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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.

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This Week Then

6/12/2025

San Juan Pig War sign

News Then, History Now

Doctors Advise

On June 13, 1908, a group of Swedish Americans led by Dr. Nils A. Johanson incorporated Seattle's Swedish Hospital. Now known as Swedish Medical Center, it has since expanded to become one of the largest hospitals in the state.

Into the Skies

On June 15, 1916, William Boeing piloted the B&W Bluebill, the first plane he helped build, into the air above Lake Union. One month later, he incorporated the Pacific Aero-Products Co. which later became the Boeing Airplane Co.

Tears in Their Eyes

On June 14, 1940, Native Americans throughout the Northwest gathered at Kettle Falls for a "Ceremony of Tears" to mourn the loss of their ancestral fishing grounds to waters rising behind Grand Coulee Dam. Work on the dam had begun in 1934, and by 1939 a vast reservoir – Lake Roosevelt -- took shape, submerging towns and landmarks as it grew.

Father's Day

In 1909 Sonora Smart Dodd sat in a Spokane church listening to a sermon about motherhood. Having been raised with five younger brothers by her widowed father, Dodd felt that fatherhood also deserved a "place in the sun," and she took it upon herself to advocate a special day for dads. After receiving an enthusiastic endorsement from the Spokane Ministerial Alliance and the YMCA, the first Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane on June 19, 1910. The concept spread, and by the 1920s Father's Day was commonly observed throughout the country.

Disarray

On June 13, 1942, the ground opened up in downtown Seattle when a water main burst, sending passersby into a flooded sinkhole. Exactly one year later, residents looked to the skies as bombers flew overhead in an attack on Husky Stadium. Fortunately, the mock air raid was all part of a civil-defense demonstration.

On Their Way

Washington cities that celebrate birthdays this week include Medical Lake, which incorporated on June 12, 1890Sumas, which incorporated on June 18, 1891Burlington, which incorporated on June 16, 1902West Richland, which incorporated on June 13, 1955; and Yarrow Point, which incorporated on June 15, 1959.

Today in
Washington History

New On HistoryLink

Image of the Week

U-25 Miss Freei hydroplane

Twenty-five years ago this week, on June 15, 2000, the Miss Freei broke the hydroplane world-speed record on Lake Washington, hitting 205.494 mph.

Quote of the Week

"This being United States territory, no laws, other than those of the United States, nor courts, except such as are held by virtue of said laws, will be recognized or allowed on this island."

--Captain George Pickett

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