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Diablo Dam incline railway climbing Sourdough Mountain, 1930. Courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives, 2306.
Children waving to ferry, 1950. Courtesy Museum of History and Industry.
Loggers in the Northwest woods. Courtesy Washington State Digital Archives.

A black and red banner showing an elevated road with skyscrapers in the background. Text says An Eight Year Long Emergency. Seattle, An Earthquake, and a Doomed Waterfront Highway. Episode 4, The City The State and Grand Designs. This episode is hosted by Dominic Black and Kiku Hughes and Jennifer Ott and features guests Christine Gregoire, Doug McDonald, Knute Berger, and Paula Hammond.

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This Week Then

3/13/2025

Fort Vancouver

News Then, History Now

Starting to Grow

On March 16, 1891, Lynden incorporated in Whatcom County. Other cities celebrating birthdays this week include Ferndale, which incorporated on March 19, 1907, and Selah, which incorporated on March 17, 1919.

Where Ships Go

On March 14, 1911, Governor Marion E. Hay signed legislation authorizing the creation of public port districts -- a victory for progressive and populist reformers who sought to put an end to private monopoly control of urban harbors. More than a century later, Washington now has 75 public port districts.

Falling Below

On March 13, 1914, houseboat owners on Seattle's Lake Union got that sinking feeling when a dam burst during construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Within 24 hours, the lake level dropped 10 feet, which led to the collapse of the first Fremont Bridge, the precursor of today's orange and blue span.

Dancers' Toll

On March 15, 1937, Governor Clarence Martin put his foot down on Washington'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.

Rock and Roll

On March 16, 1958Seattle Bandstand debuted on KING-TV and became an instant hit with Northwest teens. Modeled after Dick Clark's Philadelphia-based, nationally broadcast American Bandstand, the two-hour weekly program launched the careers of several local bands and led to the creation of similar shows on NBC affiliates in Yakima, Spokane, and Portland.

Winning Goal

Two years after Seattle was officially granted an expansion franchise for Major League Soccer, the Seattle Sounders FC made its debut on March 19, 2009, and has since smashed league records for attendance. It is the only team to have won four U.S. Open Cups, and captured its first MLS cup in 2016 and its second in 2019.

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Ring-necked pheasant

The first ring-necked pheasants introduced into the United States arrived at Port Townsend on March 13, 1881.

Quote of the Week

"At Sun rise mustered all the people to hoist the Flag Staff of the new Establishment and in presence of the Gentlemen, Servants, Chiefs & Indians I Baptised it by breaking a Bottle of Rum on the Flag Staff and repeating the following words in a loud voice, 'In behalf of the Honble Hudsons Bay Co. I hereby name this Establishment Fort Vancouver God Save King George the 4th' with three cheers."

--Hudson's Bay Company Governor Sir George Simpson, March 19, 1825

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