Schwabacher 's Wharf , site of the city 's first customs house and first bonded warehouse had the good fortune to be the only wharf on Seattle 's Central Waterfront to survive the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 . The arrival of the '' Portland '' at Schwabacher 's Wharf in July 1897 , with its " ton of gold " , is usually counted as the start of the Yukon Gold Rush , from which the Schwabachers profited greatly as outfitters . Schwabacher 's Wharf was also the terminus for Seattle 's first shipping trade route to the Orient , connecting to the Great Northern Railway
Great Seattle Fire
Great Seattle Fire
Schwabacher Brothers