Category Archives: Seattle History
Along the Road: From Pontiac to Sand Point Way NE
There was not yet a road called Sand Point Way NE when the first commercial activities began at about NE 70th Street on Lake Washington. In the 1880s Edward F. Lee had a boat-building shop there, and Osborn M. Merritt … Continue reading
Sorting Out Seattle Street Names
In Seattle’s early years, 1851 to 1889, owners of property could lay out a plan for streets and give them any names they chose. But as the city grew, segments of a street would often have several different names as … Continue reading
Street Clocks in Seattle
In May 2020 a street clock called Benton’s Jewelers was removed from its location, packed and sent for restoration. The clock at 3216 NE 45th Street was located east of the University Village shopping center and east of the five-way … Continue reading
The Rosaia Family in Wedgwood
Immigrants are the lifeblood of America, bringing energy, enthusiasm and enterprise to their adopted land. On this blog I have highlighted some stories of immigrants who settled in Wedgwood in northeast Seattle and who became active participants in the neighborhood. … Continue reading
Van Doren in Washington Territory
When we think of the pioneer white settlers of Washington Territory, we are referring to those who came before statehood in 1889. We assume that these adventurers were young single men out to make their fortune or young families seeking … Continue reading
Annexed Cities
One of the most common questions I receive on my blog is about the Seattle City Limits and on what date different areas came into the city. Some neighborhoods of Seattle such as Ballard and Ravenna started out as separate … Continue reading
Seattleness
Did you know that Seattle residents live under 240 days of gray skies per year? The cover illustration of this wonderful book, Seattleness, is a histogram featuring color samples from the Seattle sky measured over a year’s time and laid … Continue reading
Seattle Street Names North of Lake Union
Seattle historian Rob Ketcherside has previously cataloged the street names which were reorganized in a major City ordinance in the year 1895. That was when the decision was made to have Seattle’s streets keep one name along their entire length, … Continue reading
Discovering History through Digitized Newspapers
Washington State is rich in digital resources for historic research. Many of the research collections of the Washington State Library are on-line. The Washington State Library, a division of the Office of Secretary of State, has launched a new website … Continue reading
The Naming of Seattle
Along with the story of the naming of Seattle’s downtown streets, here on this blog I have also explored ways to find out the meaning of street names outside of the downtown area. The origins of the naming of the … Continue reading
