Tag Archives: streetcar
Horse-Drawn Streetcar at Front Street and James, Seattle, ca. 1887
In September 1884, Washington Territory’s first streetcar line opened in Seattle. By the end of the year, the line had three miles of track and four streetcars which were operated by a total of ten men and twenty horses. One branch ran out to Lake Union, and the other ran to Front Street (First Avenue) and on to Queen Anne Hill. The horses that pulled the cars were stabled at the corner of Second Avenue and Pike Street.
Photographer: Unknown
Image Date: ca. 1887
Image Number: 2002.3.479
October 27
Yes! While I have shown many photos of streetcar tracks, this is the first that has a streetcar in it. (Technically, I believe it is an Interurban. Thanks David V. for catching that!)
To me, this is a super photo because the view is dominated by the building at the end of the street. While not particularly outstanding, this building, or the destruction of it, paved the way for the preservation of many landmarks in Seattle.
1983.10.9631
This photo is part of MOHAI’s Now & Then Photo Quest. To participate, visit our Flickr Group.
October 26
A Hint in Cinquain
Old Town
City Hall and library
Shared one building still there
Bohemian Chic style pervades
Georgetown
1983.10.3076.3
October 16
If you ever attend our History Cafes (and you should!), you might recognize the building at the end of the street. street. Except that it is gone now. But the general flow of the street is the same. Also, of all the photos I have shown on this quest, this is the only one with streetcar tracks which will soon have streetcar tracks again.
SHS12841
This photo is part of MOHAI’s Now & Then Photo Quest. To participate, visit ourFlickr Group.
October 6
Seriously, I didn’t realize how many photos I chose with streetcar tracks.
In any case, this neighborhood used to be its own City. If you look north long enough, you might see where this Ave meets a former Empire at a formerly Sick stadium.
1983.10.786
This photo is part of MOHAI’s Now & Then Photo Quest. To participate, visit ourFlickr Group.
October 5
A Hint in Haiku
Forestry majors
Reading Proust in the Tully’s
Wish class was cancelled.
1983.10.787
This photo is part of MOHAI’s Now & Then Photo Quest. To participate, visit ourFlickr Group.
October 3
The street with the streetcar tracks was named after the neighborhood it is in. Despite their reputation, the drivers here have all seemed to park their cars correctly and none are stuck on the median.
This photo is part of MOHAI’s Now & Then Photo Quest. To participate, visit ourFlickr Group to participate.
West Seattle junction, Seattle, ca. 1926
Those streetcar tracks gave this intersection it’s nickname, being the junction of two lines. However, it was no “easy street.”
The crossing of two streetcar lines at California Avenue and Alaska Street created what is now commonly referred to as the Junction, as well as the heart of West Seattle. By 1911, the junction became a full-fledged business district. The building shown in this photo stands today on the northwest corner of California and Alaska, and the corner storefront houses Easy Street Records.
This photo is part of MOHAI’s Now & Then Photo Quest. To participate, visit our Flickr Group to participate.
…Incorrect and Somewhat Inappropriate Acronyms
Thursday Hidden Treasure
“Ride the S.L.U.T., South Lake Union Trolley” T-Shirt, Ca. 2008
Note: Seattle’s South Lake Union Trolley – officially “Streetcar” – began running from South Lake Union to downtown in December of 2007. The “urban legend” holds that the use of the name “trolley” was abandoned when city planners realized the “SLUT” acronym, but officials maintain that “streetcar” had been originally selected to provide a more modern-sounding name and that “trolley” had never been in use. Shirt was purchased by donor at Kapow! Coffee Shop on Harrison Street. Donor stated that he used to wear the shirt in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, but stopped wearing it when he moved to Bellevue, considering its humor out of place in the eastside neighborhood.
Thursday Hidden Treasure highlights artifacts in MOHAI’s collection that are not on everyday display.
