HARD DRIVE TO THE KLONDIKE:
PROMOTING SEATTLE DURING THE GOLD RUSH

A Historic Resource Study for the Seattle Unit of the
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park

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CHAPTER FOUR
Building the City

Street and Transportation Improvements


The influx of people during the late nineteenth century increased the need to provide access to the city's commercial district, requiring street improvements within the downtown area. During the 1880s, many streets had been covered with wood planking. This material had its drawbacks: it did not last long and engineers feared it was unsanitary. By the early 1890s, gravel was used to pave some Seattle roads, but hauling the quantities required proved expensive and difficult. By that time, brick had become another favored material. [4]

In 1898, engineers at Smart and Company leveled First Avenue from Pine Street to Denny Way, using the earth to fill Western and Railroad avenues, located along the waterfront. [5] That year, the city also laid new planking and paving from First Avenue to Fourth Avenue, between Yesler Way and Pine Street. One article in The Seattle Daily Times cited 1898 as a record-breaking year for improvements, noting that contractors "flourished as they have not done before." [6]

Streetcars also facilitated movement in the downtown area. The first street railway appeared in 1884, offering nickel-a-fare service. Operated by the Seattle Street Railway Company, it used horses to pull the cars. Five years later an electric streetcar began operating in Seattle -- and even the fire did not interrupt its service. During the 1880s, Seattle's downtown area also featured a cable railway, which ran along Yesler Way and First and Second avenues. By the early 1890s, passengers could travel to Lake Union along Westlake Avenue and to points farther north. [7] Promoters praised these developments, noting how they had transformed the city during the gold-rush era. An article in The Pacific Monthly, published in 1905, informed readers that "Seattle has well-paved streets, a thorough and satisfactory street car system, large and handsome business blocks, and residence districts adorned by palatial homes and green and velvety lawns." [8]

Electric rail lines also connected Seattle to communities to the north and south of the city. An interurban train ran between Seattle and Tacoma, and the completion in 1910 of a line from Seattle to Everett further opened opportunities for growth, encouraging development in new communities such as Alderwood Manor. [9]

Intra-city Transportation
Intra-city Transporation, Seattle, 1890-1941.
[Source: Calvin F. Schmid, Social Trends in Seattle (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1944)]

City Parks


Another development in early twentieth-century Seattle was the creation of the city's park system. As early as 1884, the Denny Family had donated a five-acre tract located at the foot of what is now Battery Street. Although first used as a cemetery, this parcel became Denny Park, a "verdant oasis" that featured the headquarters building of the board of park commissioners. The park commissioners also developed Volunteer Park, at the north end of Capitol Hill, and Woodland Park, east of Green Lake. Located outside the city limits, these reserves became accessible by streetcar lines. Additional acquisitions included Washington Park -- which is now the Arboretum -- Ravenna Park, and Leschi Park. [10]

CHAPTER FOUR
Buildings | Street and Transportation Improvements
City Parks | Regrading | Sewage, Water, and Electricity
Harbor and Waterway Improvements


Chapter: Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Table of Contents


Last Updated: 18-Feb-2003
http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/klse/hrs4a.htm