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Diablo Dam incline railway climbing Sourdough Mountain, 1930. Courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives, 2306.
Children waving to ferry, 1950. Courtesy Museum of History and Industry.
Loggers in the Northwest woods. Courtesy Washington State Digital Archives.

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This Week Then

2/23/2023

News Then, History Now

Photo Call

Seattle's Rainier Club was organized on February 23, 1888. One of its earliest members was photographer Edward S. Curtis, who paid for his membership by taking photographs of other club members. Some of these photos, as well as a few other Curtis rarities, are contained in the club's collections.

On the Wall

On February 26, 1915, at a joint session of the legislature, portraits of three pioneering supreme court justices were formally presented to the state. Painted by Seattle artist Ella Shepard Bush, the oil portraits depicted former Chief Justices Ralph O. Dunbar, Thomas J. Anders, and James B. Reavis.

Shows for All

On March 1, 1928, the curtain rose for the first time at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. Eleven years ago this week, the historic venue also became home to the Seattle Theatre Group's Historic Theatres Library, which opened to the public on March 1, 2012.

Clean-up Site

Sixty years ago this week, on February 23, 1963, the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle, commonly known as Metro, proudly celebrated the first diversion of waste water from Lake Washington, for whose cleanup it was created in 1958. For decades, Seattle and other cities had been dumping their sewage into the water, creating a health hazard and effectively turning the lake into a giant toilet.

Catholic Rite

On February 25, 1975, the Vatican appointed The Most Reverend Raymond G. Hunthausen as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle. Hunthausen's outspoken anti-war stance and his defense of gay rights would later vex many church officials, including Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, who rose to become Pope Benedict XVI.

Fans' Delight

Fifteen years ago this week, on February 29, 2008, four local women bought the Seattle Storm WNBA franchise, ending months of uncertainty about the championship-winning team's future. Since then, the Storm won their second WNBA title in 2010, their third in 2018, and their fourth in 2020.

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Image of the Week

On February 28, 1969, the Seattle Black Panther Party protested a gun-control bill in Olympia.

Quote of the Week

“The secret to getting ahead is getting started.”

--Mark Twain

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