Logging
Western Washington's forests of Douglas fir, cedar and spruce supported one of the largest logging industries in the world. Photographers recorded crews posing on springboards, giant logs on trucks and railcars, steam donkeys and logging railroads. Darius Kinsey, who photographed logging in Washington for decades, is especially collected. Real photos of logging camps and crews are among the most sought-after Washington cards.
Sawmills and mill towns
Sawmill towns lined Puget Sound and the coast, including Everett, Tacoma, Port Gamble, Aberdeen, Hoquiam and many smaller places. Real photos of mills, lumber schooners and workers are collected.
Fishing and canneries
Salmon canneries operated on Puget Sound, the Columbia River and the coast, and fishing fleets worked from towns such as Bellingham, Anacortes and Ilwaco. Real photos of canneries, fish traps, boats and cannery workers are historically significant.
Seattle
Seattle grew rapidly after the 1889 fire and the Klondike gold rush. The regrades that leveled Denny Hill, Pioneer Square, the waterfront and the Pike Place Market appear on cards. The 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition on the University of Washington campus produced many cards collected by exposition specialists.
The Mosquito Fleet
Dozens of small steamers, known as the Mosquito Fleet, connected towns around Puget Sound before roads and bridges. Real photos of steamers and landings are popular with maritime collectors.
The east side
Spokane, rebuilt after its 1889 fire, was the hub of the Inland Empire. The Palouse wheat country, with its rolling hills, harvest crews and grain elevators, appears on real photo cards. Irrigation turned the Yakima and Wenatchee valleys into orchard country, and real photos of orchards and packing houses are collected.
Places and subjects to look for
- Seattle: the regrades, the waterfront, the market and the 1909 exposition.
- Tacoma and Everett: sawmills, smelters and the waterfront.
- Grays Harbor: Aberdeen, Hoquiam and lumber schooners.
- Puget Sound towns: Port Townsend, Bellingham and island towns.
- Spokane and the Palouse: wheat harvests and the city.
- The valleys: Yakima and Wenatchee orchards.
- Mount Rainier: early views of Paradise and the inn.
Real photos versus printed views
Mount Rainier, Seattle landmarks and later chrome scenic cards were printed in quantity. Real photos of logging, mills, canneries, steamers and small towns carry most of the value in a Washington collection.
What is common
Printed Mount Rainier scenics, Seattle skyline views and later chrome tourist cards are plentiful.
Why Washington logging cards are prized
Logging camps moved as the forests were cut, and many existed for only a few years. Photographers who traveled to them made images of crews and giant trees, printed in small numbers for the loggers themselves. Those cards are the best visual record of how the great forests were logged, and collectors, historians and families with logging roots seek them.
Railroads
The Northern Pacific, the Great Northern and the Milwaukee Road crossed the Cascades, and the Great Northern's Cascade Tunnel and the 1910 Wellington avalanche, which swept trains off the tracks, are historically significant subjects. Depot real photos are collected.
Mining and the north
Coal mines at Roslyn, Black Diamond and Newcastle, and gold and silver camps in the Okanogan and around Monte Cristo, appear on real photo cards. Roslyn's miners came from many countries, and its cemeteries and lodges reflect that. Real photos of these mining towns are scarce and collected.
Disasters and events
Washington real photographers recorded fires, floods, train wrecks, logging accidents and storms, along with parades, fairs and the potlatch celebrations Seattle held in the early 1900s. Event real photos from identified Washington towns are prized.
Questions about Washington postcards
Are Washington logging postcards valuable? Real photos of crews and giant trees, especially by known photographers, are among the most collectible.
Are AYP Exposition postcards collectible? Yes, especially unusual exhibits and real photos.
Are Puget Sound steamer postcards worth anything? Real photos of Mosquito Fleet steamers and landings are popular.
Do you buy Washington collections? Yes, complete collections from anywhere in the state, by mail.