December in Wedgwood: Hunter Tree Farm

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Hunter kiosk 12.13.2014Each year, the Hunter Tree Farm sells Christmas trees at 7744 35th Ave NE in Wedgwood.

This article is the story of the Hunter family and how they came to establish their Christmas tree lot in the Wedgwood neighborhood of northeast Seattle.

William O. Hunter and his wife Carol met at Shelton High School in rural Mason County, Washington, where William’s father had a dairy farm.  William and Carol married in 1948, and they began taking the farmland into the next generation of business development by growing and selling evergreen Christmas trees.

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Meadowbrook Update: December 2014

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Along the arterial 35th Ave NE there is a low point in the road between NE 105th and 115th Streets.  In past times before the building of roads and houses, the area was a natural flood plain for The Confluence of Thornton Creek.  The two branches, North and South converge at this point.  In 1996-98 the Meadowbrook Pond was created by Seattle Public Utilities as a flood control measure for holding stormwaters and filtering the water so that sediments would not “plug up the creek” downstream.

Since the time of its creation Meadowbrook Pond has functioned successfully at filtering sediments out of the water, but periodic flooding has still occurred on nearby streets and up into houses.  The year 2014 is the third in the cycle of improvements and enlargements to Meadowbrook Pond and to the creek outlets into the pond, to increase the capacity for water.

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From Morningside to Wedgwood Presbyterian Church

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History
Morningside Heights building

The Morningside Heights building is the only one named for the plat and is located at the corner of 95th & 35th.

In the 1920s and 1930s before Wedgwood acquired its name, its sense of identity and defined boundaries, the name Morningside was often used for the neighborhood.

Beginning in 1913 the Morningside Heights plat on the west side of 35th Ave NE from NE 90th to 95th Streets was the first advertised development in what would later become part of Wedgwood.

The residents of Morningside Heights wanted the benefits of community life, and one of the first actions taken was to start a church with Sunday school for the children of the neighborhood.  The organizing of this Morningside Sunday school was supported by the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Seattle, which was doing outreach in the expanding northeast neighborhoods.

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Meadowbrook Update: November 2014

Posted on November 15, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Since June 2014 the arterial 35th Ave NE has been closed at the point of NE 107th Street while the South Branch of Thornton Creek has been rechanneled and a flood plain created for greater capacity to hold water.  The work of the Confluence Project necessitated digging up the roadbed.  The work is coming along, but the target date for re-opening 35th Ave NE has been set back due to delays caused by rainy and cold weather.  The roadway is being rebuilt with a bridge-like structure, sidewalks and rails, and time is needed for the concrete to “cure.”

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Autumn Leaves

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Flame Ash trees along 35th Ave NE

The Wedgwood neighborhood of northeast Seattle, renowned for its beautiful trees, is a wonderland of color during the autumn season.

The flame ash street trees along the arterial 35th Ave NE turn crimson in October-November.  These street trees extend along 35th Ave NE beginning at NE 84th Street, northward to where the arterial meets Lake City Way NE at NE 137th Street.

Not only along the arterials, but also on side streets and in the yards of residences in Wedgwood, the show of colorful leaves is a feast to the eyes.

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Meadowbrook Update: October 2014

Posted on October 26, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

In October 2014 the flame ash street trees along 35th Ave NE are showing their autumn colors.  Since June 2014 street signs have been posted to warn drivers along the arterial that 35th Ave NE is closed to through-traffic at NE 107th Street where construction is underway at The Confluence. The Confluence is the place at NE 107th Street where the North and South Branches of Thornton Creek converge.  At that lowest point in the roadway, stormwaters have often flooded surrounding streets and houses.  This year of 2014 is the third phase of construction at The Confluence to add capacity for water and improve the environment for fish.

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Autumn’s Untidy Beauty

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Author Christy Peterson has provided us with a good excuse NOT to rake up all the leaves in the yard!  Skip the tidying, Christy advises.  Left where they fall, leaves and dying vegetation provide habitat for birds.  In rethinking fall clean-up, Christy writes,

Autumn seed heads provide food for birds. Photo courtesy of Tweets & Tree Frogs blog, October 2014.

Autumn seed heads provide food for birds.   Photo courtesy Christy Peterson, October 2014.

My little corner of the earth is slipping towards its winter nap. Leaves are falling, flowers fading, and everything is looking just a bit unkempt. (More so than normal anyway – my garden has never quite achieved the opposite of unkempt!) Despite the ragged edges, I won’t be rushing out with clippers and rakes. That’s because the fallen leaves and ragged stems that look untidy to us are gold for backyard wildlife.

Read more at Christy Peterson’s blog, Cultivating Wonder.

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Pumpkin Season in Wedgwood

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History
The ever-ready Scouts of Troop 151 promote pumpkin sales in Wedgwood.

The ever-ready Scouts of Troop 151 promote pumpkin sales in Wedgwood.

This year’s fun fall festival of pumpkins is brought to you by Scout Troop 151.  They are getting into the spirit with costumed sales helpers and a great variety of gourds for your October decorating needs.

The annual pumpkin extravaganza is held in the heart of the Wedgwood neighborhood of Seattle at the Hunter Tree Farm, 7744 35th Ave NE next to the Wedgwood Post Office.

Shop for pumpkins on Friday evening from 4 to 8 PM, and all day on Saturday and Sunday, 10 to 6.  Sunday, October 26 will be the last day of pumpkin sales.

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Meadowbrook Update: September 2014

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

The rain and cooler temperatures of the week of September 21 to 27, 2014, were a signal to fish, that it is almost time for them to swim upstream!  The summer dry-season is over, and in-water work at The Confluence on Thornton Creek must finish by the end of September in compliance with state regulations on habitat for fish.

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Bird Migration Routes

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History
Rufous Hummingbird by Lois Manowitz via Birdshare

Rufous Hummingbird by Lois Manowitz via Birdshare

An article from the All About Birds Blog of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology explains how birds migrate seasonally, following the “green wave” of plant resources.  The bird migration patterns show the importance of conservation efforts such as building the tree canopy.

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