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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.

This Week Then

5/22/2025

Memorial Day - Cemetery

News Then, History Now

Washington Bound

On May 22, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt visited Chehalis, and the next day, before visiting Fort Lawton, he signed in as the inaugural guest at Seattle's Washington Hotel atop Denny Hill. Two days later he briefly visited North Yakima before heading off to Walla Walla, where he spoke at Whitman College.

Leveling Ground

On May 27, 1907, the Jackson Street regrade began in Seattle. Though less ambitious than the city's Denny Hill regrades, the Jackson Street project was the largest single hill ever cut down in the city, encompassing nearly six miles of streets and approximately 56 city blocks.

Running Around

On May 28, 1909, Queenie the elephant ran amok in White City, a short-lived amusement park located in Seattle’s Madison Park neighborhood. And on May 23, 1958, a trailer bearing four of the creatures overturned on its way from Woodland Park Zoo, sending the pachyderms on a romp through the Phinney neighborhood.

Bureau Investigation

Ninety years ago this week, on May 24, 1935, 9-year-old George Weyerhaeuser, heir to the world's largest producer of lumber, was kidnapped on his way home from school in Tacoma. After a $200,000 ransom was paid, the boy was released unharmed, setting off the largest manhunt in the Northwest for the criminals. Arrests were quickly made, but it took more than a year for the FBI to track down the ringleader.

Forest Habitation

On May 23, 1991, the town of Forks shut down when its citizens traveled en masse to Olympia to protest critical-habitat protections for the northern spotted owl. Three years later, Federal District Court Judge William L. Dwyer upheld the federal spotted-owl management plan in a key National Environmental Policy Act court decision.

Four in Celebration

Four Washington communities celebrate birthdays this week. In 1890, Davenport and Kent incorporated four days apart, on May 24 and May 28 respectively. Othello incorporated on May 23, 1910. And on May 28, 1917, Pomeroy incorporated.

Today in
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Image of the Week

Great White Fleet

The Great White Fleet visited Seattle on May 23, 1908.

Quote of the Week

"A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom."

--Bob Dylan

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