwritten on mount: Territorial Seal 1853. Subjects (LCTGM): Seals--Washington (State)

As the population of Seattle grew, so did the city's schools. The first school was called "Central School," a name that was applied to several different buildings as the original building was outgrown and a sub More

Interurban trolley service between Seattle and Tacoma began in 1902. The high-speed Puget Sound Electric Railroad won passengers and freight away from the slower Puget Sound steamers. Regular trolley service on More

Seattle's first skyscraper gleams in the sunlight. The 42-story building's steel framework is clad in Washington granite on the first and second floors and white terra cotta on the remaining floors. This finish More

This photograph of the northwest side of Beacon Hill in Seattle is facing west out towards Elliott Bay, which is just visible at the top of the frame. Visible in the image are residential homes as well as many More

Seattle's South School opened in 1889 on Weller Street at Twelfth Avenue South, on the ridge that once connected First and Beacon Hills. Its students came from the booming area south of the city's downtown. Thi More

This image of the Stadium Construction Office was taken June 15, 1920 during the construction of Husky Stadium on the University of Washington campus in Seattle. Husky Stadium was originally built with a seatin More

Gold seekers who were headed to the Klondike gold fields via White Pass landed in Skagway, Alaska. The weather and the conditions on the White Pass Trail were so bad that people sometimes got stuck in Skagway f More

Caption on border: Asahel Curtis, Commercial Photographer, 625 Colman Block, Seattle. Handwritten on mount: Thomas W. Prosch. Subjects (LCTGM): Publishers--Washington (State)--Seattle; Newspaper industry--Wash More

This photograph of the tidal flats taken from south is facing northwest towards SoDo and downtown Seattle. Smith Tower is dimly visible in the distance. This area was made up of tidal flats where people and com More

In 1897 and 1898, some of the Klondike stampeders used oxen to carry supplies along the White Pass Trail. Others used dogs, horses, mules, and even goats. Once the railroad was completed from Skagway through Wh More

This image of the spectators and field at Husky Stadium on the University of Washington campus in Seattle was taken on November 27, 1920 during the first game held at the stadium. This game was also the final g More

Caption on image: AC. Caption on label: DePue, Morgan & Co., Inc., Seattle. Handwritten on mount: Victory Square, Last world war 1918. Subjects (LCTGM): Commercial streets--Washington (State)--Seattle; Busines More

Gold seekers heading to the Klondike gold fields via the Inland Passage could land at Skagway or Dyea. At first, ships had to anchor offshore and unload their passengers and freight onto barges which carried th More

In 1904, the Moran Brothers shipyard in Seattle launched the battleship "Nebraska." This vessel was the first steel ship to be built on Puget Sound and the first naval battleship to be built in the Pacific Nort More

This photograph looks north on 9th Avenue South and Stacy Street in Seattle. Several wooden buildings belonging to Frye & Company are visible. Motorcars line the street as well as horses hitched to delivery wag More

This photograph of 9th Avenue South at Hanford Street in Seattle was taken facing north, with Beacon Hill visible on the right. This area south of downtown Seattle was originally made up of tidal flats; soil d More

This photograph of 9th Avenue South is looking North, with First Hill in the distance and Beacon Hill on the right. There are two men on the right of the plank road who appear to be at work, another man looks o More

Dawson, Yukon Territory, was wilderness in 1896. By 1898, so many Klondike stampeders had come to the area that Dawson was the largest city in Canada west of Winnipeg, Manitoba. At over 40,000 inhabitants, the More

The image is looking southwest on Holgate Avenue at the Plum Street intersection, from 9th Avenue. This area south of downtown Seattle was originally made up of tidal flats; soil dredged from the Duwamish Rive More

This photograph of Holgate Street looking east towards Beacon Hill depicts two workmen at ground level, perhaps working on the pilings which raise the street and buildings above the marshy ground. Other pedestr More

Caption on image: Asahel Curtis. Typed on verso: East side of Fourth Ave. between Madison and Spring. Present site of the Seattle Public Library. Home of Walter A. Hall, 1008 Fourth Ave. Subjects (LCTGM): Hous More

Construction of Warren Avenue School began in 1902, and the school opened in 1903 on the corner of Harrison Street and Warren Avenue in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne district. Possibly named for Revolutionary War More

Workers began regrading Seattle's Denny Hill in 1898. At first, the owners of the Washington Hotel didn't want the city to remove their part of the hill. This left the hotel sitting on a raw peak of land while More

Seattle's Hotel Washington, known as the Denny Hotel when it opened in 1890, sat grandly on top of Denny Hill between Second and Fourth Avenues and Stewart and Virginia Streets. The elegant building survived on More

Duncan & Sons was a harness and saddle manufacturing business located at 212 Second Avenue South. Their familiar model horse stood above the entrance to the business for many years, only recently to disappear More

The western shore of Lake Washington was becoming a popular recreation area during the booming 1880s. The need for transportation spurred development of a cable railway line. The proposed route ran through un More

Caption on border: Asahel Curtis, Commercial Photographer, 625 Colman Block, Seattle. Handwritten on mount: Y.M.C.A. Park later Jefferson St car barn site, about 1902. Subjects (LCTGM): Houses--Washington (Sta More

Lower Falls and Lookout Point; Asahel Curtis; 1928; catalog#DSF11575; original#YELL18316

Looking north from Hotel Seattle at James St. Depicts Alaska Building (2nd Ave. and Cherry St.) and Oriental Block (608 2nd Ave.) on right, Butler Hotel (2nd Ave. and James St.) on left. Advertisement for " More

*Subjects (LCTGM): Department stores--Washington (State)--Seattle; Advertisements--Washington (State)--Seattle Subjects (LCSH): Bon Marche

View of Dawson City, Klondike, c1899. Yukon River to the left and Klondike River at upper right.

Title: Lake Washington Pontoon Bridge, Seattle, Washington Subjects: Bridges Places: Washington > King (county) > Seattle Notes: The bridge later became known as the Lacey V. Murrow Bridge and, as of 2015, is More

Transcribed from photograph: "The snows of Mount Constance from the Madison Channel." No Madison Channel found on historic maps or in historic newspapers of the era. Possible that this is meant to be Hood Canal More

Transcribed from photograph: "The sphinx of the Washington Coast."; Location unknown. This was one of 64 images copyrighted by Asahel Curtis in 1910. iFkcAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA78&lpg=PA78&dq=%22madison+channel%22+mt.+c More

Transcribed from photograph: "The portal of Tacoma Harbor."; Commencement Bay, WA; Exact location unknown. General Commencement Bay location provided. This was one of 64 images copyrighted by Asahel Curtis in 1 More

Transcribed from photograph: "Seattle Schools. South School. Trophy cup presented to South School, 1896. Front view. Inscription: "Football championship, 1895-1896. Presented by Seattle Athletic Club.""

Transcribed from photograph: "Streets. Second Ave. 1907. Looking North from James St. 1. Alaska Building. 2. Oriental Block. 3. Crown Block. 4. Seattle Hotel." This seems to have significant retouching, both More

Transcribed from photograph: "Seattle Streets. Second Ave. ca. 1920. Looking southeast from Yesler Way. Photo by Asahel Curtis." Yesler Way runs from upper left (east) to lower right (west); Second Avenue fro More

The Crown Building, Oriental Block (completed 1903), Alaska Building (completed 1904), and New York Block (completed in 1892) appear on the right. The logo here is for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, hel More

Ships of the Atlantic fleet sailing into the Puget Sound on their way to Seattle. Back of postcard reads "Roman's 'Real Photo' Post Cards. Hopf Bros. Co., Seattle, Sole Selling Agents. The Atlantic Fleet arrive More

Transcribed from photograph: "The entrance to Rainier National Park." Two men sit in the front of an automobile.; Exact location unknown.

Transcribed from photograph: "Seattle Schools. Beacon Hill School. 2524- 16th Ave. South. Original school built 1899. Main building completed in 1904; addition 1912. Exterior. Frame. View of front from right si More

Transcribed from photograph: "In the swirl of the sea at Cape Flattery."; Cape Flattery, WA; General Cape Flattery location provided. This was one of 64 images copyrighted by Asahel Curtis in 1910. iFkcAQAAIAAJ More

Portraits. Prosch, Charles. 1820-1913. Prosch was a pioneer newspaper publisher. Comparing with other photos of him, Seattle Public Library's date of ca. 1897 may be on the early side for this photo, possibly More

In the "today" image, the 110 Cherry Building (also known as the Scheuerman Building, completed in 1903), Good Eats Cafeteria, Hoge Building (completed in 1911) and New York Block line the left side of the stre More

Transcribed from photograph: "Seattle Schools. Columbia School. 723 South Concord Street. Built 1890; addition 1904; demolished 1959. Exterior. Frame. View of front from right side. Known also as the Pontius, l More

Transcribed from photograph: "The clash of the surf on Deception Island."; Deception Island, WA

The postcard shows the old Washington Hotel (also known as the Denny Hotel) being demolished as well as the New Washington Hotel. Transcribed from postcard: "Moving 7500000 Cubic Feet of Earth to Build a City." More

Transcribed from photograph: "Everett, the city of smoke-stacks." The white house at the right of the photo is located at 501 Laurel Dr.; 501 Laurel Dr, Everett, WA 98201

Transcribed from photograph: "Armories. National Guard armory. Southwest corner 4th Ave. and Union Street. Built 1888. Demolished after 1909. Moved in 1903-1904 to Terry Ave. and Stewart St."

Transcribed from photograph: "Churches. First Methodist-Protestant [Episcopal] church. Southeast corner of Third Ave. and Marion St. Built 1887-1889; demolished, 1907. 1906. Signed by Asahel Curtis."

Transcribed from photograph: "Churches. First Presbyterian church. Southeast corner of Third Ave. and Madison St. Built 1875-1879; demolished 1912. 1907." By 1907, the Presbyterians were long gone from this ch More

Transcribed from photograph: "Portraits. Billing, George W. 1869-? Mayor 1911-1912."

Transcribed from photograph: "Public Library. 1906-. Site before demolition of houses. About 1904. McNaught house at left." That is to say, McNaught house at left and pretty much hidden by the tree.

Transcribed from postcard: "Great Northern Docks, Steamships Minnesota & Dakota, Seattle, Wash." front back