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Seattle Tidbits
Originally from Illinois, a group of pioneers arrived at Alki Point in 1851, led by a man named Arthur Denny, on the eastern shores of the Puget Sound. In honor of a local Indian Chief named Sealth, they named the settlement Seattle, after him. Alki Point is located on the southern side of the mouth of Elliot Bay. Most of the pioneers relocated to the eastern side of the bay, finding the location at Alki unsuitable, where downtown Seattle, Washington, is currently located.
In 1864, another pioneer from Seattle made several to trips to New York City to recruit prospective brides, since there was a shortage of marriageable women in Seattle. He returned with 100 women who became known as the Mercer girls.
The year 1869 brought the incorporation of Seattle. It wasn't long before the settlement became the largest community in Washington. When the Northern Pacific Railroad selected Seattle for is terminus, rather than Tacoma, its dominance was assured. In 1889, a massive fire was accidentally started by a man from New York named John E. Black. The fire destroyed almost all of the business district. However, the community rapidly rebuilt and as the result of newly available construction jobs, the population increased to about 40,000 people from 25,000 people.
In the past, Seattle has been known to be rather hilly. During the late 1980's, while the community was still expanding, these hills posed serious obstacles to its growth. To solve the hilly problem, a series of regrades were conducted, from which large of earth were washed away by high pressure water. The most noted of these regrades, was the Denny Regrade, which was located to the north of downtown and that continued from between1900 and 1930. Other projects were conducted to the south. Once the soil had been removed, it
was deposited in tidal flat areas to expand the land and make it available for projects such as warehouses and railroads. These days, there isn't much of the central district of Seattle that lies at the same level as when the first pioneers arrived.
Seattle was the home of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, in 909. In Washington D. C., the exposition was opened by a telegraph key being pressed by President William Howard Taft. The fair attracted 3.7 million visitors during the 123 days that it was open. In 1962, Seattle was the home of the second World's Fair. More permanent facilities were available for this fair. Seattle constructed the monorail in addition to the landmark Space Needle.
There are several critical elements required in order for a community to reach its highest potential. These include the events that act as the catalyst that brings everything together, the things that aid in the realization of a dream, places that exhibit cultural wealth, and, finally, the right people to raise the limits and inspire human endeavor.
Such people as the Olmsted Brothers, Elmer H. Fisher, Chief Seattle, leader of the Suquamish, Historic Seattle, and the rehabilitation and preservation organization, have influenced the community. Seattle is graced by many different cultural and educational venues that include the Harvard-Belmont Historic District, the Skid Road Historic District, Pioneer Square, the Columbia City Landmark District, the Ballard Avenue Historic District, the Cornish College of the Arts, and the University of Washington. Others include the Woodland Park Zoo, the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, the First Hill neighborhood, the Frye Art Museum, and the Burke Museum.
The residents of Seattle had to overcome numerous obstacles in order to survive and thrive during the early years in the history of Seattle. The Pacific Northwest as well as the Seattle region was a treasure trove of timber. The obstacle of nonexistent or poor roads had to be overcome in order to exploit it. Seattle used the services of such sea-going vessels as the Sailing Vessel Wawona. For excursions and travel in and around the Puget Sound, they used such vessels as The Steamship Virginia V.
Seattle started a robust program of self-resurrection fro0m its own ashes after the great fire. It became a showplace for the Pacific Northwest. Residential and commercial, from apartments to office buildings that were built the late 1800's, and early 1900's, embody the realized dreams of those energetic men and women who faced the 1896 Klondike Gold Rush as well as the Great Fire. Some of these buildings include The Stimson-Green Mansion, the Phillips House, The Paramount Theater, the Coliseum Theater, Trinity Parish Church, the Times Building, the Eagles Auditorium Building, the Cobb Building, the Barnes Building, Bell Apartments, Sunset Hotel, Queen Anne High School, the Pioneer Building, the Northern Life Tower, the Hoge Building, Fire Station No.25, and The Arctic Building.
The largest community on the Pacific Northwest is Seattle. The largest industry in the Seattle region has long been the Boeing Company. Such high-tech firms as Amazon.com and the Microsoft Corporation are also currently driving the growth of Seattle. The Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra and the Seattle Symphony have inspired the community from its early days. The Swedish Medical Center, based in Seattle, is the largest comprehensive non-profit health provider in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle is also famous for Starbucks Coffee, which, in 1971, opened its first coffee shop next to the Pike Place Market.
