1204-01: City Light Negatives

Dates: 1914 – 1995


Extent: 23637 negatives (1204-01 scanned negatives available online) ;150000 digital image files (1204-01 scanned negatives available online)


Both color and black and white photographic negatives documenting the development of Seattle’s public electric utility, including dam construction, water main installation, and facilities. Includes photos of dam construction in the Cedar River Watershed and the Skagit, and the Boundary Project; transmission lines and substations; City Light facilities, and employees. Subseries of images relate to Boundary Dam, Gorge High Dam, and Ross Dam. Other generating facilities depicted are Cedar Falls, Diablo Dam, Lake Union and Georgetown steam plants, and the Newhalem hydroelectric plant. A wide selection of images relating to the construction of the Boundary Dam are scanned and online but additional negatives and negatives depicting construction of the Diablo, Gorge, Ross and High Ross Dams are unscanned. From the late 1940s onward, subseries “P” and “C” depict employee events, substations, facilities, employees, and uses of electricity as well as additional images of the dams. Highlights include the control room at the Power Control Center, Seafair and other parades, Seattle City Light Employee Association (CLEA) events, employee sports teams, and substations across the city. The “P” ser




Search or Browse items available within this collection