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World at War

Eighty years ago this week, on December 7, 1941, at 1:28 a.m., a secret United States Navy radio station on Bainbridge Island intercepted a message from Tokyo to the Japanese embassy in Washington, D.C. The message instructed the Japanese ambassador to break off ongoing peace negotiations with the United States, but its true purpose was to inform the ambassador that Japanese forces were about to attack Pearl Harbor. By the time the intercepted message was delivered to the U.S. Secretary of State in Washington, D.C., the battle had begun, and the U.S. declared war on Japan the next day.

Tensions ran high. That evening, during a blackout in Seattle, rioters smashed windows and lights of downtown stores that failed to comply. Japanese American citizens expressed shock and concern that their loyalty to America would come under question. Some neighbors and community leaders soon warned against unjust retribution, but federal authorities failed to heed them. A mass internment was launched in early 1942, incarcerating 12,892 persons of Japanese ancestry from Washington state in camps farther east. Many began their long journey from home at the Puyallup Assembly Center.

Meanwhile, the home-front effort went into full gear with bond rallies, as well as anti-aircraft defensive measures that sometimes went awry, adding to wartime jitters. Men and women worked round the clock building bombers and naval vessels, and others also did their darnedest to help in the war effort. In Eastern Washington, thousands worked on a top-secret project that eventually played a decisive part in the war's end. When all was said and done, more than 6,500 state residents lost their lives in combat during the twentieth century's greatest war.

Shore to Shore

On December 6, 1913, the ferry Leschi was launched at Rainier Beach for service on Lake Washington. Originally used to transport passengers and vehicles between Seattle and Bellevue, the Leschi was Western Washington's first auto ferry.

For centuries, Native Americans traversed Lake Washington by canoe. After settlers arrived in the late 1800s, larger vessels were needed to ferry those who moved to the Eastside. In 1884, the scow Squak became the first power vessel to provide regular ferry service over the lake, as well as up Squak Slough to Lake Sammamish. Sleeker passenger ferries soon followed.

By the end of the century, Kirkland was the prime destination for most lake ferries, and in 1900 the town's residents requested a dock and a public ferry run to serve their needs. A decade later, Bellevue farmers requested a route to their community, but with a vessel that could transport cars and trucks. When the Leschi was launched in 1913, the automotive age entered the realm of Pacific Northwest maritime history.

The Leschi and other ferries plied the waves of Lake Washington for decades, until the 1940 opening of the Lake Washington Floating Bridge led to their demise. The Leschi was the last one to hang on, and ended service on the lake in 1950.