Anders Beer Wilse photographs, 1897-1900 PDF
Overview of the Collection
- Photographer
- Wilse, AndersBeer, 1865-1949
- Title
- AndersBeerWilse photographs
- Dates
- 1897-1900 (inclusive)18971900
- Quantity
- 106 photographic prints (2 boxes)
- Collection Number
- PH0285
- Summary
- Photographs of steamships headed for the Alaska and the Klondike, Laplanders and reindeer in Seattle as part of the U.S. Government Reindeer Expedition to Alaska, Native Americans, the University of Washington and Seattle neighborhoods.
- Repository
- University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 206-543-1929
Fax: 206-543-1931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
The entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator is required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
AndersBeerWilse came to the United States in 1884 from Norway. By 1890 he had settled in Seattle and was working for the Great Northern Railroad. He later moved to British Columbia during the financial Panic of 1893, but later returned to Seattle in 1896 to work as a cartographer. By 1897, he opened a photography store in Seattle. Wilse joined in partnership with established photographer Daniel W. Kirk in 1898 and worked for him running the Seattle office and developing and printing the images taken by Kirk who traveled to photograph in logging camps and other places. Frustrated by this division of labor, after six months Wilse bought the business from Kirk. He worked in Seattle as a commerical photographer documenting businesses, buildings and public construction activities, including construction of the City of Seattle water supply line and the bicycle path project between Lake Union and Lake Washington. During the Klondike Gold Rush he documented the steamships departing for the Klondike Gold Rush, dog teams, and merchants selling mining supplies. He documented the Laplanders and the more than 500 reindeer they brought to Seattle in 1898 on their way to Alaska to aid gold miners. About one hundred Norwegian Samis (Laplanders) came to care for the herd while it was housed in Woodland Park. After the Gold Rush era, Wilse also documented construction in Seattle such as the creaton of the Denny-Blaine neighborhood and also the buildings at the University of Washington. He visited Neah Bay in 1900 and photographed the Makah Indians and also photographed other Indians in the region.
Wilse's photographs of the Seattle area were frequently used to promote the region as beautiful and full of growth and opportunity, and to bring in more settlers. In 1900, Wilse listed his business as the Seattle Photographic Company. That year, he returned to Norway with the intention of returning to his company in Seattle, however, his wife decided she did not wish to return to the U.S. According the the Washington census, Wilse was still recorded as being in Seattle until 1904. It is likely that he continued working as a Seattle photographer until around 1902. The Seattle Photographic Company continued under the management of one of Wilse's assistants until it closed intil 1913. Wilse continued his photography career in Norway until his death in 1949.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Photographs depicting steamers headed for the Alaska and the Klondike during the Klondike Gold Rush; Laplanders and reindeer that came to Seattle as part of the U.S. Government Reindeer Expedition to Alaska in 1898; and Native Americans in and around Seattle; and the early construction of the Denny-Blaine neighborhood. Also shows images of various Seattle neighborhoods and parks, the Seattle fishing industry, the University of Washington, and the Lake Washington Bicycle Path. Some photos by Wilse and Kirk.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
View the digital version of the collection
Restrictions on Use
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.
Preferred Citation
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Bike Path AlbumReturn to Top
Wilse's map of Seattle's bike paths indicates the "divide" where the 10 mile long path to Lake Washington heads east around the north end of Capitol Hill on its way to the lake. George Cotterill was the assistant city engineer who directed the construction of the bike paths. The Queen City Cycle Club also assisted with the construction. It was opened June 19, 1897. The snake-like cinder path ran between downtown Seattle and Leschi Park, winding around the north end of Capitol Hill. After 10 miles, the cyclists would reach Leschi Heights. Interlaken Boulevard was later developed out of the bike path.
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box/Folder | item | ||
1/1 | 1-1 | 1900? | |
1/1 | 1-2 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/1 | 1-3 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/1 | 1-4 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/1 | 1-5 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/1 | 1-6 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/1 | 1-7 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/2 | 2 | between 1897 and 1900 |
Gold RushReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
"Klondike Fever"
|
|||
Box/Folder | item | ||
1/3 | 3 | 1898 | |
1/3 | 4 | January 20, 1898 | |
1/3 | 5 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/3 | 6 | 1898 | |
Miners leaving Seattle
|
|||
Box/Folder | item | ||
1/4 | 7 | May 21, 1900 | |
1/4 | 8 | April 7, 1898 | |
1/4 | 9 | April 26, 1898 | |
1/4 | 10 | June 12, 1898 | |
Miners with Dogsled Teams in Seattle
|
|||
Box/Folder | item | ||
1/5 | 11 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/5 | 12 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/5 | 13 | between 1899 and 1900 |
ShipsReturn to Top
Steamships were most likely operating in the Gold Rush era carrying passengers.
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box/Folder | item | ||
1/6 | 14 |
US Revenue Cutter McCulloch
on water (Wilse 419)
USS McCulloch, previously USRC McCulloch and USCGC McCulloch,
was a ship that served as a United States Revenue Cutter Service cutter from
1897 to 1915, as a United States Coast Guard Cutter from 1915 to 1917, and as a
United States Navy patrol vessel in 1917.
|
between 1897 and 1900 |
1/6 | 15 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/6 | 16 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/6 | 17 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/6 | 18-19 |
Steamship Bertha at Copper
Mountain, AK
S.S. Bertha was a wooden steamer operated under various owners
all along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Operated by the Alaska Commercial Co.
from San Francisco to Alaska (Nome) during summer and San Francisco to Panama
during the winter. She wrecked in the Fitzhugh Sound while going from Seattle
to Valdez in 1902, but was repaired and returned to service. She was purchased
by the Alaska Coast Co. in 1906, and in 1912 Alaska Coast Co. merged with
Alaska Pacific Steamship Co. to become Pacific Alaska Navigation Co. by H.F.
Alexander. She was sold in 1913 and used for northern Freight service by the
W.F. Swan Navigation Co., and then used as a loating hotel for miners at Cook
Inlet, Alaska in 1914. She was destroyed by fire at Uyak Bay, Kodiak Island, in
1915 when water entered the forward hold and ignited a cargo of lime.
|
1900? |
1/6 | 20 | 1900? | |
1/7 | 21 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/7 | 22 |
Steamship Queen with
Volunteers' returning to Seattle from Philippine-American War (Wilse
66.5)
On November 6, 1899, on the S.S. Queen, the First Washington
Volunteer Infantry returns from fighting in the Philippines and disembarks at
Seattle's Ocean Dock at the foot of Washington Street. The war was started
after Spain ceded its Philippine colony to the U.S. due to their defeat in the
Spanish-American War of 1898. On February 4, 1899, fighting began to break out
between American forces and Filipino nationalists. The war ended three years
later in an American victory.The Spanish American War was fought primarily in
Cuba and the Philippines, where revolts were under way against Spanish colonial
power. The United States, with its own imperial goals, intervened against
Spain. As a result of the war, the country acquired its first overseas
territories, including Puerto Rico and the Philippines. Governor John R. Rogers
declared a state holiday to celebrate the Washington Volunteers' return. They
arrived to dozens of welcoming steamers in Elliott Bay and to a waiting crowd
reported to be 200,000. They were met with bells, whistles, sirens, yells,
screams, and a thunder of aerial bombs from three revenue cutters that
"literally rent the air." Seattle organized two of the 12 state Infantry
companies that served in the Philippines. Seattle Companies B and D each had a
Captain, Lieutenants (2), Sergeants (4), Corporals (12), a Cook, a Musician, an
Artificer, a Wagoner, and Privates (38 or 39).
|
November 6, 1899 |
1/7 | 23 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/7 | 24 | 1898 |
Laplanders and ReindeerReturn to Top
In 1898, more than 500 reindeer were unloaded at Fremont after a transcontinental railroad journey. The reindeer were joined by around 100 Norwegian Samis (Laplanders) who cared for the herd. The reindeer were going to be used to carry food to the starving gold miners on the Yukon River. However, when the trains left New York, it was reported that, while the miners were not starving, the reindeer would still be delivered. From Fremont on March 7, the reindeer were brought to Woodland Park and fenced in. At the Park, they served as a week-long sensation with around 8,000 people coming to see them. During this period, twelve reindeer died from a combination of park grass and snacks fed to them from the crowds. The officer in charge had destroyed their normal diet of moss that was shipped with them, thinking that the reindeer would be fine with hay and grass instead. On March 15, the herd returned to Fremont to prepare for their trip to Alaska. They reached Alaska on January 27, 1899. Later, most of the herd would be lost due to starvation and exhaustion while traveling around Alaska.
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box/Folder | item | ||
1/8 | 25 | 1898 | |
1/8 | 26 | 1898 | |
1/8 | 27 | 1898 | |
1/8 | 28 | 1898 | |
1/8 | 29 | 1898 | |
1/8 | 30a-b | 1898 | |
1/8 | 31 | 1898 | |
1/9 | 32 | 1898 | |
1/9 | 33 | 1898 | |
1/9 | 34 | 1898 |
Native Americans in WashingtonReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box/Folder | item | ||
1/10 | 35 |
Elderly Indian couple near a wooden house (Wilse
1006)
Written on photo: Indians over 100 years old.Possibly Puget Sound Salish Indians
|
between 1899 and 1900 |
1/10 | 36-37 |
Native American woman on ground weaving a twined basket
(Wilse 1014, 1015)
Possibly Puget Sound Salish Indians
|
1899? |
1/10 | 38 | 1899? | |
1/10 | 39 | 1900? | |
1/11 | 40 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/11 | 41 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/11 | 42 | between 1899 and 1900 |
University of WashingtonReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box/Folder | item | ||
1/12 | 43 | 1900? | |
1/12 | 44 | 1900? | |
1/12 | 45 | 1900? | |
1/12 | 46 | 1900? | |
1/12 | 47 | 1900? | |
1/13 | 48 | 1900? | |
1/13 | 49 | 1900? | |
1/13 | 50 | 1900? | |
1/14 | 51 | 1900? | |
1/14 | 52 | 1900? | |
1/14 | 53 | 1900? | |
1/14 | 54 | 1900? | |
1/14 | 55 | 1900? | |
1/14 | 55a | 1900? | |
1/15 | 56a-b | 1900? | |
1/15 | 57 | 1900? | |
1/15 | 58 | 1900? | |
1/16 | 59 | 1900? | |
1/16 | 60 | 1900? | |
1/16 | 61 | 1900? | |
1/17 | 62 |
1903 graduates from University of Washington
Seattle Photographic Co. Sullivan Block. Seattle, WA (photographer)
|
1903 |
Seattle PhotosReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Pioneer Square and Belltown
|
|||
Box/Folder | item | ||
1/18 | 63 |
Memorial honoring fallen soldiers of the First
Washington Volunteer Infantry Regiment in Pioneer Square (Wilse
261)
Possibly connected to Memorial Service held on November 12,
1899 at Plymouth Congregational Church.
|
1899 |
1/18 | 64a-b |
Large group of people at the unveiling the Tlingit
Totem Pole on Pioneer Square (Wilse 695)
On October 18, 1899, a 60-foot totem pole from Fort Tongass,
Alaska, is unveiled in Seattle's Pioneer Square and "greeted by cheers of a
multitude of people." The totem had been stolen from a Tlingit village several
weeks before and was presented to the City of Seattle by the Chamber of
Commerce "Committee of Fifteen" -- the group of Seattle men (who were prominent
citizens) that had taken the totem. A federal grand jury in Alaska indicted
eight of Seattle's most prominent citizens for theft of government property.
The Tlingit Tribe demanded $20,000 for the stolen totem, but settled for $500,
which the Seattle Post-Intelligencer paid. On October 22, 1938, an arsonist
seriously damaged the totem. It was removed and in 1940 replaced with a replica
carved by the descendants of the carvers of the original totem.
|
October 18, 1899 |
1/18 | 65 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/18 | 66 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/18 | 67 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
1/18 | 68 |
Bellevue Hotel before the Denny Regrade (Wilse
102c)
Bell's Hotel (also Hotel Bellevue or Bellevue House) was
situated at 2330 First Avenue (intersection of First and Battery Streets).
William Nathaniel Bell and his wife, Sarah Ann (peter) Bell, were members of
the original pioneer group that landed at Alki in 1851. Bellevue Hotel survived
the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 and stood at this location from 1883 until 1937.
|
1898 |
Denny Hotel Interior
Between 1890 and 1906, The Denny Hotel (later the Washington
Hotel) was advertised as "The Scenic Hotel of the West," and straddled 3rd
Avenue between Stewart and Virginia streets on the south summit of Denny Hill.
The Denny Hotel was conceived and begun in 1889 by a group of developers
including Seattle founding father Arthur Denny (1822-1899). The financial Panic
of 1893 halted the proceedings with interiors incomplete, and the turreted
shell hung over Seattle for a decade. James A. Moore (1861-1929) bought it and
it flourished as the Washington Hotel for one or two summers before it was
destroyed as part of the Denny Hill regrade activities.
|
|||
Box/Folder | item | ||
1/19 | 69 | 1898 | |
1/19 | 70 | 1898 | |
1/19 | 71 | 1898 | |
Parks
|
|||
Box/Folder | item | ||
2/1 | 72 | between 1899 and 1902 | |
2/1 | 73 | between 1899 and 1902 | |
2/2 | 74 | between 1899 and 1902 | |
2/2 | 75 | between 1899 and 1902 | |
2/2 | 76 | between 1899 and 1902 | |
People
|
|||
Box/Folder | item | ||
2/3 | 77 |
Class photo at Rainier School, 2nd Avenue, Seattle,
WA. (Wilse 27r)
A second image of the school building is in the upper left
hand corner
|
November 27, 1899 |
2/3 | 78 |
Thomas Wickham Prosch at desk (Wilse 200c)
Thomas Prosch was a key early journalist, historian, and civic
booster in Washington, focusing his energy on recording and preserving the
history of the region and on civic improvement.
|
between 1899 and 1900 |
2/3 | 79 |
Reginald Heber Thomson and the Seattle City Council
(Wilse 75x)
Written on photo: Official inspection tour of the Seattle City
Council.
|
May 1900 |
Occupations
|
|||
Box/Folder | item | ||
2/4 | 80 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
2/4 | 81 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
2/4 | 82 |
Seven men standing by Electric Pile Driver (Wilse
U-6)
Written on verso: Electric Pile Driver Designed & build by
Superintendent Nicholas Dawson of the Seattle Traction Company in March,
1899.
|
March 1899 |
Panoramas
|
|||
Box/Folder | item | ||
2/5 | 83 | between 1897 and 1900 | |
2/5 | 84 | between 1897 and 1900 |
Denny-Blaine NeighborhoodReturn to Top
Charles L. Denny was the son of Seattle pioneer Arthur Denny, and Elbert F. Blaine was an attorney and former Seattle Parks Commissioner. In 1901, Denny and Blaine formed the Denny-Blaine Land Company and began buying property adjacent to and to the east and north of the Madrona trolley line, which had just recently been built. They filed their Denny-Blaine Lake Park subdivision with the city and began seeking lot buyers. In order to access the Madrona neighborhood, the realtors of the time developed a park on Lake Washington and a trolley car line from the north side of the park up through the “deep wild canyon” that was described as “one of the most scenic trolley rides to be had in the city.” The land for the Denny-Blaine Park was later donated to the City of Seattle by Denny and Blaine, who were also responsible for sub-dividing the surrounding neighborhood. The newly created nieghborhood, Denny-Blaine, named after them is located on Lake Washington between Madison Park and Madrona and contains many beautiful parks. Beginning at the lake is Whitman Place, also known as Denny-Blaine Place, a charming beachside turnaround with esplanade and seawall. Directly uphill is Viretta Park, named for Viretta Denny the wife of C.L. Denny. Just above that is tiny Stevens Park, or Triangle, named for Isaac Stevens, Washington Territory's first governor. Other parks include Minerva Fountain and Park (named for Blaine's wife). The sign above the shelter -- believed by some to have been designed by the architect Ellsworth Storey (1879-1960) states: "Denny-Blaine Lake Park." At one time the shelter served as the office of the real estate firm. Finally, a virtually hidden little Children's Park, dedicated by Charles and Viretta Denny in 1901, lies on the lakeshore at the east end of Howell Street.
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box/Folder | item | ||
2/6 | 85 | 1900? | |
2/6 | 86 | 1900? | |
2/6 | 87 | 1900? | |
2/6 | 88 | 1900? | |
2/6 | 89 | 1900? | |
2/6 | 90 | 1900? | |
Lake Park
|
|||
Box/Folder | item | ||
2/7 | 91 | 1900? | |
2/7 | 92 |
Madrona Park station house (Wilse 1374)
Originally constructed as a real estate office, this one-story
log frame structure was later converted for use as a waiting shelter, first for
streetcars and then for buses.
|
1900 |
2/7 | 93 | 1900? | |
2/7 | 94 | 1900? | |
Lewis Cottage and Blaine House
|
|||
Box/Folder | item | ||
2/8 | 95 | 1900? | |
2/8 | 96 | 1900? | |
2/8 | 97 | 1900? | |
2/8 | 98 | 1900? | |
2/8 | 99 | 1900? |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
- Subject Terms :
- Bicycle trails--Washington (State)--Seattle--Maps
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
- Personal Names :
- Wilse, Anders Beer, 1865-1949
- Corporate Names :
- Australia (Ship : 1875)--Photographs
- Hugh McCulloch (Revenue cutter)--Photographs
- Queen (Ship)--Photographs
- University of Washington--Photographs
- Willamette (Ship)--Photographs
- Geographical Names :
- Denny-Blaine (Seattle, Wash.)--Photographs
- Klondike River Valley (Yukon)--Gold discoveries
- Seattle (Wash.)--Photographs