General Files - Related Sources

The records series and reference materials below comprise a selection of sources in the Seattle Municipal Archives that span the time period of the General Files and complement the collection. This list does not include all of the records that date back to the 1880s and 1890s, but rather, includes those records that relate closely to the most significant issues that are addressed in the General Files.

The entries for records series include the name of the agency that created or maintained the records, the records series title, the identification number as it appears in the Archives Guide, inclusive dates, and brief description of the series. To see longer descriptions of these records and to locate other material from this time period, see the Guide to the Archives of the City of Seattle.

Records Series

Board of Public Works. Minutes (0600-01), 1894-1967.
Proceedings of the Board of Public Works which include Board actions, correspondence and reports filed for Board action, and discussion.

City Comptroller. Chauncey W. Ferris Correspondence (1800-08) 1889-1892.
Correspondence of Ferris during his tenure as first Comptroller of Seattle and as City Clerk.

City Comptroller. Will H. Parry Correspondence (1800-09), 1898-1899.
Comptroller Parry's correspondence relating to city investments, bonds, general finance, and purchasing.

Office of the City Clerk. City Charter (1801-01), 1869-present.
The City Charter documents the legal status of the City, defines its powers and physical boundaries, establishes the responsibilities of city officials, and records the required functions of city agencies. Seattle's first charter was passed by the Territorial Legislature in 1869; subsequent new charters were passed by vote of the citizens in 1890, 1896, and 1946. The original charter is in the State Archives in Olympia.

Office of the City Clerk. Ordinances (1801-02), 1869-present.
Permanent laws of the City passed by City Council and signed by the Mayor. Includes ordinance number, title, text, date passed, and signatures. In some instances, background correspondence and affidavits of publication are filed in the ordinance jackets. Most ordinances from number 1 to 254 are not extant. Ordinances 255 to 1068 are found in bound volumes. All other ordinances are available on microfiche.

Office of the City Clerk. Seattle City Council Minutes (1801-12), 1881-present.
Official proceedings of the Seattle City Council. Includes dates, members present, and actions taken. Council minutes do not record debate on issues. Separate volumes were kept for both Houses during Seattle's experiment with a bicameral council (1890-1896).

Office of the City Clerk. Mayor's Messages (1802-C2), 1896-1988.
Annual messages, budget messages, vetoes, executive orders, proclamations, and other special messages of Seattle's mayors. Vetoes make up the bulk of the messages. Liquor licenses are a frequent subject of vetoes through 1913 and railways and related issues through the 1920s. Garbage collection is another issues that arises several times between 1903 and 1913.

Office of the City Clerk. Reports and Studies (1802-D9), 1895-1986.
Published and unpublished reports produced by City agencies or consultants for City agencies. These reports and studies concern all past and present activities, services, and controversies of City government.

Departmental Annual Reports
Annual reports detailing activities and expenditures.

• Building Department (1802-F4), 1894-1977
• Civil Service Commission (1802-F7), 1896-1973
• Comptroller (1802-F9), 1890-1991
• Fire Department (1802-G4), 1895-1960
• Harbor Department (1802-G5), 1894-1958
• Health Department (1802-G6), 1896-1983
• Law Department (1802-H1), 1894-1973
• Parks and Recreation (1802-H6), 1894-1984
• Police Department (1802-H8), 1894-1985
• Public Library (1802-I5), 1894-1985
• Streets and Sewers Department (1802-I7), 1895-1931
• Water Department (1802-J2), 1894-1972

Office of the City Clerk. Local Improvement District Files (1804-01), 1881-1999.
Project files for street, sewer, and other improvements funded by assessments against property benefiting from improvement. Files include specifications, bids, contracts, notices of assessment, bonds, majority petitions, payment statements, affidavits of publication, estimates of cost, certificates of completion, protests against assessments, drawings, and City Council committee reports. Arranged by LID number after 1891 and alphabetically for earlier years.

Office of the City Clerk. Franchise Records (1805-01), 1889-1906.
Correspondence, ordinances, agreements, and franchise statements relating to franchise granted by the City for street railways, railroad right--of-ways, and utilities. Includes some franchises of the City of Ballard. Arranged by file number. Index volume included with records lists franchise recipient, ordinance number when included, and file number.

Office of the City Clerk. Clerical Department Correspondence (1810-01), 1896.
Correspondence of Comptroller Will H. Parry in his capacity as City Clerk. Includes an index. Also included in the volume is an inventory of records and equipment stored in the City Clerk's records' vaults.

Office of the City Clerk. City Clerk R.F. Stewart Correspondence (1810-02), 1894-1896.
Correspondence relating primarily to Council support functions of the City Clerk. The bulk of the material is outgoing correspondence reporting on actions taken by City Council. Principal correspondents include the Board of Public Works, City Comptroller, Corporation Counsel, and Reginald H. Thomson, then City Engineer.

Engineering Department. City Engineer's Correspondence (2600-02), 1890-1898.
Correspondence, estimates of expenses, payroll statements, and various reports by the City Engineer. Includes correspondence of Albro Gardner and Reginald H. Thomson.

Engineering Department. Reports of the City Engineer (2600-04), 1894-1910.
Correspondence, reports of work completed, bid tabulations, payroll distributions, local improvement summaries, and other reports relating to department activities.

Engineering Department. Unrecorded Subject Files (2602-02), 1890-1986.
Correspondence, memoranda, and reports relating to subjects relating to Engineering projects and activities. Includes Benezette Williams' 1890 report "Water Works for the City."

Engineering Department. Water System Correspondence (2627-04), 1890-1931.
Correspondence of City Engineer regarding construction, extension, and maintenance of the City's water system. Includes information on reservoirs, water mains, and pipelines. Volume one contains correspondence and calculations of Benezette Williams who conducted the first survey of the Cedar River Watershed and issued the first plan for a City water system.

Fire Department. Board of Fire Commissioners Minutes (2800-01), 1890-1896.
Proceedings of Board meetings. The Board was established by the Charter of 1890 with responsibility of overseeing and regulating the City's first professional fire department.

Fire Department. Fire Chief's Correspondence (2801-01), 1894-1928.
Correspondence relating to Fire Department activities. Includes information on equipment needs and purchases, department budget, code violations, assessments of station sites, equipment and apparatus evaluations, and personnel matters.

Health Department. Board of Health Minutes (3200-01), 1890-1911.
Proceedings of the Board of Health. Includes monthly reports (1890-1892) of the Health Officer with statistical summary of deaths and nuisances reported. Subjects include sewers, drainage, contagious diseases, building inspections, vital statistics, and burials.

Department of Parks and Recreation. Board of Park Commissioners Minutes (5800-01), 1890-1991.
Proceedings of the Park Board. The Board acts in an advisory capacity to the Mayor, City Council, and Department of Parks and Recreation. Minutes were kept for 1890-1894 and 1902 to the present.

Department of Parks and Recreation. Parks Department Monthly Reports (5802-12), 1891-1894.
Monthly reports on work done in Seattle parks from 1891 to 1894. The reports are authored by James Taylor and E.O. Schwagerl, the first two superintendents of the Parks Department. Parks included in the reports are Kinnear Park, Denny Park, City Park, and Pioneer Place. The August 1893 report also covers the Pacific Coast Park Preserve around Mt. Rainier. Work on the boulevards is included in some reports. Reports include lists of trees, shrubs and bulbs planted as well as lists of cuttings and seeds in the park nursery.

Personnel Department. Labor Commissioner's Correspondence (6005-01), 1896-1908.
Correspondence from the Labor Commissioner to businesses seeking temporary and permanent laborers, individuals requesting employment, and persons from out of state gathering information regarding employment possibilities in Seattle. The City Charter created the position of Labor Commissioner in the Civil Service Department and established the Public Employment Office. The Public Employment Office maintained applications of individuals seeking work and employers seeking workers, and acted as a clearinghouse for employment. The Labor Commissioner, who was also Chief Examiner, managed the office and also maintained labor statistics for the City.

Police Department. Board of Police Commissioners Minutes (6400-01), 1890-1896.
Proceedings of Commission meetings. Includes reports of disciplinary actions and policy decisions concerning the Seattle Police Department. The Board was established by the Charter of 1890 to oversee and regulate the Police Department.

Office of the Treasurer. Tax Lists for the City of Seattle (8004-01), 1874-1878.
Rolls of taxes levied by the City on its residents. Includes name, description of property, value of real estate and personal property, total valuation, amount assessed for each tax, and total tax. Taxes levied included Road Poll, Road Property, City, Gas Light, Fire, and Cemetery.

Water Department. Superintendent's Correspondence (8200-02), 1891-1958.
Outoing correpondence from the Superintendent of Water concerning all aspects of the department's activities. Arranged chronologically.

Water Department. Historical Files (8200-10), 1890-1959.
Correspondence, reports, leases, ordinances, specifications, articles and speeches, and financial records relating to the history of the Water Department and the City's water system. Records were compiled from several sources by Mary McWilliams for research on her book "Seattle Water Department History, 1854-1954."

Water Department. Water Fund Ledger (8201-01), 1890-1891, 1899.
First ledger of the City water system following the purchase of Spring Hill Water Company and creation of the water fund. Includes tap number, street, house number, occupancy type, owner, payer, property and characteristics of property, monthly rate, and payments by month.

Water Department. Miscellaneous Water Supply Correspondence (8203-04), 1889-1904.
Information requests, contracts for supplies, orders for supplies, notices of appointment, and general correspondence relating to the City's water system.

Other Sources

City of Seattle Directories, 1890-1995.

Chronological History of Seattle (Typescript). Thomas W. Prosch, 1901.

Anderson's New Guide Map of the City of Seattle and Environs, 1890.