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.
HistoryLunch is coming!
Thursday, September 23rd, at 11:30 a.m.
Join us in supporting HistoryLink—a treasure trove of Washington state history—as we take a look back at four disasters in Washington's past and the remarkable recoveries that followed and consider how the past might guide us as we emerge from COVID-19.
Limited seating at the in-person event at the Rainier Club in Seattle. Unlimited space at the virtual event, which will stream on the event page.
Our thanks to Kiku Hughes for the illustration featured above.
This Week Then
9/2/2021
Portal on the Border
One hundred years ago this week, on September 6, 1921, around 15,000 people gathered at the Peace Arch in Blaine for its dedication ceremony. There was no Peace Arch Park yet, and although the ground was swampy and uneven, the attendees enjoyed bagpipers, speeches, band concerts, and a fireworks show in the evening. The Blaine Journal boldly proclaimed it as "one of the great events of the century."
A few years earlier, when the Pacific Highway was being planned, businessman and philanthropist Sam Hill, who had a keen interest in good roads, offered to build the Peace Arch at the crossing to celebrate international peace. Less than a year after the arch was completed, it was rededicated by France’s Marshal Joseph Joffre in 1922, and again in 1926 by Queen Marie of Romania.
Over the years, the crossing has been a site for friendly competition, live music, and diplomacy, but has also seen its share of smugglers, escaping fugitives, protestors, and military deserters. Nevertheless, Hill's goal to honor the peaceful relations between the United States and Canada remains paramount. Beginning in 1937, annual Peace Arch celebrations have brought thousands of Canadians and Americans together to join hands in friendship.
One week after the port's creation, commissioners met for the first time and began the arduous process of planning and developing port facilities along the central waterfront. These included the huge piers that now comprise Terminal 91 at Smith Cove, still integral components of Seattle's waterfront, as well as the original Bell Street Pier and the Port's first docks on the Duwamish Waterway. Planning also began for the creation of Fishermen's Terminal, which opened on Salmon Bay in 1914.
The Port's commercial success grew rapidly, aided by a boom in Pacific trade during World War I. Trade plummeted during the Great Depression of the 1930s, but the onset of World War II -- and greatly expanded authority over air transport -- led to the Port's construction of what would become Sea-Tac Airport, located midway between Seattle and Tacoma. Over the years, the Port has continued to grow and expand, but maintains the same basic mission of promoting trade and commerce while generating jobs and economic activity.
News Then,History Now
Battle Impression
On September 5, 1858, four days after winning the Battle of Four Lakes, U.S. Army troops under Colonel George Wright defeated a force of Spokane, Coeur d'Alene, and Palouse tribesmen at the Battle of Spokane Plains. During the fight, artist Gustavus Sohon sketched a panoramic view of the engagement, and he also documented Wright's controversial roundup and slaughter of a large herd of tribal horses a few days later.
On September 3, 1891, Pasco, near the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers, was incorporated. Seven years earlier, the Northern Pacific Railroad saw the spot as a junction for rail lines from Puget Sound, Portland, and Spokane, and the town quickly prospered once the trains arrived in 1887.
Out of Sight
One hundred years ago this week, on September 5, 1921, Roy Gardner -- the king of escape artists -- broke loose from McNeil Island Penitentiary, but was later recaptured. And on September 5, 1928, James Eugene Bassett went missing while trying to sell a car in Seattle. His body was never found, and it took 10 years for one of his killers to confess.
Opening Night
On September 3, 1931, the Fox Theater opened in Spokane, becoming the grandest theater in the city. In 2000 it was saved from the wrecking ball by the Spokane Symphony, and after extensive remodeling and renovation it reopened in 2007 as the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox.
The Kids Aren’t Alright
Fifty years ago this week, on September 3, 1971, the Satsop River Fair and Tin Cup Races began a four-day run as the first "legal" outdoor rock festival in Washington after passage of a state law regulating such events. It turned into a chaotic mess of epic proportions -- owing to such things as awful weather, gross mismanagement, too much alcohol, bad drugs, bad behavior, and more -- but it is still thought of fondly by many of the attendees who are able to remember it.
