Paul Dorpat Collection
Browse photographs from the Paul Dorpat Collection which documents the history of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. At this time, a small sampling of images has been digitized while the collection is actively being processed.
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Frank Cunningham Interview, September 15, 1986
Frank Cunningham (1922-2013) was a fixture in the Seattle rowing scene. Cunningham grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts and attended Harvard and was part of the varsity rowing team. He interrupted his college education to serve in the Marine Corps during World War II. Following the war he moved to Seattle where he began working at Boeing and met his wife, Jane. He earned his graduate degree in teaching from the University of Washington and began a career in education. He also coached the rowing team at Lakeside school where he was also a humanities teacher. Several of his students later became Olympian rowers. He received the medal of honor from the U.S. Rowing Association in 2010 and was included in their Hall of Fame. In 2012, he was honored by the Washington State Senate for his teaching and coaching career.
Identifier: spl_ds_fcunningham_01
Date: 1986-09-15
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Blue Max Steak House Menu
Located right by Boeing Field, the Blue Max, an aeronautically themed restaurant, was part of the Red Baron Steakhouse chain in California. It held lip-sync contests every Saturday night from 1979 until it closed in 1988.
Identifier: spl_menu_00065
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Baist's Real Estate Atlas of Surveys of Seattle, Wash - Plate 10
Baist Real Estate atlases of Seattle were published in 1905, 1908, and 1912. The atlases show property ownership (for large tracts), plats, block and lot numbers, streets, buildings, sewers, water mains, electric railways, and steam railroads.
Identifier: spl_maps_341191.10
Date: 1905
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Samuel McKinney Interview, August 17, 1987
Reverend Samuel McKinney (1926-2018) was pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church for 40 years and a major leader in Seattle’s civil rights movement. McKinney was born in Flint, Michigan and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He served in the Air Force during World War II and in 1949 graduated from Morehouse College where one of his classmates was Martin Luther King Jr. In 1952 he graduated from Colgate Rochester Divinity School and in 1953 married his wife Louise. Together the couple moved to Seattle in 1958 where McKinney became the pastor of Mt. Zion. McKinney was a tireless advocate for social and civil rights causes. He was one of the founders of the Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center, an organization providing job training; helped start Seattle’s first black-owned bank to help community members obtain home loans after discirimation from other banks; advocated for Seattle’s fair housing act as a member of the Seattle Human Rights Commission and participated in civil rights marches and demonstrations nationwide.
Identifier: spl_ds_smckinney_01
Date: 1987-08-17
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Philip McCracken Interview, February 8, 1987
Philip McCracken (1928-) is a Washington artist known for his animal and bird sculptures. McCracken was born in Bellingham, Washington and grew up in Anacortes. He graduated from Anacortes High School in 1947. McCracken began studying pre-law at the University of Washington but interrupted his education to serve as an Army reservist during the Korean War. When he returned to his studies, he decided to switch his major to art. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1954. After graduation McCracken traveled to England to become an apprentice to the famed British sculptor Henry Moore. On the ship to England, he met his future wife, Anne. The couple moved to New York where Morris Graves helped introduce him to local galleries. In 1955 they decided to move back to the Pacific Northwest and settled into their Guemes Island home. McCracken’s work is featured in many galleries and museums such as the Tacoma Art Museum and the Seattle Art Museum. In 1994, he was awarded the Washington Governor’s Art and Heritage Award.
Identifier: spl_ds_pmcracken_01
Date: 1987-02-08
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Baist's Real Estate Atlas of Surveys of Seattle, Wash - Plate 15
Baist Real Estate atlases of Seattle were published in 1905, 1908, and 1912. The atlases show property ownership (for large tracts), plats, block and lot numbers, streets, buildings, sewers, water mains, electric railways, and steam railroads.
Identifier: spl_maps_341191.15
Date: 1905
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Roland Trafton Interview, 1986
Roland Trafton (1920-2005) was CEO of Safeco Corporation and a leading figure in local philanthropic efforts. Trafton was born in Venice, California and his family moved to Washington when he was young. He attended the University of Washington, leaving during World War II to serve in the Army Air Corps. Upon his return to the University after the war, he earned his law degree. Trafton married his wife Rose Marie in 1943 and together the couple had five children. In 1952, Trafton began working at Safeco where he held a number of positions before becoming CEO in 1979. During his time with the company he created the Safeco Art Collection which became home to works from many Pacific Northwest artists. Trafton retired from Safeco in 1979. He was heavily involved in charitable projects, fundraising for many local organizations such as the Pacific Science Center, Seattle Art Museum, Children’s Hospital and the 5th Avenue Theatre. His interests also extended to the outdoors where he was an experienced mountaineer and marathon runner.
Identifier: spl_ds_rtrafton_01
Date: 1986
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Men on Homan River rapids, ca. 1899
Although the caption for the photo identifies it as "Homer River" it is likely Homan River which flows between Homan Lake and Bennett Lake in British Columbia. One man stands on a log on the lower left and a second stands further upriver.
Identifier: spl_ap_00132
Date: 1899?
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Mt. Rainier, Washington, ca. 1910s
Mt. Rainier through foliage from Seattle, with Lake Washington and Mercer Island in view.
Identifier: spl_dor_gpn_re_00099
Date: 1910; 1911; 1912; 1913; 1914; 1915; 1916; 1917; 1918; 1919
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Municipal News, v. 53, no. 9, May. 13, 1963
Page 68 article discusses plan for redeveloping downtown Seattle.
Identifier: spl_mn_818362_53_09
Date: 1963-05-13
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