Watch oral histories with prominent figures in the Pacific Northwest including artists Jacob Lawrence and Kenneth Callahan; Governors Albert Rosellini and Dixy Lee Ray and Reverends David Colwell and Samuel McKinney.
Fred Bassetti Interview, January 24, 1987
Fred Bassetti (1917-2013) was a Seattle native and part of the “Northwest School” of architects. He attended Garfield High School and received his bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Washington in 1942. During the war, he worked for the Federal Public Housing Authority. In 1946, he graduated from Harvard with his masters degree in architecture. Upon his return to Seattle, he worked for Naramore Bain Brady Johanson from 1946 to 1947 before creating his own architectural firm. Bassetti was responsible for the design of projects such as the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building, the Seattle Municipal Tower and Lakeside School among others.
Identifier: spl_ds_fbassetti_01
Date: 1987-01-24; 1987
View north on 1st Ave. from Pioneer Square, March 18, 1899
The New York Mutual Life Building and the Starr Boyd Building appear on the left and the Hotel Seattle appears on the far right followed by the Pioneer Building, the Howard Building, the Lowman and Hanford Building and the Lowman Building. The 110 Cherry Building appears in the center of the photograph. There are several signs catering to prospective prospectors venturing to Alaska and the Klondike including "Klondike Outfitters," "Alaskan Maps and Guides," and "Alaska Tickets."
Identifier: spl_ap_00054
Date: 1899-03-18
Totem pole in Wrangell, Alaska, ca. 1899
Identifier: spl_ap_00071
Date: 1899
Helmut Eppich Interview, February 6, 1987
Helmut Eppich (1933-) was born in Yugoslavia. Together with his twin brother, Hugo, Helmut moved to Canada in 1953. They founded Ebco Industries Ltd in 1956 which specializes in metal fabrication. In 1990, the brothers received the BC Business Entrepreneurs of the Year award.
Identifier: spl_ds_heeppich_01
Date: 1987-02-06
Ralph Anderson Interview, May 25, 1987
Ralph Anderson (1924-2010) was a Seattle architect known for his work with historic preservation efforts in Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square. Anderson attended Queen Anne High School and graduated with his architecture degree from the University of Washington in 1951. He worked as a draftsman for Paul Hayden Kirk from 1951 to 1954 before forming his own firm. During the 1960s and 1970s, he led helped restore several buildings in Pioneer Square including the Union Trust Building, the Pioneer Building and the Grand Central Hotel. His restoration efforts extended to Pike Place Market in the 1970s, focusing on the Smith Block, Butterworth Building and Alaska Trade Building.
Identifier: spl_ds_randerson_01_01
Date: 1987-05-25
Albert Rosellini Interview, April 22, 1986
Governor Albert D. Rosellini (1910-2011) served as the governor of Washington State from 1956 to 1965. Rosellini was born in Tacoma in 1910. In 1916, his family relocated to Seattle where they lived in the Rainier Valley neighborhood. Rosellini attended law school at the University of Washington. He was elected to the Washington State Senate in 1938. During his time as Governor, Rosellini focused on reforming the prison system to create a separate system for juvenile offenders. He also worked towards improving mental health services, road construction, and aid for higher education institutions.
Identifier: spl_ds_arosellini_01
Date: 1986-04-22
Dixy Lee Ray Interview, August 23, 1986
Dixy Lee Ray (1914-1994) was a Tacoma native, scientist and the first female governor of Washington State. She graduated from Mills College in 1937 and earned her doctorate in biology from Stanford University in 1942. After completing her education, Ray taught at the University of Washington and served as the director of the Pacific Science Center, helping to define its direction in the wake of the 1962 World’s Fair. In 1972, President Nixon appointed Ray as chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission where she remained until 1975. Ray became of the Governor of Washington in 1976.
Identifier: spl_ds_dray_01
Date: 1986-08-23
S.S. Queen returning Washington Volunteers to Seattle, ca. 1900
On November 6, 1899, the S.S. Queen carried back the First Washington Volunteer Infantry to Seattle. The men were returning from service in the Spanish American War. The arrival of the volunteers was described in detail in a November 7, 1899 Seattle Times article: "Grand beyond description was the naval parade with which the returning volunteers were welcomed to Seattle and to their native state this morning. The assembling and marshaling of the fleets, its progress down the sound, its deploying in columns as the Queen as sighted, the approach of the Queen with the volunteers on board, the gay decorations that made the rigging on the vessels a mass of patriotic colors, the enthusiastic crowds of Washington people who had come to Seattle from every part of the state to welcome the returning heroes, the progress of the fleet up the channel after the Queen had fallen into her place of honor, the salvos of artillery, the deafening din of soul-inspiring music, the shouts from thousands of people who felt that no shout was loud enough, no hand shake hearty enough to convey, and finally the return to the docks, all made up a scene such as Seattle has never before witnessed. It was a historic morning, and from the moment the first gray streaks of light broke in the East and the pulse of patriotism seemed to throb and vibrate through the air, and the contagion of enthusiasm ran from home to home from street to street, from land to sea. Long before 7 o'clock crowds of people could be seen hurrying along the street toward Schwabacher's dock where lay the fleet that was to steam down the Sound to meet the Queen and welcome the returning volunteers. To the great relief of the eager watchers who peered out from their windows to watch the first omens of the weather, there was not a trace of fog on the water, and even the [illegible] clouds that for a time hung threateningly in the dull gray light of the morning finally broke enough to admit streaks of sunshine and the weather god seemed to look down with special favor upon the preparations for a state's greeting and tribute tot he patriotic valor of her returning sons. The long reaches of Elliott Bay lay calm as a sheet of molten glass, and the soft subdued light of the morning lent a peculiar charm to the marine view. At the dock lay the Holyoke, Tyee, Tacoma, Wanderer, and Maggie, all gaily decorated to honor the occasion." The same article reports 5,000 people showed up at the docks, jostling with each other to welcome back family members and friends. Another article reported a crowd of nearly 200,000 gathered in the city to celebrate their return. This was more than twice the 1900 population of the city which numbered close to 80,000. The Pacific Coast Steamship Line Company's Pier B appears at the far right at the base of S. Main St.
Identifier: spl_ap_00055
Date: 1899-11-06
Panoramic forest view, ca. 1899
Location is likely Alaska, British Columbia or Yukon Territory based on other photographs in the collection but the exact location is unknown.
Identifier: spl_ap_00032
Date: 1899
Jeanette Williams Interview, May 1988
Jeanette Williams (1914-2008) was a Seattle native who spent 20 years serving on the Seattle City Council. Williams attended Mercer Grade School and Queen Anne High School. She was a skilled violinist and attended Cornish School of Music, the University of Washington and the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. Before embarking on her political career, Williams played for the Chicago Philharmonic and formed a quartet that went by the name Swinging Strings. In 1962, Williams became the first woman to chair the King County Democrats. In 1969, she won a seat on the Seattle City Council, championing the creation of Magnuson Park and programming for senior citizens. During her tenure on the council, Williams introduced legislation to protect gay, lesbian and transgender citizens from discrimination in employment and housing. She was also instrumental in obtaining funding for construction of the West Seattle bridge helped the city to acquire Kubota Garden as a park. She remained on the council until 1989.
Identifier: spl_ds_jwilliams_01_01
Date: 1988-05