Large-scale special events, such as world's fairs and conventions, often can serve as a defining moment for a city. In terms of the development of Seattle's self-image, the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition and the 1999 World Trade Organization Ministerial meeting rank as notable events at opposite ends of the twentieth century. Two lesser known events that took place in Seattle, however, were not without their significance. The Shriners convention that took place in July 1915 (officially called the Forty-first Annual Session of the Imperial Council of Nobles, Mystic Shrine) and the Knights Templars Conclave that was held in the summer of 1925 (officially called the Thirty-sixth Triennial Conclave of the Knights Templars) each helped put Seattle on the national map.

Waste Cans Awaiting Removal, 1915

The 1915 Annual Report describes the removal process:

Small size garbage cans were used. The cloth used was strong, unbleached muslin dipped in linseed oil to make it impervious. These were tied tightly about the outlet from the fixture in the car and around the top of the can, thus preventing flies from gaining entrance and also minimizing the odor. The cans were braced tightly to the bottom of the car, to prevent their falling over. Several times during the twenty four hours of each day, these cans were removed and replaced with clean ones, the soiled ones taken away to the cleaning plant...

The 1915 Annual Report continues its account of the cleaning process: The cleaning plant was composed of four troughs lined with galvanized iron, sloping to the sewer manhole. Each can was scrubbed with brooms and rinsed thoroly [sic], as shown, after which they were rinsed again with a solution of bi-chloride of mercury drawn from the barrel on the platform above the workmen's heads. So successful was the entire scheme that we had no complaints."

Crew Removes Cans for Emptying and Cleaning, 1915