Seattle Chamber of Commerce

Established in 1882, the Seattle Chamber of Commerce was responsible for establishing railroad terminals in Seattle and developing the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the Pasco-Kennewick Bridge, and the commerce of the Columbia River Basin. The chamber addressed its goals through committees that focused on areas such as Alaska, city affairs, county affairs, foreign and domestic affairs, logged-off lands and irrigation, mercantile issues, rivers and harbors, state affairs and legislation, and transportation. During the first decades of the twentieth century, the Seattle Chamber of Commerce organized tours of various parts of Washington State to encourage the commercial development of agriculture and natural resources in areas such as such as mining, forestry, and hydroelectric power. The two trips documented in this collection were railroad tours of Eastern Washington.

The Seattle Chamber of Commerce was established on April 17, 1882, by 23 businessmen, including Henry L. Yesler, Judge Thomas Burke, H.B. Bagley, and others, with J.R. Lewis serving as the first president. By 1890 the Chamber was incorporated and had grown to three hundred members. The Chamber's earliest endeavors included establishing railroad termini in Seattle and developing the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the Pasco-Kennewick Bridge, and the commerce of the Columbia River Basin. By 1893 both the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific Railroads had located their termini in Seattle.

In 1912 the Chamber's membership directory stated: "The objects of this Association are to foster, protect, and advance the commercial, industrial, mercantile, and other public interests of the City of Seattle; to promote the growth and development of the State of Washington, the Territory of Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest." The Chamber addressed these goals through committees that focused on areas such as Alaska, city affairs, county affairs, foreign and domestic affairs, logged-off lands and irrigation, mercantile issues, rivers and harbors, state affairs and legislation, and transportation.