SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program Floating Bridge Interpretive Signage
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LAKE WASHINGTON: A LOOK TO THE PAST Shaped by Glaciers and Changed by People, Lake Washington has a Rich History RESTORING LAKE WASHINGTON’S WATERS BOLDT DECISION A NEW FLOATING BRIDGE FOR A NEW ERA FIRST EUROPEAN- UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON ALASKA-YUKON- LAKE WASHINGTON INAUGURAL SEAFAIR From 1940 to 1963, as the population On Feb. 12, 1974, Federal Judge George Boldt Out with the old and in with the new – construction Some 17,000 years ago, large glaciers AMERICAN SETTLEMENTS COAL MINING MOVES TO LAKE WASHINGTON PACIFIC EXPOSITION SHIPYARD OPENED CELEBRATION The last tollbooth for the original SR 520 grew, water pollution in the lake increased issued a historic ruling reaffirming the rights of began in 2012 on the new floating bridge to replace the carved a deep and narrow trough, ON LAKE WASHINGTON With the discovery of coal, miners Originally located in downtown The expo showcased While shipyards on the lake date back The first Seafair was held in 1950 floating bridge closed in 1979. To help pay for dramatically. The large volume of untreated Washington’s Indian tribes to fish in accustomed aging Evergreen Point Floating Bridge. Constructed marking the beginnings of the future lake. the floating bridge construction expenses, John Harvey and Edward A. rushed to develop the eastern side of Lake Seattle, the University of Washington Seattle, celebrated its to the 1880s, the Lake Washington and the tradition continues today. commuters paid 35 cents for each sewage created algae blooms, fouling the places. The Boldt Decision allocated 50 percent with 77 pontoons, the new bridge opened in 2016 As the ice sheets retreated, they further Clark were the first European- Washington. Through a series of tramways was relocated in 1895 to its present- achievements and Shipyard was one of the most notable With hydroplane races and aerial crossing. For the new SR 520 bridge, waters. Public concern about cleaning up of the annual catch to treaty tribes. The and enhances the vital connection for pedestrians, scoured the land and Lake Washington tolls are collected electronically Americans to settle along Lake and barges, coal was transported to Elliott day location near Union Bay. The demonstrated its for the vessels built there. This performances, people and boats to keep traffic moving. “Lake Stinko” led to investments in regional Muckleshoot Indian Tribe was able to continue cyclists and commuters from Seattle to the Eastside. was formed, becoming the second largest Washington, claiming plots of Bay from mines, like the Coal Creek mine new location would better serve the economic potential shipyard built ferries and ocean- line the shores and waters of Lake pollution control and, by 1968, sewage was no exercising their treaty-reserved fishing rights in All 77 pontoons traveled through the Hiram M. natural lake in the state of Washington land near today’s Seward Park. Ford Mine top works, Museum of History & Industry in present day Newcastle. rapidly growing student population. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, Museum of History & Industry to the world. going vessels, including warships Washington for the annual event. longer discharged into the lake. Lake Washington and its tributaries. Chittenden Locks to reach Lake Washington. (after Lake Chelan). Between 1910 and 1926, the Ford Slope Mine was one of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition promotional postcard, Seattle, ca. 1909 most productive mines in the Newcastle/Coal Creek area. used during World War II. Prior to the 20th century, Lake Washington was fed primarily by the Sammamish River S 1974 1917 1950 1924 1851 2016 1855 1890 1863 1940 1909 1895 1968 1963 on the northern end of the lake. Water flowed 1870 south to exit through the (now dry) Black LAKE River on its way to Puget Sound. This linkage WASHINGTON of rivers, lake and Puget Sound fostered TREATY OF POINT ELLIOTT EARLY EASTSIDE TOWNS A LANDMARK OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL I-90: LAKE WASHINGTON’S EVERGREEN POINT FLOATING BRIDGE salmon runs and the human communities that would grow to depend on them. Signed on Jan. 22, 1855, Coal mining, logging WEST COAST CITY One of the most significant changes to shape the landscape of FIRST FLOATING BRIDGE On Aug. 28, 1963, traffic opened on the this treaty between the U.S. and farming attracted By 1890, Seattle had Lake Washington was the opening of the Ship Canal. The canal Construction of the first floating bridge across longest floating bridge in the world. The ancestors of modern day tribes in this government and multiple more settlers along Lake become the second opened more than 50 years after Seattle pioneers first envisioned the lake had a profound impact on the area’s Later renamed the Governor Albert D. 1 region thrived in village communities along the Puget Sound tribes established Washington. Juanita, largest city on the a connection between the lake and Puget Sound. Construction of development. The Lacey V. Murrow Floating Rosellini Bridge, the SR 520 floating 2 3 shores of Lake Washington. Trading and social reservations and ceded land Houghton, Newcastle west coast after the canal lowered the lake level nearly nine feet and the Black River 4 Bridge enabled people and goods to travel quickly bridge led to the rapid expansion of 5 gatherings were frequent among villages. Even to the U.S. It reserved rights and Kirkland were San Francisco. dried up entirely. The canal and the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks between shores. Cars became the primary mode of many Eastside communities. 6 with the strong cultural and historical roots, for native people to hunt, fish among the first Eastside (Ballard Locks) officially opened for boat traffic on July 4, 1917. transportation across the lake, and in 1950, the last WANT TO LEARN MORE? Additional Interpretive Sign Locations: changes rapidly followed the first encounters and gather on traditional lands. towns to be established. Regional native villages ferry on Lake Washington went out of service. with European-American settlers. Based on a map from www.coastsalishmap.org (2015). 1. Lake Washington: A Look to the Past 4. Ecology and the Environment 2. Nautical and Maritime 5. Bridge Construction and Engineering 3. Points of Interest 6. Connections to the Eastside Chudups John and others in a canoe on Lake Union, Seattle, ca. 1885, Museum of History & Industry Aerial of Kirkland from west, PEMCO Webster & Stevens Collection, Museum of History & Industry Hiram M. Chittenden Locks under construction, PEMCO Webster & Stevens Collection, Museum of History & Industry Lacey V. Murrow posing, Post-Intelligencer Ribbon cutting at the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, August 28, 1963, Chudups John, also called Cheshiahud, lived with his family north of Seattle on Portage Bay, part of Lake Growth on the Eastside began to take off in 1913 with the introduction of the first car ferry. By 1932, the city For years, there was no easy or cheap way to move logs, coal, and other resources directly from the east side of Lake Washington Collection, Museum of History & Industry Post-Intelligencer Collection, Museum of History & Industry Union. In this photo, Chudups John and several other people sit in a canoe on Lake Union. of Kirkland was a quickly developing agricultural area. to Elliott Bay. The Lake Washington Ship Canal was built by the Army Corps of Engineers between 1911 and 1917. Lacey V. Murrow posing at the entrance to the Lacey V. Murrow Floating Bridge, Seattle, 1940 Seattle Mayor Gordon S. Clinton held the red, white and blue ribbons while Governor Albert D. Rosellini cut them with a giant pair of scissors. NAUTICAL AND MARITIME From Canoes to Hydroplanes, the MARITIME CULTURE ON LAKE WASHINGTON LAKE WASHINGTON LAKE LEVELS Salmon Bay Charlie’s house at Shilsole with canoe anchored offshore, 1905 History of Lake Washington can be PEMCO Webster & Stevens Collection, Museum of History & Industry With the advent of pleasure cruising, a strong maritime culture was established on Lake The construction of the Hiram M. Chittenden peoples, displacing many from their Shilsole, near present-day LAKE WASHINGTON BOATS – PROGRESSING WITH THE TIMES Traced Through its Nautical Roots. Ballard, was once a large Washington. Since 1920, local boating enthusiasts have kicked off boating season with the Locks created a significant drop in the water villages along Lake Washington and its Native American village. By the early 1900s, only the Opening Day celebration. level of Lake Washington. The drop in lake level tributaries, the Black and Cedar Rivers. home of Salmon Bay Charlie Canoes were the primary mode of transportation on people traveling across the lake. Passenger steamers provided scheduled service to and his wife Madeline affected the ancestors of modern day native The drop in lake level limited available remained. Salmon Bay the lake into the late 19th century. Typically made from “flag stops” at private docks — passengers flagged down passing ferries when they needed NAUTICAL ORIGINS OF Charlie was also known as Opening Day is marked by food resources making the area a Indian Charlie, but in his cedar trees, carved canoes ranged in size and shape. a lift — and in the early 1900s, car ferry routes were developed between Madison Park The old SR 520 bridge had a center drawspan to own language, his name LAKE WASHINGTON was Hwechlchtid. Small, light canoes were excellent for hunting and and Kirkland, and between Leschi and Medina. crew and sailboat races and difficult place to sustain the native allow boats taller than 64 feet to pass through. The fishing, while larger canoes could efficiently transport a celebrated boat parade peoples living near the lake. floating bridge drawspan was a technical marvel when it opened in 1963, but it also led to delays for drivers The earliest people to navigate Lake Washington’s belongings and other cargo.