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Riding the Number 7: Celebrating Rainier Valley's Heritage and Community

"Riding the Number 7" stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of community, resilience, and dedication that defines Rainier Valley. The

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Southeast Seattle ZIP Code 98118: Neighborhood of Nations

It's been said that the 98118 ZIP code in Southeast Seattle is the most diverse in the United States.

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Unveiling of the Hillman City Heritage Bell

Join us at the Hillman City Block Party for the official unveiling of the Hillman City Heritage Bell - Hillman City’s new landmark!

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Meet Cathy Fields - The Artist Behind the Hillman City Heritage Bell

Meet Cathy Fields and read her artist statement for Hillman City's newest landmark, the Hillman City Heritage Bell.

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Ghosts on the Ceiling

I was born on March 30, 1947 in Rochester New, York. I came to live in my grandmother’s house, where my dad and uncle grew up. The house...

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Lake Washington Regatta at Seward Park - 1947

Rowing is the oldest intercollegiate sport in the U.S. that began with a race between Yale and Harvard Universities in 1852. Years later,...

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Row, Row, Row Your Boat ...

Rainier Valley’s Connection to the 1936 Olympic Gold Medal Reading the captivating and best selling book Boys in the Boat, inspired us to...

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The Real Boys In The Boat - RVHS 133rd Annual Meeting

Presenting: "The Real Boys in the Boat" - A Daughter Remembers Join us and Judy Rantz Willman, daughter of University of Washington crew...

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What am I going to do with these plums?

Garlic Gulch Legacy by Mikala Woodward, Excerpted from Rainier Valley Food Stories Cookbook Many Italian families – like many other...

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Garlic Gulch Under the Microscope

The Rainier Valley’s Italian community has long been a focus of interest and curiosity. In 1915 sociology graduate student Nellie Roe...

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All’s Fair in Love and War

Excerpted from Rainier Valley Food Stories Cookbook The greatest love stories all feature a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, overcome...

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Ark Lodge Building: Home of Columbia City's Fraternal Past

In this 1937 photograph we see the east side of Rainier Avenue’s 4800 block, with the ornate Ark Lodge building occupying center stage....

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Bombers Over the Rainier Valley? World War Two Defenses

These pictures arrived in our office last week, sent by Mr. Vern Farrow. They may not seem all that spectacular at first glance, but they...

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The Midwife and the Oysterman

We are grateful to a student researcher, L.S., for bringing the Dixon family to our attention. We have gleaned much from archival...

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Meet our 2023 History Makers

This year’s return to the annual RVHS Founder’s Dinner and Auction was one of the best! We gathered on October 14th to honor founder Buzz...

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37th Avenue, 1908: What’s Left?

This 1908 photo of Columbia City was taken looking north along 37th Avenue from Dawson Street at the foot of Hitt’s Hill. It is a...

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Rainier Valley’s Taylor Mill ReVisited

Discover the legacy of the Taylor Mill Company, a pivotal player in Seattle's early timber industry.

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Ruby Chow: Profile

Growing up the eldest of ten children with a single mother, Ruby Chow learned the power of ordinary people helping each other out....

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This Old Kitchen: Red Velvet Cake

When our Food Stories cookbook was being written we compiled not just recipes but recorded oral histories from people and these oral...

Dismantling Racism Series

Dismantling Racism: Black Lives Matter

Change is now. The video documenting George Floyd’s murder has shaken the world. America’s silence has been broken and voices have been...

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