The Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History (original) (raw)

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Diablo Dam incline railway climbing Sourdough Mountain, 1930. Courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives, 2306.
Children waving to ferry, 1950. Courtesy Museum of History and Industry.
Loggers in the Northwest woods. Courtesy Washington State Digital Archives.

River Not Found

In the summer of 1788, English fur trader John Meares sailed along the Washington coast searching in vain for the San Roque River, so named years earlier by Bruno de Hezeta. He gave up on July 6 near the towering basalt column that served as Hezeta's landmark and named it Cape Disappointment – unaware that he was in the river's mouth. Today we know the river as the Columbia, and more than disappointment awaits any mariner who ignores nearby lighthouses.

Common Ground

On July 6, 1909, Pauline Steinem spoke at the National American Woman Suffrage Association Convention in Seattle and pressed mothers to set pro-suffrage examples for their daughters. Decades later, in 1972, her granddaughter, Gloria Steinem, spent two days in Seattle to advocate for "Women's Lib" and the Equal Rights Amendment. The ERA was ratified by the state senate the following year.

Fist Fights

Tempers sometimes flare in the summer sun, as we see this week in history. On July 9, 1938, white residents of Wapato instigated a "[miniature race war](/File/9252 "White residents of Wapato instigate a "miniature race war" on July 9, 1938. ")" with the aim of driving the African American population out of town. And on July 7, 1970, a police raid triggered a riot in Pasco's Volunteer Park.

First Flights

On July 9, 1949, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport opened its first modern terminal, five years after the first runways opened in 1944. Work began on the airport in 1942, when the Port of Seattle agreed to develop a new airport at Bow Lake, midway between Seattle and Tacoma, to help relieve pressure on existing airports caused by the demands of World War II military aviation.

Municipal Sites

On July 5, 1960, Mercer Island residents voted to incorporate the City of Mercer Island, which got off to a very strange start. One month later, property owners within the 70-acre business district – already at odds with the island's rural residents – voted to create the Town of Mercer Island within the City of Mercer Island, providing themselves with greater control over issues related to urbanization. Although Town and City shared some services, they both remained self-governing until their merger in 1970.

The fireboat Duwamish was launched on July 3, 1909.

"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees."
―Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

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