Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Public Utilities Department Annual Reports, 1908-1931
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Seattle (Wash.). City Clerk
- Title
- Public Utilities Department Annual Reports
- Dates
- 1908-1931 (inclusive)19081931
- Quantity
- .6 cubic foot, (2 boxes)
- Collection Number
- 1802-H9
- Summary
- Annual reports of the Public Utilities Department, 1908-1931.
- Repository
-
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov - Access Restrictions
-
Records are open to the public.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Public Utilities Department was created in 1908 to regulate utility companies -- including telephone, telegraph, railway, gas, sewers, and electric utilities -- doing business in the City of Seattle. A Superintendent of Public Utilities was appointed to oversee all franchise work in the City, keeping records of start and end dates on jobs as well as maps and drawings showing the location of each utility. The Superintendent also dealt with franchise applications, submitting applications regarding each to the Board of Public Works.
The department also administered the Municipal Street Railway System from 1919 until 1932, when the Public Utilities Department was abolished.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Annual reports are quite lengthy and include reports on railroad franchise applications as well as other franchise obligations, including street railways and cable lines. Power lines and telephone service are also discussed. Included as appendices are lists of related legislation (both pending and passed) relating to public utilities, as well as other statistics on telephone, lighting, and heating systems.
The 1912 report, which is published, contains photographs of the Weights and Measures Division. Pictured are scales and scale testing, short weight milk bottles, relative weight of packaged and bulk goods, and relative weight of ten-cent loaves of bread. Weights and Measures are discussed in every report.
The 1913 report also includes photographs of the business district and testing gas meters. The 1915 report includes photographs of the Holgate Street Bridge, Pike Street Footbridge, Seattle Boulevard Viaduct, Lander Street Bridge, and Wheeler Street Bridge. The reports for the years 1918-1922 contain discussion of jitney services. In the 1923 report, traffic regulation and speed of street railway transportation are discussed, as are telephone, traffic and gas issues.
Superintendents of the Public Utilities Department included: A.V. Bouillon (1908); A.L. Valentine (1908-); Thomas Murphine (1918?-); Carl H. Reeves (1919?); George Russell (-1923); C.R. Jackson (1923-); and A.E. Pierce (acting superintendent; 1931?).
Researchers should note that Municipal Street Railway System annual reports are in a separate series.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
[Item and date], Public Utilities Department Annual Reports, Record Series 1802-H9. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Public Utilities Department Annual Reports, 1908-1931Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Public Utilities Annual
Report |
1908 |
| 1/1 | Public Utilities Annual
Report |
1909 |
| 1/2 | Public Utilities Annual
Report |
1909-1910 |
| 1/2 | Public Utilities Annual
Report |
1912 |
| 1/2 | Public Utilities Annual
Report |
1915-1916 |
| 1/3 | Public Utilities Annual
Report |
1913 |
| 1/4 | Public Utilities Annual
Report |
1913-1914 |
| 1/5 | Public Utilities Annual
Report |
1914-1915 |
| 1/6 | Public Utilities Annual
Report |
1917-1918 |
| 1/6 | Public Utilities, Department
of, Municipal Street Railway Division |
1920 |
| 2/1 | Public Utilities Annual
Report (includes telephone franchise data) |
1921 |
| 2/1 | Public Utilities Annual
Report (Automobile Report) |
1921 |
| 2/1 | Public Utilities Annual
Report (automobiles in Street Railway Division) |
1921 |
| 2/2 | Public Utilities Annual
Report |
1922 |
| 2/2 | Public Utilities Annual
Report |
1923 |
| 2/3 | Public Utilities Annual
Report |
1926 |
| 2/3 | Public Utilities Annual
Report |
1931 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Bridges--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Electric utilities--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Gas--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Heating--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Municipal lighting--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Public utilities--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Railroads, Cable--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Street-railroads--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Telephone--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Weights and measures--Washington (State)--Seattle
Geographical Names
- Seattle (Wash.)--Politics and government
Form or Genre Terms
- Annual reports
Other Creators
-
Corporate Names
- Seattle (Wash.). Public Utility Dept. (creator)
Finding aid prepared by Anne
Frantilla
2004
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
