About this site

This website is devoted to a collection of photographs, letters, scrapbooks, personal papers and documents belonging to the Nordhoff family of Seattle, WA. This site serves as a discovery tool to the actual collection and features photographs of items in the collection organized mainly by person, as well as an inventory list (box list), genealogy information, and a diary transcription.

This site was created by Greta Kuriger during Nov. 2009 – Feb. 2010.

A.A.’s Alaska scrapbook

“Dad Don Mother” “At Child’s Glacier”

“Fort Yukon” “E. Church at Fort Yukon”

“Art Gay”

“Dad” “Party at Metlakatla Seth Mann + Father Duncan”

“Metlakatla Indian Reservation” “S.S. Jefferson” “Metlakata”

“Kyak race” “Launching” “Nome”

“McIntosh, Dr. Eltinge, Collins, Pa” “North West Mounted Police”

“Salmon + Porpoise at Ketchikan” “Totem Poles. Sitka.”

“Stopping for wood on the Yukon.”

“11 P.M. Sunset on the Yukon.”

“Along the White Pass” “Shooting White Horse Rapids”

Seattle snow storm postcards – 1916

“Snow began falling on the morning of January 31, and continued unabated until more than three feet had accumulated on level land. Schools closed, streetcars halted in their tracks, and the Humane Society spread the alarm to protect domestic animals and wildlife. At 3:13 p.m. on February 2, 1916, after two days of heavy snow, the ornate dome of St. James Cathedral, at 9th Avenue and Marion Street on First Hill, crashed 120 feet into the nave below. Miraculously, no one was injured by falling debris and 15 tons of wet snow.” – Walt Crowley at HistoryLink.org

The Coliseum had just opened on Jan. 8, 1916. The building as it stands today, housing a Banana Republic.

via plasticfootball on flickr

12 August 1913 – North Bend – Half way house

Arose 7A.M. Tom and myself left the Bend on Spot and Billie about 8 A.M. We rode along easily during the morning and Tommy was again satisfied in getting out in what he called God’s Country. When we struck the Grail we got off and walked and let the horses walk along alone in front of us. They kept far in front of us and soon we saw them no more until we walked clear to the Half Way House and Jean McNamara stopped them and tied them up. We had lunch and went soon on towards Taylors. Our kind friend Vetter gave us a chunk of bacon . Everything went along nicely. I took a picture of Tommy and horse at the Ladder where he had a close shave before and where many horses have been lost. Then, just when we were getting over the worse part of the trail at the mouth of Taylor River Tommys horse Spot got his right hind leg caught in between two rocks.  We could not force him back or pull his foot out and the more he tried to get out the worse it got. Then Tom decided to run back to the halfway house and get some help and a gun in case he should have to shoot him.

11 August 1913 – North Bend

Arose 5 A.M. breakfast. We packed up put valuables and blankets on Vetters horse and left cooking utensils for Hubbard to pack in Tuesday. We hiked to Bend after leaving 7:10 to 12 noon. We met Tom Perry 8 miles down trail leading Tom J. horse. He was enthusiastic over the beautiful woods, primevial forest and called it God’s Country, and cursed the day and sultry streets of the city. He wanted me to – but —– came back to the Bend where we loafed around the rest of the day.  He and myself planned to leave tomorrow and go back by the trail to Hot springs and come back in three days called folks up who are going to Far Away. $15.75 to the good get.

10 August 1913 – Half way house

Joe Johnson left about 9 o’clock riding one of the horses which belonged to people who stayed here all night. Gay, Stew and myself are the only ones left here of the bunch and things are quiet. We have a lot of grub and want to sell it or give it to packers for being packed in. John Dary has only horse up here and we are left in a stew as to how to get back, anyway tomorrow, because things are too dead up here. I wanted to go up to hot springs but its too late now and Stewart doesn’t care to go up. There are hot mineral baths and drinking water. Some old jake here says, there’s no use comin’ up here, without goin’ up to the hot springs. Nearly 50 people are up there at present. Stewart and I climbed the hill in front of half way house and I took 4 pictures up there. We afterwards went swimming in river. Made arrangements to pack in to North Bend.

9 August 1913 – Half way house

The crazy Isaquah bunch left about 9:30 and left us to recover from our 2 days hearty laugh. The kids had a fierce time catching Tom’s horse. The nutty John Dary would chase around like a chicken with its head cut off which would make the others unmanageable. Tom left about noon. Joe and Gay came back from a hard walk. They did not get to the top but damn near it. No water kept the renowned mountain climbers from reaching the top of the peak. After supper 3 people came Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter and informed most of the pack on their horse fell off about 8 miles back. They lost blankets and food. It’s a wonder one fellow didn’t leave his pants behind along the trail.

8 August 1913 – Half way house

Arose 10 A.M. after breakfast Gay and Joe Johnston left with pack to climb Mt. Garfield. They walk up a little beyond Taylors place and then are supposed to turn strait up hill. In afternoon Tom Jones and myself went fishing up Pratt River. The lower part is fished out. The best way to go fishing is to walk a mile or mile ½ up Pratt trail and cut down E. river. When we came back we heard sorrowful mews and like death mews from Tom. His father had sent word for him to come home immediately to go to work. For such a fine, good natured fellow as Tom to go to work seemed like the world was coming to an end.

7 August 1913 – Half way house

Harvey left this morning riding a pack saddle with pack train.  Tom Perry after he and the others had chased around field for a couple of hours caught John Dary and he too went for home.  Gay, Stew and myself took a trolly ride across the river at Wells place. I met Mr. Wells. He was with Harold Hartman and Engineer Thompson, practically all the property on both sides of the river up to Government reserve starts at mouth of Pratt river. Tom Perry came back after finding John his horse was lame. Later he and Stewart left on other horses for the Bend late in afternoon. We sat around by fire in front of house and laughed at the crazy antics of the fellows from Issaquah. One that was the funniest was called Soapy. They named him Soapy because in running his confectionary store he always was getting schemes to get the nickels from the kids. His name is Armand Lake or something like that and he knows Charlie Robinson and Tom Grisscol very well –

Bed 11:30

6 August 1913 – Easton – Rockdale – Pratt River – Half way house

We dressed 6 A.M. Had breakfast. Sent a postal card to Tom Jones to prove we got over the pass. The train leaves Easton 7:30 and was a few minutes early. To see Tom with a pack on his back and a gun in his hand and me with packages hanging all around me was a sight worth seeing. We left Rockdale at 8:35 for a 15 ½ mile hike back over trail. We got to the pass at 12 noon. Had some lunch, passed the outlet at 12:45 and arrived at Half Way house at 4:45 P.M. The view is certainly magnificent way up near the pass. The lakes are worth hiking to see. The kids were here and 4 other fellows from Issaquah. Tom Jones, Joe Johnson and Gay the day before went up to Hot Springs and had a bath and got back the next day. The whole gang played cards in the evening, Mr. Padden father of Howard Padden told me some of his experiences out here with Indians in the sixties and seventies. He was once one of the best walkers in King County.

Milwaukee Railroad near Easton 1923 from the Washington State Historical Society.