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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1851-2020 - A Brief History of the Seattle Southside Region Seattle Southside The area known as has a rich and vibrant history. From centuries old pre- European habitation by the Duwamish and Muckleshoot tribes, to European settlement in the mid- 19 century, to the construction of Sea-Tac Airport, the history of this area is fascinating and colorful. th This blog will only touch on some of the major events, but it will also include links and resources for a deeper dive into the past. Historic photo of the Duwamish people courtesy of The Duwamish Tribe - date unknown. The Duwamish people lived in the area surrounding the Duwamish River (modern-day Seattle Southside) for centuries, perhaps even thousands of years, as indicated by their oral traditions longhouses, hunted and fished in local waters and used rivers to trade with other tribes and neighboring people. In modern times, two canoes estimated to be up to 300 years old were discovered at the bottom of Angle Lake by Although the first European known to have seen the area was British explorer, George Vancouver in 1792, the area was not settled by Europeans until the arrival of the Collins Party in 1851 (Class, H.C., 2007). Members of the Collins Party were soon joined by notable pioneers Stephen and Joseph Foster in 1852. Joseph Foster was notable in that he served in the early Washington Territorial Legislature, acted as a packer and scout in the Indian War, and he was the first superintendent of Foster Links Golf local schools (Stein, 1999). Today, the name Foster is on local schools and the Course where the Foster homestea Aerial photo of construction of the I-5/405 interchange circa 1966 courtesy of The Tukwila Reporter. In the 1960s, Seat development and construction. This construction boom culminated in the opening of Southcenter Mall Westfield Southcenter in 1968, which would eventually become . At the time, Southcenter Mall was one of the largest malls in the state. Nowadays, it is the largest mall in the Pacific Northwest (Stein, 1999). of innovation in transportation continues as the area is a central Seattle, and will eventually go as far north as Everett, and as far south as Tacoma. Hotels, restaurants, and attractions continue to spring up around Pacific Highway and the Duwamish River, making Seattle Southside a must-visit location for leisure and business travelers for years to come. References Brodin, P. (2017, February 15). Joseph Foster Tree firmly rooted in city's history | Tukwila's Story. http://www.tukwilareporter.com/life/joseph-foster-tree-firmly-rooted-in-citys-history- Retrieved from tukwilas-story/ Class, H. C. (2007, July 22). Des Moines Historical Society Time Line Index. Retrieved from http://dmhs.org/timeline/history.html Dorpat, P., & Crowley, W. (2003, May 31). SeaTac -- Thumbnail History. Retrieved from https://www.historylink.org/File/4181 http://www.seatacwa.gov/our-city/visiting/history History. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.duwamishtribe.org/history History of the Duwamish People. (n.d.). Retrieved from Stein, A. J. (1999, January 29). Tukwila -- Thumbnail History. Retrieved from https://www.historylink.org/File/2091 Tolley, N. (2018, August 22). Seattle Southside History: Des Moines Beach Park. Retrieved from https://www.seattlesouthside.com/blog/post/seattle-southside-history-des-moines-beach-park/ https://www.tukwilawa.gov/visitors/about-tukwila/tukwila-history/ Tukwila History. (n.d.). Retrieved from Author: Nick Tolley Joseph and Stephen Foster, brothers who had walked west from Illinois alongside an oxcart, were the first to settle in what is now Tukwila. They both staked claims near where the Black and White rivers met, then known as Mox La Push (Chinook jargon meaning "two mouths"). Spring floods would often reverse the course of the small Black River, causing it to flow backward into Lake Washington, temporarily giving it another mouth. Two years after the Fosters began clearing their land, hostile Indians massacred settlers in the White River valley to the south. This led to the short-lived Indian War, the result of which was the removal of all local tribes onto reservations. Although many of the Duwamish Indians remained friendly with local settlers, the tribe was never granted its own reservation and was forced to move onto land inhabited by other tribes. Frederick Dent, for whom Fort Dent was named. Dent was Nineteenth Century Development also the brother-in-law of President Ulysses S. Grant. Courtesy Library of Congress Soon after the Indian War, Fort Dent (a small blockhouse) was built near Joseph Foster's cabin in case of further uprisings. Also, the first road in King County was built alo Duwamish River over an established Indian trail. The road and the river enabled valley settlers to access the growing city of Seattle. Logs harvested while clearing the land could be floated upstream to the mills, and the road allowed mill workers to get to their jobs. Joseph Foster, who served in the Indian War as a packer and scout, became a territorial legislator in 1858. Among legislation he sponsored was a bill that established a Territorial University in Seattle, which later became the University of Washington. Throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century, the Duwamish Valley attracted many settlers. The soil was excellent for growing hops, hay, fruit, and vegetables. The river was abundant with salmon. In 1880, the total number of people living in the valley was 199. By 1892, the population was 2062. An aphid infestation and the nationwide economic panic of 1893 temporarily slowed growth in the area, but the community's location along a transportation corridor allowed it to flourish in the twentieth century. Planes, Trains, Automobiles The grassy plain a few miles down river of Mox La Push was called The Meadows. In the early 1900s, a horseracing track was built there. In 1912, the First King County Fair was held at the site. Later still, a small airport was built which grew to become Boeing Field Downtown Tukwila, 1900s and home to the Boeing Company's Plant II, which produced many of the larger planes Courtesy Tukwila Historical Society that fought in World War II. In 1902, the Seattle-Tacoma Interurban Railway was built through the valley. The e train, which could achieve speeds of 60 to 70 miles an hour, greatly suburbanized the area by allowing commuters a chance to have a home in the country and a job in the city. The increase in the number of automotive vehicles soon followed, and better roads and bridges were built throughout the region to accommodate them. By 1928, the Interurban was phased out as roads became the preferred routes for many people. The rivers, which had been the first travel routes in the community, also underwent man made changes. One of these rivers was phased out. Following a major flood in 1906, the Duwamish River was dredged and straightened over a period of years. Ten miles to the south, the White River was diverted from its original course, and the Green River no filled the channel. And in 1916, the lowering of Lake Washington resulting from the construction of the Hull's grocery store in Tukwila, 1930s Montlake Cut to connect Lake Washington with Lake Union caused the Black River to Courtesy Washington State Acrhives disappear. Mox La Push went from two mouths to none. By this time, the community had already been named Tukwila. The etymology of the name is unclear, but it was used by Duwamish Indians to describe the region. Locals had been calling the community by this name for years. In 1908, Joel Shomaker, a Seattle newspaperman who lived in the valley, pushed for incorporation. The Seattle Post first century. Kay F. Reinartz, Tukwila: Community at the Crossroads (Tukwila: City of Tukwila, 1991). : This essay is licensed under a Creative Commons license that encourages reproduction with attribution. Credit should be given to both HistoryLink.org and to the author, and sources must be included with any reproduction. Click the icon for more info. Please note that this Creative Commons license applies to text only, and not to images. For more information regarding individual photos or images, please contact the source noted in the image credit.