Ted Pedersen - Seattles Greenwood-Phinney Neighborhood

Beginning in 1888, electric streetcar lines were being built in many parts of Seattle. The Green Lake Electric Railway was begun in 1889 to serve the area north of Fremont. The tracks followed an old logging railway route and ran along the eastern shore of Green Lake, ending at about North Seventieth Street. This late 1890s photograph by Anders Wilse shows the tracks of the Green Lake Electric Railway running along the shores of Green Lake. It looks as if the trees had been cut recently. (Phinney Neighborhood Association.)

This view of Woodland Park from an early postcard from about 1890 shows a woman and child walking along one of the roads that cut through the park. Note how many of the trees have been cut, leaving large clearings.

Much of the area of Woodland Park was logged before 1890, but loggers left the smaller treeseverything 6 feet in diameter or less. This created many small paths for people to use. One such path can be seen in this early postcard.

Woodland Park during the 1890s had gardens, a zoo, a large greenhouse, and many miles of winding paths through the woods. At that time, Woodland Park included Green Lake. This postcard, taken sometime between 1897 and 1900, shows children playing on the road to Green Lake in Seattles Woodland Park.

In 1887, a wealthy lumber mill owner and real estate developer named Guy C. Phinney paid $10,000 for 342 acres of land along what is now called Phinney Ridge and down the slope to Green Lake. This photograph shows part of his elaborate estate. Phinney spent $40,000 constructing an elegant English-style estate, complete with formal gardens. He named it Woodland Park. (University of Washington special collections.)

Guy C. Phinney kept 180 acres for himself and spent $40,000 constructing an elegant English-style estate, complete with formal gardens. There was a conservatory, promenade, hunting lodge, the Woodlands Hotel, and even a menagerie. The animal collection featured North American animals such as black bears and deer, but there were African ostriches as well. The upper portion, where the zoo is today, was almost completely cleared of trees. A winding road led down to the lakes edge through the more forested portion of the estate. (University of Washington special collections.)

The Woodland Grocery Flour and Feed store was owned and operated by Rasmus Peter Jenson in this 1905 photograph. A carpenter by trade, Jenson also had a store near what is now Sixtieth Street and Fortieth Street NW. (Phinney Neighborhood Association.)