Katie Mcclure

RVHS is proud to honor Estela Ortega as our 2025 History Maker, recognizing her over five decades of leadership in building community, advancing equity, and creating opportunities that have shaped the lives of thousands across Rainier Valley, Seattle, and beyond. Born in Harris, Texas, in 1950, Ortega grew up working in the cotton fields from the age of eight. Those early years, marked by hardship and resilience, instilled in her a lifelong empathy for others and a belief that dignity and...

Discover the legacy of Bob’s Quality Meats in Columbia City—family-owned for generations, famous for Texas Hot sausage, and rooted in Rainier Valley history.

Take a stroll through time with this 1908 photo of Rainier Avenue, looking East towards the heart of Columbia City between Edmonds Street on the left and Ferdinand Street to the right. Can you recognize what still stands more than 100 years later? Scroll down to test your Columbia City knowledge! View to the East along Rainier Ave. Photo by Ashel Curtis. UW Libraries, Special Collections, UW31146. The Toby Building – 4850 Rainier Ave S (Built 1907) Legend has it that Simeon Toby planned to...