March 11, 2010 – March 17, 2010

Leaving the Ground

One hundred years ago this week, on March 11, 1910, Washingtonians got their first look at an aeroplane when Charles Hamilton demonstrated his Curtiss biplane on the muddy expanse of the Meadows Race Track in Georgetown. The flights ended abruptly on March 13 when Hamilton dunked the machine into a pond, which didn't stop the aviator from wowing crowds in Spokane a few weeks later.

Dirigibles and airships had already bobbed and zizzed in Northwest skies, but Hamilton was the first to pilot a heaver-than-air craft. Soon, other daredevils took flight, including one who "bombed" Seattle in 1914 as a way of demonstrating the superiority of air power in times of war.

One person who took a keen interest in this new form of transportation was Bill Boeing, who had attended the first American air races in Los Angeles in January 1910. The young timber magnate was fascinated with flight but his attempts to hitch a ride in an airplane were frustrated until 1915, when he took to the skies for the first time. In a sense, he never came down.

Within a year, he was flying his own planes -- ones that he hoped to sell to the Navy. He didn't get the contract, but persevered, almost to the point of bankruptcy. It took a small air mail contract, which led to a more lucrative route to save the day. In 1928, Seattle's first municipal airport opened at Boeing Field, very near to the site where Charles Hamilton had flown his Curtiss biplane just 18 years earlier.

Votes All Around

Because municipal elections used to be held in March, this week marks some notable political events in Seattle and King County. On March 12, 1946, Seattle voters approved a new City Charter that established a non-partisan city council with nine members, and an elected non-partisan mayor. Although substantially amended over the years, this document remains the organic law for Seattle city government.

On March 17, 1962, Wing Luke was elected to the Seattle City Council, becoming the first Chinese American elected to a major post in the continental United States. Sadly, Luke and two others were killed in a 1965 plane crash over the Cascades. The wreckage was not discovered until three years later.

And on March 11, 1969, John Spellman was elected as King County's first executive under a new Home Rule Charter that also created a nine-person county council. In 1980, Spellman became governor in an election year that saw widespread victories for many other Republicans across the nation.

Early Departures, Late Arrivals

Spreading Infection: On March 12, 1862, the steamer Brother Jonathan unloaded a deadly cargo at Victoria: smallpox. The virus quickly spread via coughing, clothes, and blankets, and claimed the lives of some 14,000 Native Americans from Alaska to Washington. It wasn't the first or even the worst such outbreak of European diseases against which North American Indians had no defense.

Homesite Selection: On March 13, 1868, Samuel and Martha Benn traded their homestead along the Chehalis River for land at the mouth of the Wishkah River. The Benns saw great potential for the area as a town site, and over the years, through numerous land donations, aided in the development of Aberdeen.

Unlucky Thirteen: On March 13, 1910, fire destroyed most of downtown Ephrata. On March 13, 1959, a runaway train derailed in Olympia, killing one person and seriously injuring 20 more. And on the same day in 1987, a KC-135 Stratotanker crashed at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, killing seven airmen.

Ezra's Big Dream: One hundred years ago this week, on March 16, 1910, Ezra Meeker left on a round-trip wagon expedition to publicize and map the old Oregon Trail. This wasn't the first time he retraced his steps.

Caught In Between: On March 12, 1923, folks in Marysville tried moving their city hall four blocks, but it got stuck on the railroad tracks. With less than an hour to go until the next train passed through town -- and potentially through the building -- an unlikely hero stepped forward and disaster was averted.

Tents Situation: On March 13, 1937, the Twin T-Ps started slinging hash in Seattle, and became one of Washington state's best examples of vernacular architecture -- much like the Igloo or the Hat 'n' Boots. The uniquely designed Twin T-P pancake house was a roadside landmark for years, until it was itself pancaked nine years ago.

Dancing Cessation: On March 15, 1937, Governor Clarence Martin put his foot down on Washington state's dance marathons, after cities like Tacoma and Bellingham had banned them years earlier. The craze had risen to popularity in the 1920s, but the Great Depression intensified the fad as a grueling endurance contest, with partners dancing for weeks and even months on end. Two decades later, teenagers were lining up for just a few minutes of air time on television shows like Seattle Bandstand.

Rocky Notation: In 1942, a curiously inscribed rock was discovered at Whitworth College in Spokane, bearing the date 1703 beneath a message that appeared to be chiseled in "olde English." Was this evidence that European explorers might have visited the inland Northwest much earlier than was thought? Nope. It was just a mischievous prank, as many found out on March 17, 1942.

Eek! Fluoridation!: On March 11, 1952, and again a decade later on March 12, 1963, Seattle citizens concerned about government intrusion into their "precious bodily fluids" nixed the addition of fluoride to the city's water supply. It wasn't until 1968 that fluoridated water won the approval of a smiling majority.

Crime Doesn't Pay: On March 16, 1960, Joseph Chester Self shot and killed Seattle taxicab driver Ralph A. Gemmill Jr. during a $15 heist. Self was later hanged in what would be the last state execution for almost 30 years.

Dock of the Bay: On March 12, 1967, the superferry Kaleetan was launched, making it the second of Washington State Ferries Hyak-class vessels. In 1979, the Kaleetan helped re-inaugurate ferry service to Port Townsend.

Quote of the Week

Flying was a very tangible freedom. In those days, it was beauty, adventure, discovery -- the epitome of breaking into new worlds.

                         --Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Image of the Week

The final print edition of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer was published a year ago this week, on March 17, 2009.