Looking for the Seattle Experience: Betty MacDonald

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

If you have ever encountered tourists at Snoqualmie Falls and North Bend who are looking for Twin Peaks sites, or visitors from around the world who flock to Forks in search of Twilight, then you have had a taste of the international romance with the Pacific Northwest experience.   A new biography, Looking for Betty MacDonald, will debut this week as the story of a Pacific Northwest author whose writing caught the imagination of people in many other countries.

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Tour of Modern Sacred Spaces in Wedgwood

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

On September 10, 2016, there will be a tour of two modern architectural churches in the Wedgwood neighborhood:  Our Lady of the Lake and University Unitarian.

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Looking, Listening, Birding

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Northeast Seattle has wonderful natural areas where you may see birds and other wildlife, including Magnuson Park on Lake Washington, Meadowbrook Pond at NE 107th Street on the east side of 35th Ave NE, and the Union Bay Natural Area.  While the trails in the UBNA are currently closed for construction, another good option for birdwatching is on the adjacent Yesler Swamp Trail which also looks out over Union Bay.

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Wedgwood’s Business District in 1958

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Business WordCloudAll of the Wedgwood neighborhood came into the Seattle City Limits in 1954, and then all of Wedgwood’s businesses were listed in the Seattle City Directories.  The business listings are a fascinating look at the economics and lifestyle of the 1950s.

By way of contrast, a listing of the present-day businesses along 35th Ave NE shows the changes in economic conditions in Wedgwood over the decades and changes in the types of goods and services which are wanted.  The business listings are different now, but the buildings themselves are much the same, dating from the 1940s and 1950s during Wedgwood’s period of growth and development.

Copyright notice:  text and photos in this article are protected under a Creative Commons Copyright.  

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Wedgwood: A Leafy Neighborhood

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Wedgwoodians love their neighborhood trees, including the Flame Ash street trees which line the arterial 35th Ave NE.  Here is a map of the City of Seattle street trees.

In addition to nurturing the trees that we already have, Wedgwoodians are enthusiastic about planting even more trees.

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Wedgwood’s Wildlife

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Throughout northeast Seattle there are many ravines, big and small, with creeks running eastward down to their outlets at Lake Washington.  As can be seen throughout the city, there are possum, raccoon and coyotes living in Wedgwood’s ravines.   It has been rumored that deer live in the wooded ravines, as well.

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Original Resources, Real History

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Have you heard of Frederich Drumpf, a German immigrant who operated a restaurant in Seattle in the 1890s?

Real historians use original documents and verify their sources, and in this essay by Seattle historian Rob Ketcherside, we see that getting at the truth about Mr. Drumpf required painstaking research.

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Preserving Wedgwood’s Scarlet Oak Heritage Tree

Posted on June 25, 2016 by Wedgwood in Seattle History
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has an Urban Forestry division which maintains street trees.  In this June 2016 article from the SDOT blog, the tree crew explains the work which was done to preserve Wedgwood’s Scarlet Oak Heritage Tree located on NE 77th Street at the corner of 38th Ave NE.

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Classic Maps of Washington State

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Did you know that the Washington State Office of the Secretary of State has a blog page????   Well, it seems like just about everyone has a blog now!

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Herons in Seattle

Posted on June 19, 2016 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

What does a teenage Great Blue Heron look like?

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