Things to do / Travel Guide
With the arrival of Spanish explorers in 1775, the indigenous population of nomadic Tlingit, Haida, and Kwakiuti tribes, who lived in the region for thousands of years, was subjugated. Many trading posts were established along the rain-drenched coast, where the settlers began trading furs and animal skins with the locals. Though the British Captain James Cook sighted Cape Flattery in 1778, British feet did not touch the region's soil until 11 years later, upon the arrival of Captain Charles W. Barkley (no, not the NBA Hall of Famer!). In 1819, the Spanish ceded their claims to the Pacific Northwest to the United States, but the British and the Americans claimed “joint occupancy” of the area. The Americans took over the portion that is now Washington State with the signing of the Oregon Treaty in 1846.
In 1859 the Cascade Railroad Company provided the first locomotive service to the Pacific Northwest, choo-chooing along the Columbia River Gorge. In the subsequent decades, rail service throughout the region expanded to also include the Tacoma and Seattle areas. In those days, lumber was king throughout the region.
On November 11th, 1889, Washington entered the Union as America's 42nd state. Also in the same year, a man named John E. Back accidentally started the Great Seattle Fire in a basement of a downtown building located on the corner of Madison Street and Front Street. This fire eventually consumed 29 city blocks, destroying most of the business district, four different waterfront wharves, and all the railroad terminals. Fortunately no one died in the fire and lots of rats were killed. Seattle later rebuilt itself and blossomed from a town into a city.
In 1897, in the Canadian Yukon, gold was discovered. This set off the Klondike Gold Rush. Heading north, gold-digging prospectors passed through and outfitted themselves in the Seattle area. The Klondike Gold Rush turned Seattle into the “gateway to Alaska,” Alaska itself being the launching point for most Yukon prospectors. As a result, Seattle solidified its position as the primary transportation center for the Pacific Northwest, a claim it can still stake today.
By the dawn of the 20th century, Seattle had become a major rail center and the dominant seaport in the Pacific Northwest. Shipbuilding during the two World Wars and the transition of Boeing from a mainly commercial aircraft manufacturer into the manufacturer of thousands of World War II warplanes transformed the area around Seattle into a center of the U.S. defense industry. This trend continued in the post-war years, bringing defense spending and technology industries to the area.
Under the orders of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, people of Japanese descent and origin were removed from their homes and forced to live on the Puyallup Fairgrounds near Tacoma in order to “protect” the western half of the United States from Japanese invasion.
Over the next few decades, northwest Washington and the Cascades became a national center for commerce, shipping, and technology. The World's Fairs in 1962 and 1974 showcased that spirit. The area's fortunes were directly related to the defense spending (hence Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson's involvement in defense issues) and experienced a decline with cuts in the 70s followed by growth during the Reagan years.
Most notably, in recent decades, the region has become known throughout the world as a major contributor to corporate progress and world culture. For instance: Bill Gates founded Microsoft in Seattle and Kurt Cobain and his rock band Nirvana emerged from the city's smoky nightclubs to bring grunge music the national conscious. Seattle has been an important hub in the world of music, with legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix having been born. And, of course, Starbucks coffee also got its start in Seattle.
As you enjoy the vast parklands of the area, consider the historical battles fought by conservationists to create protected areas often to the fierce opposition of the logging industry.
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