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.
Seattle, ca. 1925
Promotional booklet about Seattle emphasizing the city's parks, public markets, commerce, proximity to Asia. Photos of the downtown waterfront, Ballard Locks, Husky Stadium, Univeristy of Washington, Lake Washington Boulevard and golfing are included.
Identifier: spl_saw_279254
Date: 1925
View this itemThe Lake Washington Ship Canal, What it Will Mean to the People, ca. 1914
Pamphlet describing the disadvantages and benefits of the Lake Washington Ship Canal.
Identifier: spl_saw_244850
Date: 1914
View this itemLake Washington Ship Canal, ca. 1894
Pamphlet from the Lake Washington Waterway Company to the citizens of King County presenting the case for constructing the Lake Washington Ship Canal along the southern route through Beacon Hill.
Identifier: spl_saw_326328_03
Date: 1894
View this itemThe Water World of Seattle, Sunset Magazine, 1959
Article from Sunset Magazine discussing life on the water in Seattle. Includes features such as the Lake Washington Ship Canal, the downtown waterfront, Pike Place Market, Seafair and hydroplane races, fishing, the Aqua Theater and the Showboat Theater. Although the full issue of Sunset is available in the Seattle Room, only the article featuring Seattle has been digitized.
Identifier: spl_saw_323402
Date: 1959
View this itemHistory and Advantages of the Canal and Harbor Improvement Now Being Executed by the Seattle and Lake Washington Waterway Co., June 1902
Canals--Washington (State)--Seattle; Lake Washington Ship Canal (Seattle, Wash.); South Canal (Seattle, Wash.); Harbors--Washington (State)--Seattle; Submerged lands--Washington (State)--Seattle
Identifier: spl_saw_324785
Date: 1902-06
View this itemSeattle's Freeway Revolt: a Directory of Historical Resources
This directory will guide the user to a wide array of historical resources relating to Seattle’s freeway revolt of the late 1960s and early 70s. It includes narrative information, timelines, bibliographies and a list of repositories housing relevant information with instructions and/or hyperlinks to access them.
Identifier: spl_saw_00003
Date: 2017-10
View this itemChronological History of Sewer Construction in Seattle, October 19, 1960
Timeline of Seattle's sewer system development between 1851 and 1960.
Identifier: spl_saw_2183044
Date: 1960-10-19
View this itemConfidential Report of a Survey in Seattle, Washington for the Mortgage Rehabilitation Division, Home Owners' Loan Corporation, Washington, D.C., February 15, 1936
In the late 1930s, a federal government agency called the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) began a project to evaluate mortgage risk in cities across the country. Neighborhoods were graded into categories of "best, still desirable, definitely declining, and hazardous." The areas were frequently drawn along racial lines, with areas deemed hazardous marked in red. These maps and reports are the start of redlining, a discriminatory real estate practice which made it harder for people of color to obtain mortgages and purchase homes. To see the security and racial maps mentioned in the report, use the links above.
Identifier: spl_saw_nara_001
Date: 1936-02-15
View this itemUniversity District Small Business Vulnerability Study, 2017
This study examines the issues impacting small businesses in the University District including gentrification and displacement, zoning and development standards and transportation.
Identifier: spl_saw_3398208
Date: 2017
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