What Seattle looked like in the 1880s Through Fascinating Historical Photos

In the 1880s, Seattle was a rough and often lawless town. It had newspapers and telephones, but lynch law was common — at least four people were lynched in 1882 — schools barely operated, and indoor plumbing was rare. Most of the city sat on low mudflats, so sewage was nearly as likely to flow into the city on the tide as away from it. The decade was marked by anti-Chinese riots, the expulsion of nearly 200 Chinese residents in 1885–86, and a devastating fire in 1889 that destroyed about 30 square blocks of the business district.

The large building at bottom center is the Street Railway barns at 2nd & Pike. Caption on image: Second Ave Looking South from Pike St. 1884.

Located at 7th Ave. S. between Jackson St. and King St.

Front Street south from Columbia Street.

Yesler Leary building on left.

From Lawton Gowey Collection. First Ave. W. near Mercer, 1889. Overhead wire strung for electric cars.

Second looking south from Denny Hill, 1882.

The Boston Block is in the foreground at right, and the Stetson-Post Block with the tower is in the background on the left.

Decorated for North Pacific Railroad president Henry Villard on the occasion of the completion of the railroad.

Shows the Squire’s Opera House on the left, which was converted to the Hotel Brunswick in September 1882.

First Washington Volunteer Infantry, located at Union St. between 3rd Ave. and 4th Ave. It was constructed in 1888 and replaced in 1909.

People identified in photograph: (in window) Mrs. (Anderson) Lough; (from left to right) Jake Lough, John Ellis, Arthur Ellis, Tom Lough, Eddie Ellis, Zelda Lough Ellis (Mrs. Jake Ellis), George W. Lough, Sarah Melissa Taylor (Mrs. George W. Lough), Birdie Blair (Murphy), Charlie Noyse.

James Collins built the Occidental Hotel in 1883. In February 1884 the Puget Sound National Bank moved into its main floor.

This rendering of the Occidental Hotel was drawn after its 1887 addition.

Orrin Holcomb’s sale stable for Alaska trade. Fire stopped at side, 1889.

Shows Providence Hospital and Central School.

Located on Weller Street between 10th Ave. S. and 12th Ave. S.

Shows the temporary structure of the Southern Restaurant.

Shows rebuilding of Seattle after the fire of June 1889. Seattle Hotel to the left at the corner of James St. and Yesler Way, and Korn Building on right. On verso of image: J.F. Haynes [3943] Seattle. Yesler Way, Hotel Seattle at left.

Located at 1st Ave. and Yesler Way.

Located at S. 2nd Ave., southeast corner of Washington St.

S. 2nd Ave., southeast corner of Washington Street.

Possibly the Seattle and International Railway station in the University District.

The start of the great Seattle fire on June 6, 1889. The old Seattle Times was located in the Kenyon Block on the right. The Frye Hotel is hidden from view. A drug store occupied the corner where a man is seen standing.

Looking south from Second Ave. and Pike St. Photo by Asahel Curtis. Fire began at southwest corner of Front St. [1st Ave.] and Madison St. 1. Yesler College.

Yesler Way at Lake Washington terminus. Car number 3 is now in the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 1. James Severance. The 1905 Baist Atlas shows the cable house for the Yesler Line in the northeast corner of Leschi Park near Lakeside Ave. S. and Erie St.

This photograph shows, left to right: First Presbyterian Church, Third and Madison; Residence of Amos Miller; Residence of M.B.V. Stacey; First Methodist Episcopal Church, Third and Marion. The First Presbyterian Church, pictured here, was the first structure built for the congregation, constructed in 1877, with the first services held on the first Sunday of July of that year; Rev. Theodore Crown was minister at the time. The church moved in 1893 to 4th and Spring, and again in 1907 to its present site at Seventh and Spring. The Amos Miller site is now part of a combined business structure. The Stacey home now stands on top of a one-story brick block, used as a French restaurant. This First Methodist Church building, erected in 1887, was an outgrowth of the city’s first church, known as the “Little White Church,” built at 2nd and Columbia in the early 1850s. The property at Third and Marion was sold in 1907 and the congregation established a new church at 5th and Marion, still in use.

First street car in Seattle. September 20, 1884. Occidental Street and Yesler Avenue. Mayor Leary and invited guests in car. 1. Sam Crawford. 2. E. B. Downing. 3. Ed. Smart. 4. Yesler-Leary block. 5. Seattle Hotel.

Garfield Memorial Service. September 26, 1881. At the Occidental Hotel. Front Street [1st Ave.] and James Street.

House at Broadway and James Street.

Houses. Yesler, Henry L. House at Third Ave. and James St. Built 1883; destroyed by fire 1901.

Prof. J.B. Johnsen and his wife Mary at their home on Seneca St., south of the old University.

Third Avenue and Jefferson Street. Built 1882. 1. W. Ludlow. 2. Constable Mills. 3. Unidentified. 4. Rev. Ludlow.

Looking north from Columbia St. M.V.B. Stacy house on corner, built by J.T. Jordan. Stetson and Post Row beyond. First Methodist Protestant church, the “Brown” church. Built 1860; destroyed by fire June 6, 1889. Second church in Seattle.

Indian camp on ballast dump at foot of Washington Street.

Indian camp on ballast dump at foot of Washington Street.

Central School. Sixth Ave. and Madison. Built 1883; destroyed by fire 1888. Exterior. Frame. Three-quarter view from front and left side. Students in foreground. Opening day, May 7, 1883.

Our Lady of Good Help Church (Roman Catholic). Fourth Ave. South and Washington St. Built 1868–1870.

Third Avenue from Union Street to University Street. Ox teams contributed by logging companies. Terence O’Brien standing in charge of teams. Angus Mackintosh house right of arch, Dexter Horton house next.

Peiser’s Art Studio. Second Ave. and Marion St. 1884. Charles MacDonald House at left.

Poncin Building. Front St. and Cherry Street. Destroyed by fire, June 6, 1889.

Post Street and Mill Street. Built 1881; destroyed by fire June 6, 1889.

View of the temporary Post-Intelligencer newspaper headquarters at the home of Leigh and Lizzie Hunt on 4th Avenue and Columbia. The actual Post-Intelligencer offices burned down the previous day during the Great Fire of 1889.

Providence Hospital was established in Seattle in 1877 by the Sisters of Charity, first operating under contract in the old county hospital — or a building used as such — located on the Duwamish River in what later became Georgetown. In 1878 they bought the block at 5th and Madison, on which the building shown in this photograph was erected. The first section built is shown as the small left-hand corner. The center section followed in 1882, and a few years later the right section was added, completing the structure as shown. This photograph was taken in 1889 or 1890, before the Madison Street cable line was placed in operation in 1890. The last and present Providence Hospital, at 17th and Jefferson Street, was built in 1911 and the old property was sold. In later years the government took over the original hospital block and erected a Federal Courthouse building on the site.

Looking southwest from Second Avenue. Jackson Street coal bunkers, Ocean dock in foreground, West Seattle in distance.

Fire. Ruins. Front Street. Looking west from Second Avenue and Columbia Street from the Boston Block.

Looking north from Washington Street (Main Street). R — Ocean dock. C — Yesler dock. Left center — Glory of the Seas sailing ship. Center — above Yesler’s dock, rear of skating rink, 2nd between Spring and Seneca.

Located at Commercial Street [1st Ave. S.] between Washington Street and Main Street. Built 1876. Destroyed by fire June 6, 1889.

Temporary buildings on Third Avenue between James Street and Jefferson Street. Yesler house at left background, King County Courthouse at right background.

Stairway to Stetson and Post Row, Second and Marion Street. Caption on image: Number 18, lower left.

Hotel Brunswick and Squire’s Opera House. McNaught, Mitchel and McNaught law office next. (Toklas and Singerman below). A. P. Hotaling liquor store.

Looking north from Madison St. 1. Kenyon Block.

Lake Union can be seen at the top of the photograph.

Front Street looking north from Cherry Street to Columbia Street. July 4, 1888. Parade.

Looking west from Second Avenue and Columbia Street from the Boston Block.

View of tents erected near the Second Avenue and James Street intersection following the Great Seattle Fire on June 6, 1889.

1. Coppin’s water works. 2. Sixth Street School. 3. Providence Hospital. 4. Territorial University.

Logging oxen in the Villard Day parade on Third Avenue in front of a triumphal arch. The parade was in honor of Henry Villard, president of Northern Pacific Railway, who visited Seattle to mark the completion of the transcontinental railroad. Terrence O’Brien standing in charge of teams. Angus Mackintosh house right of arch, Dexter Horton house next. Territorial University building on knoll.

1. Budlong’s boathouse. 2. Frye’s Opera House. 3. Stetson and Post Row. 4. M. V. B. Stacy house. 5. Golden Rule Bazaar. 6. Plymouth Church.

Western Mill. Lake Union before 1880.

House at Front Street (First Avenue and James Street). About 1883. Mr. and Mrs. Yesler standing on corner.

Ziba C. Miles Hardware, left foreground. Occidental Hotel in background.

Yesler-Leary Block. Built 1883; destroyed by fire June 6, 1889. 1887. 1. Post Building. 2. C. Z. Miles block. 3. C. P. Stone block. 4. Merchant’s National Bank. 5. Poncin building.

Foot of Mill Street [Yesler Way]. Replacing earlier wharf, built 1886–1887; destroyed by fire June 6, 1889.

Replacing earlier wharf; built 1879; destroyed by fire 1886.

House at northeast corner of Jackson St. and Occidental St. Built 1854; additions made 1859; demolished by fire June 6, 1889.

Class of Fremont School. Mr. Brady, principal; Miss Agnes Goddard, teacher. 1889.

Seattle Railroad Stations. Columbia and Puget Sound. Railroad depot and machine shop. Built 1876; demolished by fire June 6, 1889.

Denny School. 5th and Battery. Built 1884; two wings added 1891; demolished 1929. Exterior. Frame. View of front from right side. Sept. 1884.

Fire. Ruins. Dexter Horton and Company building. Commercial Street and Main Street. Fire. June 6, 1889.

Jackson St. and Front St. Built 1853. Signed by Peiser.

Villard, Henry. Visit. September 12, 1883. Barbecue enclosure on Territorial University grounds, between Seneca Street and Union Street. From Third Avenue to Fifth Avenue, where the first potlatch was held.

Looking northwest. Signed by Peiser. Belltown business district with W.N. Bell’s pioneer Bellevue House in background.

Belltown School. 3rd and Vine. Built 1876; demolished 1884. View of front and left side. Site later occupied by Metropolitan Press.

View of the trestle of the NPRR [Northern Pacific Railroad].

Houses. Burns, Frank J. House on northwest corner of Second Ave. and Pike St. 1884. House car of Seattle Street Railway at right.

Front row, left to right: Prof. Ingraham, Mrs. Pearce, [Kate F. Cheasty], Mrs. Nichols, Rena Penfield, O.A. James, Janitor O.S. Jones, father. Second row: Mary Condon, Tillie Piper, Mrs. Kenyon, [Matilda Cass], Ida Vrooman Fancher.

Seattle Schools. Central School. 3rd and Madison. Built 1870; closed 1883. Sold and moved to Front (1st Ave.) and Virginia, 1884. Operated as a rooming house, Central Rooms, until demolished June 23, 1911. Exterior. Frame. Three-quarter view of back from left side. Close-up.

Schools. Central School. Sixth Avenue and Madison Street. Built 1883; destroyed by fire, 1888. Exterior. Frame. Front view. View from approximately 4th Ave. and Marion St.

Decorations on Commercial Street [1st Ave. S.] at Mill Street [Yesler Way]. 1. Gem Saloon. 2. Gardner Kellogg Drug Store. 3. Z. C. Miles Hardware store. Gem Saloon. Gard. Kellogg’s drug store. Head of Street — Z. C. Miles stoves, etc. Yesler Leary Block in dim distance.

Streets. Front Street 1880. East side from Cherry to Columbia. On verso: 1. Elephant Store. 2. Reinig Block. 3. C. P. Stone block — Stone’s grocery. L. P. Smith & Sons, jewelers. M. D. ease, milliner. Upstairs, Charles Moore, photographer. J. S. Grasse, dentist. 4. F. W. Wald, hardware. 5. Hendrick’s plumbing shop. Caption mounted under photo — 61. East side of the same street at the same time from Cherry to Columbia. Several handwritten (illegible) names.

Commercial Street [1st Ave. S.]. 1880. Looking north from Main Street. 1. New England house. 2. Z. C. Miles store. 3. Squire’s Opera House and Hotel Brunswick. Commercial Street. Right side: Brunswick Hotel and Squire’s Opera House. Pinkham’s clothing store. Frauenthal Block. Z. C. Miles. Left side: New England Hotel. First person to right is John Burns.

Marshall Block, large building to right. Dexter Horton to right of Marshall’s, Harrington and Smith adjoining, Sam Kenny’s tailor shop next and Keith’s barber shop adjoining. Left — Kelly’s drugstore, Smith’s butcher shop, Saddle Rock restaurant, John Sullivan’s notions store. Domed roof Squire’s Opera House.

Hotels. Arlington House. Commercial Street [1st Ave. S.] and Main Street. Built 1876; destroyed by fire June 6, 1889. 1883? 1. Jake Levy. The same photograph appears in the University of Washington digital collections, where it is noted the building is decorated for the visit of North Pacific Railroad president Henry Villard.

Decorations on building. Yesler Avenue and Front Street. 1. Hotel Northern. 2. Gatzert Building. 3. National Bank of Commerce. 4. First National Bank.

Intersection of James Street and Mill Street [Yesler Way] at Front Street [1st Ave.]. 1. Occidental Hotel. 2. Vanity Fair beer hall. 3. Frack grocery store. 4. Mackintosh and Reeves Bank. 5. Gem Saloon. 6. Gardner Kellogg drug store. 7. Daily Post building. 8. Trees of which the first three were used for the lynching of January 1882. Daily Post building (1st three trees used for lynching January 18, 1882). Left side: Occidental Hotel. Vanity Fair Saloon. Frach grocery store. Mackintosh and Reeves Bank. Gem Saloon (Charlie Anderson, proprietor). Drug Store (Gard. Kellogg).