Filipinos and Washington’s Waterfront

A powerful new traveling and virtual exhibit, “Filipinos and Washington’s Waterfront,” is now available online and at host sites around Maritime Washington.

“Filipinos and Washington’s Waterfront” uncovers personal stories that have long gone untold—stories of cannery workers, longshoremen, Navy sailors, faith leaders, and families. This spring marked the debut of the exhibit which explores more than a century of Filipino history, labor, and community along Washington’s saltwater shores.

Over the coming months, the physical exhibit is traveling to host sites around the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area. To see it in-person, visit these locations—and check back for updates on where it’s heading in 2026:

• September 5 – 7, 2025: Wooden Boat Festival, Port Townsend

• September – December 2025: Jefferson County Historical Society Museum of Art and History, Port Townsend

• October 2025 – November 2025: Foss Waterway Seaport, Tacoma

• January 2026 – February 2026: Harbor History Museum, Gig Harbor

Can’t make it in person? Check out the companion online exhibit, which includes all of the same stories plus tons of bonus content:

Over the past two years (thanks to generous support from the National Park Foundation and National Trust for Historic Preservation), this exhibit was developed as a partnership between the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area and Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS). Working with Auntie Dorothy Cordova—the remarkable 93-year-old historian, activist, and co- founder of FANHS—and exhibit developer Jackie Peterson, we collaborated to record new oral histories, scan archival photos, dig through archives, and organize contributions from many members of the Filipino American community in Washington State.

During the Philippine-American War, American forces hired a team of skilled Filipino workers to lay underwater communication cables between islands to aid the war effort. In 1903-1904, this team of experts was brought to Washington to lay similar cables between Seattle and Alaska— establishing a vital communications link from southeast Alaska to Seattle and the lower 48 states. Image courtesy of the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections, UW 7372

In the 1930s and ’40s, 36 Indigenous women from 19 different tribes in Canada, Washington, and Alaska migrated to Bainbridge Island to pick berries for local farmers. Many met and married young Filipino immigrants who were also working on strawberry farms. Their families settled on the island, the traditional territory of the Suquamish people, and many continue to live there today, embracing both their Indigenous and Filipino heritage. Here, Gilda Rapada and other members of Bainbridge Island’s Indipino community sit in the “Three Sisters” canoe during the annual Salmon Days Celebration on the Seattle waterfront. Image courtesy of the Filipino American National Historical Society.

During the Philippine-American War, American forces hired a team of skilled Filipino workers to lay underwater communication cables between islands to aid the war effort. In 1903-1904, this team of experts was brought to Washington to lay similar cables between Seattle and Alaska— establishing a vital communications link from southeast Alaska to Seattle and the lower 48 states. Image courtesy of the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections, UW 7372

In the 1930s and ’40s, 36 Indigenous women from 19 different tribes in Canada, Washington, and Alaska migrated to Bainbridge Island to pick berries for local farmers. Many met and married young Filipino immigrants who were also working on strawberry farms. Their families settled on the island, the traditional territory of the Suquamish people, and many continue to live there today, embracing both their Indigenous and Filipino heritage. Here, Gilda Rapada and other members of Bainbridge Island’s Indipino community sit in the “Three Sisters” canoe during the annual Salmon Days Celebration on the Seattle waterfront. Image courtesy of the Filipino American National Historical Society.

This exhibit surfaced many stories, but an overarching theme was the deeply personal connections that so many individuals have to our Washington’s maritime heritage. For many of the people featured in the exhibit, Washington’s waters were the highways that brought them to America for the first time. The shorelines were places of opportunity, where they found work in shipyards and canneries, served in the U.S. military, cooked at iconic Pacific Northwest restaurants, and mapped previously uncharted waters. And, perhaps most importantly, Washington’s waterfronts were gathering spaces where families came (and still come) together to host picnics, dig clams, celebrate religious festivals, and connect with nature.

“These stories have always existed, but too often they were kept in personal memory or family archives. This exhibit brings them to light—not just to honor the past, but to inspire pride and connection in future generations.” —Auntie Dorothy Cordova

Sharing these stories through the “Filipinos and Washington’s Waterfront” virtual exhibit, as well as a traveling banner exhibit that will visit a series of museums and public spaces throughout the region into 2026, is exactly the kind of work that Maritime Washington is meant to do: connecting people with their state’s maritime heritage. By highlighting these stories and raising the visibility of our water-based heritage, we aim to inspire all Washingtonians to explore their own connection with our saltwater shores.

Filipino workers have played a large role in labor organizing along Washington’s waterfronts. In the wake of the Great Depression, Filipinos found employment working on the docks, in shipyards, and in canneries. In particular, many Filipinos found work in Alaskan salmon canneries, shipping out from Seattle’s docks each spring for a season of hard work. In the early 1930s, several Filipino men began organizing a union to advocate for better working conditions, living accommodations, and pay for these workers. They eventually founded the Cannery Workers and Farm Laborers Union Local 18257.

Filipinos have led the kitchens of some of Washington’s most famous seafood restaurants and influenced the state’s food scene by opening numerous Filipino restaurants focused on the harvest from the sea. Auntie Dorothy’s father, Mike Castillano (pictured below, front row, second from left), worked as a chef at Ivar’s for more than 40 years, starting at the fish bar on the Seattle waterfront and going on to train dozens of other cooks. He eventually became the right- hand man for Ivar Haglund, owner of Ivar’s, and remained one of the Filipino community’s most beloved cooks.

Filipino workers have played a large role in labor organizing along Washington’s waterfronts. In the wake of the Great Depression, Filipinos found employment working on the docks, in shipyards, and in canneries. In particular, many Filipinos found work in Alaskan salmon canneries, shipping out from Seattle’s docks each spring for a season of hard work. In the early 1930s, several Filipino men began organizing a union to advocate for better working conditions, living accommodations, and pay for these workers. They eventually founded the Cannery Workers and Farm Laborers Union Local 18257.

Filipinos have led the kitchens of some of Washington’s most famous seafood restaurants and influenced the state’s food scene by opening numerous Filipino restaurants focused on the harvest from the sea. Auntie Dorothy’s father, Mike Castillano (pictured below, front row, second from left), worked as a chef at Ivar’s for more than 40 years, starting at the fish bar on the Seattle waterfront and going on to train dozens of other cooks. He eventually became the right- hand man for Ivar Haglund, owner of Ivar’s, and remained one of the Filipino community’s most beloved cooks.