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Days Gone By
Explore a curated compilation of articles penned by RVHS founder, Buzz Anderson, for the South District Journal.
Mystery Building Identified: It’s Lakewood School
The one room Lakewood Grade School located at 48th Ave S and Snoqualmie Street taught only 1st and 2nd graders from 1916 to 1927. RVHS...
Columbia Hotel: “All You Can Eat For 25 Cents”
It was a Sunday in 1906 and the Columbia Hotel’s elegant dining room, with white linen tablecloths and floral centerpieces, was featuring...
Columbia City's First Pool Hall
RVHS photo 1993.001.0032 There is a question as to the date this photograph was taken. Written on the back of this original photo we...
Frigidaire Week at Grayson & Brown
This is one of my favorite photos and I have it pinned on the wall in my home office. It is a nostalgic reminder to me of our family...
Columbia Theater in the '30s
This photo was taken looking northeast from the intersection of Rainier Avenue and Hudson Street. The Columbia Theater was a popular...
An Interview with Dr. Bill Hutchinson
Dr. Bill Hutchinson was a superb surgeon at Swedish Hospital for 40 years. He was touched by the cancer patients he treated, so he...
Seward Park Peninsula
This is a brief history of the Seward Park Peninsula or Bailey Peninsula as it is sometimes called. This illustrated map and article are...
The Columbia Laundry
This photo was taken in 1911, four years after Columbia City and Rainier Valley were annexed by the city of Seattle. The building was...
Hausler Grocery Part 2 of 2: New Building at Rose Street
This is the second of two articles about the Hausler family grocery store. The first article told about their move to Seattle from New...
Hausler Grocery Part 1 of 2: Grocery Business for Sale - $100
Mr. and Mrs. Hausler bought the inventory and the lease on this building for $100 they didn’t have. He got the money however, by pawning...
Lakewood Landing: 1902
This is a photo of the Steamer L.T. HAAS about to dock at the Lakewood Boat Landing supposedly located on Lake Washington at the foot of...
Mr. Hipkins and His Maintenance Car
‘Pa Hip’ was the key man on the streetcar line. This is the shop-built locomotive used as a repair car for maintenance work on the...
Columbia City’s Favorite Barbers - Circa 1908
The earliest reference we have regarding Columbia City’s barbers, Gardner and LaPorte, is 1907. Their partnership was listed in Carey...
Street Car #21
There is some question as to the correct number of the streetcar shown in this photo from the archives of our Rainier Valley Historical...
Streetcar Mystery
Historical Photo Leaves All To Imagination. What were those well-dressed folks doing on that day so long ago? As we enter the new...
Rainier Valley Investment Co.
RVHS Photo 1993.001.0012 This 1908 photo shows the office of the Rainier Valley Investment Co. at 4870 Rainier Avenue. The office was...
Meet You By The Big Rock
The “Big Rock” at 48th Ave. S and S. Ferdinand St. was once the meeting place of Valley Residents. This Photo of the Big Rock, with an...
Simeon T. Toby's Bank Building
RVHS Photo 1993.001.0006 This photo of the Toby building was taken about 1930. It was built by Simeon T. Toby in 1903, on the Southeast...
Heater Glove Company
Columbia City has had its share of manufacturing companies over the years. One of the more noteworthy was the Heater Glove Company,...
The Genesee Dinky
What put the car in the ditch? This photo depicts the Genesee Streetcar on a day when it was not going anywhere, at least not for a...
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