I miss you Sam!!

I miss you Sam!!
I miss you Sam!!

Monday, June 1, 2009

That's My World -- Seattle the City



Time to share your world again! That's My World is hosted each week by Klaus, Sandy, Ivar, Wren, Fishing Guy and Louise! Click here to sign up, join us and share your world! It's a great way to travel and never have to leave the comfort of your own home.

I've shared different aspects of Seattle, where I have lived for the past several years, such as Pike's Market, the Seattle Public Library, and the Space Needle, but today I will share Seattle itself, some of it's history and some of the magnificent sights in this lovely city.


The City at Night

Seattle, the great capital of the Pacific Northwest, has had a tumultuous past, often by placing itself on the road to ruin by relying on a single industry and then rebounding gracefully with a typical Seattle resilience.


TIMBER! The Logging Industry and the Origins of Seattle
In the fall of 1851, two intrepid brothers, Arthur and David Denny, (and a handful of others who had migrated west during the Gold Rush), landed at Alki Point on the western edge of Elliot Bay. After spending a miserable winter they migrated to the eastern shores where they established the small settlement that would become Seattle—a name derived from the joint Chief of the two native tribes that inhabited the region.


The Seattle Water Front

The first major industry to grace the emerald shores of Elliot Bay was logging. From the time of the first colonial activities in 1851, the timber trade proved to be the primary source of growth in this small northwestern town. The combination of the safe bay and the proximity of lush and dense millennia-old coniferous forests made Seattle the perfect location and in 1852 Henry Yesler began construction on the first steam-powered mill in the Pacific Northwest.


The Library

Seattle quickly boomed, driven by the timber demands of an emerging shipbuilding industry in the area and massive San Francisco building projects kept money flowing into the town. Traditionally it was believed that the strip of land that Yesler was given by the settlers (and which is now occupied by Yesler Way) was the first "Skid Row" in America, named for the logs that were dragged down the hill to Yesler's mill. The abundance of alcohol, gambling and prostitution located around this center of the logging industry gave "Skid Row" its modern connotation. True or not, the tale as been part of Seattle myth for nearly a century.


Safeco Field

FIRE! The Great 1889 Seattle Fire
The abundance of timber, however, would prove disastrous for the fledgling town. On June 6th, 1889 a Seattle fire broke out. Since nearly every building was constructed of affordable, but flammable timber, the fire quickly spread, engulfing nearly the entire downtown including most of the wharves and crippling the port.


The Seattle Art Museum

While the fire was catastrophic, Seattle weathered the disaster and emerged stronger than before. The city was rebuilt in brick and stone and the massive rebuilding effort stimulated the economy providing thousands of new jobs and ensuring that the economic downturn which had affected much of the country in the last decade of the 19th century would not be felt as strongly in the Emerald City.


Seattle, the underground city.

The Seattle Underground is a network of underground passageways and basements in downtown Seattle, Washington, United States that was ground level at the city's origin in the mid-1800s. After the streets were elevated, these spaces eventually fell into disuse, but have become a tourist attraction in recent decades.

My son took me and my daughter on this tour and it was fascinating -- and a little spooky, but fun!


Sunset on Puget Sound

The Klondike Gold Rush
In August of 1896, gold was discovered in the Klondike region of Canada and the following year the steamship Portland docked in Seattle's reconstructed harbor with a famed "ton of gold" in its cargo hold. Seattle's temperate climate and location made it the obvious transportation and supply center for those heading to the frozen north in search of fortune.

While the cold climate and harsh conditions of the Klondike and Alaska ensured migrations were not nearly as extensive as they were to Oregon and California during its 1849 counterpart, the Klondike Gold Rush brought thousands of people to Seattle and flooded Seattle with reconstruction money.

49 comments:

Kay said...

Since we've just returned from Seattle, it was really, really fun to read this great post. The photos are fabulous. We loved that Underground Tour. We learned so much Seattle history there.

Anonymous said...

The underground tunnels sound so spooky. How come the elevated streets have not caved in?

Great Grandma Lin said...

lots of good info. I've been most places except library and art museum. the underground tour was interesting and of course pike's market not to be missed. thanks for a tourist's preview tour.

Deborah Godin said...

I had no idea Seattle had such a wonderful sky/shoreline! !

Anonymous said...

beautiful captures and a very informative post about the City. i love Seattle, have had a thing for it for some 30 years now.
the library is a huge WOW.

Esther Garvi said...

Wow. Beautiful city. Had a friend who lived there for a long time. I never had the chance to visit her, so thanks for sharing your wonderful tour!

Janie said...

Fascinating history of Seattle and wonderful photos. I was interested to learn the derivation of Skid Row, too!

Guy D said...

You show off Seattle so well, without doubt one of the most beautiful cities in North america.

Have a great week
Guy
Regina In Pictures

James said...

These pictures are really great, and make me want to visit Seattle again. You are very talented.

Barb said...

What a library! You wouldn't find me going into those underground spaces, though. Puget Sound looks lovely.

Maria said...

What a wonderful city! Thanks for sharing its interesting history!

Martha Z said...

Lovely pictures, interesting history.

Reader Wil said...

Seattle must be an interesting city! Is it situated near a fjord or lake? At least that's what I saw on Google Earth. Thanks for your post!

Jenn Jilks said...

Great shots.

My Muskoka was started by the logging industry, now there is much tourism. We were affected by many fires, too.

Anonymous said...

A comprehensive post. I would love to take that underground tour too, but I'm a bit claustrophobic :(

Latane Barton said...

Seattle... where our third child was born. A Navy brat. I remember living there very well. Would love to go back for a visit.

Anonymous said...

Hi Sylvia - thanks for an interesting post and some superb photographs. Truly splendid! I've had a hankering to visit Seattle ever since befriending someone from there who was touring SA many years ago... you've just awakened the dream.
Thanks also for stopping by my Bo-Kaap pic!
Best from Cape Town,
Pierre

Latane Barton said...

In response to the comment you made on my blog I just got such a kick out of us having things in common, (number of children, age etc). Thanks for visiting me. Come back anytime.

Darlene said...

Seattle has long been on my list of places I wanted to go. Thanks for the photo tour. Beautiful pictures and the fascinating history was a plus.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Sylvia: What a neat look at the city, you made some great captures of the area.

Arija said...

Sylvia, you do present your city so well and your photos are just fantastic! Most impressive.

bobbie said...

Marvelous pictures, Sylvia! The Puget Sound sunset is spectacular! Very interesting post.

Susan at Stony River said...

Interesting! I loooove the photo of Puget Sound at sunset. You've got a wonderful city, Sylvia!

Mary Elizabeth said...

Sylvia it is always great visiting you. Thanks for lovely tour.
Now and Then

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Great tour. Seattle has been on my bucket list but I've moved it up a couple notches. Great pictures. I really liked the library especially. The underground city fascinatese me.

Carver said...

Your posts are so informative and interesting. I've probably said that before but that strikes me every time I come to one of your my world posts. Wonderful photographs and text.

Anonymous said...

I haven't yet done the underground tour, but it sure looks interesting. I've always enjoyed visiting Seattle, for all the reasons you've shared with us in this and other posts.

SandyCarlson said...

My goodness; what a beautiful, romantic, inviting city.

Marja said...

What an impressive city. The library looks great and I love the underground city Would be a great setting for a story.
It is a so much fun way to learn about the history of places Thanks for that

Paul said...

cool pics!

Unknown said...

Seattle is absolutley gorgeous! Thanks for the very informative tour...I feel like I've been there! Have a great week Sylvia...

JJ

pink dogwood said...

I just love the library and the underground city :)

penny said...

Your photos make me want to pack my bags and hop on a plane to Seattle. That are magnificent!
Thanks for your visits and kind comments, Sylvia.

Anonymous said...

I love Seattle, but have not spent enough time there and missed so much. Now I know what to look out for when I get back there. Thanks.

June Saville said...

It's fun to poke around in your local history Sylvia ... Good to know a little of Seattle.

We understand a lot more of our surroundings and our community if we give a thought to the fact that our city/towns are the sum total of the past.

Sally in WA said...

Seattle is a beautiful city. I just don't like all of the traffic so I limit my trips south. I think most of them are to the airport and back. :-)

magiceye said...

all the pictures are wonderful but the sunset pic the last one takes the cake - breathtaking!

Lew said...

Beautiful shots of the city! And interesting history. I did not know Seattle had its own great fire. The library is a fascinating building.

alicesg said...

Wow Seattle looked like a very nice city to visit. The buildings are all so beautiful with all the modern architectural designs. Thanks for your comments in my blog. :)

Ebie said...

Thanks for sharing your beautiful Seattle. It is a very informative post. And so that's where they got the name Klondike Bars. Have a great week.

Vamsee Modugula said...

That is an excellent post on Seattle. Loved reading about the history of the city. Also, those are fantastic images.

Monica said...

My daughter and I have talked about doing that underground tour. T think I might have a problem as I don't like feeling closed in. Yet, I'm intriqued!

Loved the photos and history you shared of one of my favorite cities.

Jo said...

Hi Sylvia, thanks for the post on your beautiful city, I never knew it was named after an Indian Chief named Seattle. Well, all I actually know about Seattle is the Title in Sleepless in Seattle and I cannot even remember the plot in that movie anymore. So THANK you for beautiful images and the tour underground. I love the sunset over Puget Sound. Thanks for visitin my blog and your kind comments. Warm greetings from South Africa.

Trish ~ ♥ ~ said...

Coast to coast from my New York shot to your Seattle ~ love it! I would enjoy getting out west to see the rest of our beautiful country.

mannanan said...

ve the sunset on Puget Sound. thanks also for the potted history. Thanks for sharing your world with us.

Unknown said...

Those are beautiful photos..

My husband grew up near there and I would really like to go and visit Seattle, as he talks about it so much..

Wonderful post, especially the history and facts..

Re the US OUT banner in my post...as a number of posters pointed out, there is a check mark next to the words, so it should be read as 'Check Us Out'.

OK, that makes sense ... to an American. However, I'm originally from New Zealand and there, that mark is a tick mark ...so my Kiwi brain was getting totally confused!! :-)

Gaelyn said...

Excellent post Sylvia. Seattle surely has an interesting history. Never got to visit the underground.

Powell River Books said...

We come to Seattle several times a year to go to sports events at UW. Now I'm sure you think it is to root for the Huskies, but our roots go back to LA and USC. Sorry about that. I invite you to come see my Fish Bridge sculpture in La Conner. - Margy

dianasfaria.com said...

You have made me want to visit Seattle! A great tour, thank you!
p.s. I love the library.

What Can I Say?

What Can I Say?
I'm interested in almost everything. Use to like to travel, but it's too expensive now. I take Tai Chi classes, swim, volunteer in a Jump-start program for pre-schoolers. I'm an avid reader and like nearly everyone these days I follow politics avidly. I'm a former teacher and Special Projects Coordinator for a Telecommunications company, Assistant to the President of a Japanese silicon wafer manufacturing company. Am now enjoying retirement -- most of the time. I have two daughters, one son-in-law and two sons scattered all over the country. No grandchildren.

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