Steve Pomper - It Happened in Seattle: Remarkable Events That Shaped History

Copyright 2010 by Morris Book Publishing, LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

Project editor: David Legere

Map: Daniel Lloyd 2010 by Morris Book Publishing, LLC

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN 978-0-7627-4368-1

Printed in the United States of America

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Seattle is unique and almost mystical among large American cities, tucked away as it is in the oft-misty gray shroud of the Great Pacific Northwest. Once youve delved into Seattles history, something becomes immediately apparent: Arthur Denny and his compatriots chose the perfect spot to plant a city, for not only is it a natural beauty but also a convenience for commerce, which has led Seattle to its remarkable livability compared with many major American cities. Two spectacular mountain ranges, stunning ocean beaches, and expansive high deserts wait only hours from the heart of the Emerald City, not to mention the deep water, protected harbor, which makes Seattle one of the busiest ports in the United States.

Why the correlation between livability and commerce? Well, those aspects were about all that mattered to the founders of this fair city, who felt the two went hand in hand. In fact, Bill Speidel tells us in his immensely readable biography of early Seattle, Sons of the Profits, If they [Seattles founders] could have made more money by not building a city, then that is what they would have done. Incidentally, when the settlers founded the first, albeit temporary, pioneer colony at New York-Alki in West Seattle, virtually the first thing they did was to cut down some trees and sell the timber to businessmen with cargo ships bound for San Francisco, inaugurating Seattles founding industry.

Few American cities can boast the amenities, both natural and man-made, that Seattle can. Some of these we must attribute to natures providence: magnificent snowcapped mountain ranges, the vast and deep Puget Sound, and the crisp, clean air. Other city features were created by the enterprising hands of Seattles entrepreneurs: innovative industries, spectacular sports venues, world-famous landmarks like the Space Needle and the Pike Place Market, and restaurants, theaters, and retail shops in abundance. While we cant credit Seattles founders with creating the natural features, we are indeed fortunate they chose such a location to build their city.

When the Denny Party landed on the wind-whipped, rainy shoreline at Alki Point in todays West Seattle, it immediately set to carving a new home out of the wilderness soon to be called Seattle, a name honoring the Duwamish Chief Seattle, a man indispensable to the early pioneers survival. They, their progeny, and their successors made some things happen, while other things happened to them, but either way many of their stories inspire awe, others chagrin, and still others, simple delight.

For such a relatively young American city, barely a century and a half old, its seen its share, and then some, of amazing events. Considering that when the Denny Party landed on Seattles pristine shores, cities such as Boston, New York, and Philadelphia were already centuries old, whats happened in the Emerald City is remarkable.

Its strange that so many events in Seattles history remain elusive even to native Seattleites. Do you think there are any Bostonians who dont know about a little dustup known as the Boston Tea Party? Of course not, but how many people in Seattle are aware of the Battle in Seattle? (Not the WTO riots in 1999the one in 1856.) Do they realize how close the citys founders came to losing their new town? Do they know that there just happened to be a U.S. Navy warship with a contingent of Marines moored in Elliot Bay? How much of a factor was their presence in the battle?

This book will take you from Seattles humble foundingand near losingin that earlier Battle in Seattle to a dubious appearance in Super Bowl XL, which remains an odor most foul for Seahawks, as well as many NFL, fans today. Between these events well explore a wide range of spectacular events that happened, which have added color and texture to this far-flung northwest citys unique character.

Seattles founders set the direction their new town would take right from the start. For the most part they were a tenacious lot with a stellar work ethic, which was often necessary to compensate for less-than-stellar civic planning.

For example, Downtown Seattle literally burned to the ground in 1889, resulting in Seattle benefiting from a civic do-over, which upon retrospect was fortuitous for its development as a major sea-air-road-rail port city. Unfortunately, for many a motivated entrepreneur who chose to rebuild immediately following the fire, the citys decision to raise the street levels to eliminate the toilets backing up at high tide resulted in many storefronts becoming basements.

While this was unfortunate for 1890s shopkeepers, it proved quite fortunate for 1960s Seattle author and civic booster extraordinaire, the aforementioned Bill Speidel, who turned the city forefathers misfortune into the wildly popular Underground Seattle Tour in Pioneer Square.

Through aviation, maritime, forestry, and computer innovations; the nations first general labor strike; an industry-changing music revolution; civil unrest; and natural disasters, Seattle has emerged a strong city that continues to grow, evolve, and define itself.

People should know their history, not to dwell in the past or to castigate it but to learn from where they came, to better understand where they are, and to contemplate to where they wish to go. So, with this in mind, lets explore some of the fascinating events that have happened in Seattle.

Much of this first event didnt actually happen in Seattle, but since Seattle didnt yet exist, that can be forgiven. The story of the birth of Seattle couldnt be properly told without conveying the sacrifices Seattles founding Denny Party had made prior to its arrival in what would become one of Americas greatest cities.

Originally, descended from Danish Vikings, setting Seattles Scandinavian roots early, Dennys ancestors ventured to, and settled in, the British Isles. Now considered to be of English, Irish, and Scottish descent, Arthur Denny and his family may not have had a choice in their wanderlust. Like their distant Viking ancestors, the Dennys relished adventure and opportunity. Obviously saturated within the familys DNA, John Denny and two of his eight sons, Arthur and David, had an urge for exploration that would not be denied.

The trajectory toward a landing and eventual settling in what would become Seattle began with Dennys Irish ancestors westward migration, from the Old World to the New World in America before the American Revolution. After brief stints on the East Coast of America, the Dennys were once again westward bound. They eventually settled in Illinois, where John Denny became involved in state politics, incidentally becoming close friends with Abraham Lincoln.