Community Corner

Seattle's 165th Birthday: See Photos From City's Past, Present

Washington's largest city turns 165-years-old today. See photos of The Beatles, Boeing, and more from the city's past.

Neal McNamara's profile picture
Neal McNamara, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
|

SEATTLE, WA - One hundred and sixty-five years ago today, Seattle was founded as a town when Henry Yesler opened a lumber mill along what is now - appropriately - Yesler Way. Although white settlers arrived two years earlier, Yesler's industrial operation established the city, allowing it to incorporate as a municipality.

Since then, a lot has happened. Seattle was an epicenter of production during World War II, a basketball team came and went, protesters and police have fought dozens of skirmishes in the streets. Check out some of these archival photos from Seattle's past, showing big events and moments in the city's history.

Circa 1938: Port of Seattle, Washington State, from Puget Sound.

Musician Ringo Starr of the British rock group The Beatles uses a fishing rod to fish from his hotel window next to bandmates Paul McCartney (L) and George Harrison, Seattle, Washington, August 26, 1964.

Find out what's happening in Seattlefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Passengers are evacuted from a monorail after a fire broke out May 31, 2004 in Seattle, Washington. At least nine people were injured.
Dec. 7, 1978: The latest Boeing 727 planes receiving the finishing touches in the air hangar at the Seattle production plant. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

Oct. 8, 1995: The Seattle Mariners join-up on the field to celebrate after they clinch the American League Western Division. The Mariners defeated the New York Yankees 6-5 at the King Dome in Seattle, Washington.
Seattle police survey a 1930s-era Boeing Model 307 Stratoliner that crash landed 100 yards offshore in Elliott Bay March 28, 2002 in Seattle, WA. All four people on board the plane were rescued with only minor injuries. This plane was to be displayed at the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Ron Wurzer/Getty Images)
Seattle police take into custody a man suspected of selling marijuana at Hempfest August 16, 2003 in Seattle. Hempfest is the largest rally and festival advocating marijuana drug war reforms in the world.
The office of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer displays the newspaper's mastehead on March 16, 2009 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle paper will put out its final print edition on March 17 but will publish still online becoming the nation's largest daily newspaper to move to an entirely internet only based news source. (Photo by Robert Giroux/Getty Images)
Police investigate the scene where suspect Maurice Clemmons was shot and killed by a patrol officer early December 1, 2009 in Seattle, Washington. Clemmons was the subject of a massive manhunt after he allegedly killed four Lakewood, Washington police officers in a suburban coffee shop November 29, 2009. Four other people are in custody for allegedly helping the suspect elude authorities. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
Amanda Knox (R) is comforted by her father Curtis Knox (L) and mother Edda Mellas (C) before speaking to the media on October 4, 2011 in Seattle, Washington. American student Amanda Knox arrived back in her hometown of Seattle, WA from Rome, Italy after she and ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito won the appeal against the conviction in 2009 of killing their British roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy in 2007. The pair had served nearly four years in jail after initially being sentenced to 26 and 25 years respectively. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
A man squats in front of makeshift memorial outside Cafe Racer May 31, 2012 in Seattle, Washington. Before killing Leonidas, the gunman, reportedly identified as Ian Lee Stawickiallegedly, 40, shot and killed four at cafe in another part town. He then killed himself as police approached. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
Jane Abbott Lighty, left, and Pete-e Petersen embrace after receiving the first same-sex marriage license in Washington state at the King County Recorder's Office on December 6, 2012 in Seattle, Washington. The office opened at 12:01 AM PST to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples for the first time after Washington voters chose to legalize same-sex marriage in November's election. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
Deb Greene, the first customer at the Cannabis City retail marijuana store, shows off her purchase on July 8, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. Cannabis City was the first retail marijuana store to open in Seattle today and one of the first group now operating in Washington state, nearly a year and a half after the state's voters chose to legalize marijuana for recreational use. (Pool photo by Elaine Thompson/AP)

In 2018, Amazon opens Amazon Go, a store with no checkout lines, and no cashiers.
In November 2017, Jenny Durkan was elected mayor of Seattle - the first woman to hold the post in almost 100 years.

Photos via Getty Images, Neal McNamara/Patch

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Seattle