Seattle has packed a lot of history into the 150 years since its incorporation. Much of that history-the stories, the people, dialogue and debate, conflict and vision-is preserved in the Seattle Municipal Archives. The collection’s documents, maps, photographs, and ephemera bear witness to the texture, color, and voices of an ever-growing and changing city.

The 150 artifacts highlighted in this book illustrate a transformed geography, developed and redeveloped neighborhoods, and waves of city-defining immigration and emigration. They show us how the city’s psyche and its physical and social landscape-its aspirations-were shaped. The steady push and pull of community organizers and civic leaders, and the everyday needs of the people who call this place home, give Seattle its remarkable spirit, just as they have since its first cornerstones were pounded into place on the shores of Elliott Bay.