History of Seattle

Arthur Denny

Chief Seattle

Founded in 1851 by Arthur Denny.
Denny first settled in Western Seattle and named it "New York Alki" .
Later relocated to Elliot Bay and named this settlement Duwamps. This name was later changed to Seattle in honor of Chief Seattle.
Seattle was incorporated in 1865 by the territory of Washington. This was later repealed, but Seattle was again incorporated in 1869.
The first federal census of Washington territory was conducted in 1860 and counted 302 people, around 180 of those were living in Seattle area.
The 1890 census found 42,000 residents of Seattle and only ten years later, the population was around 80,000
The population in 1960 of Seattle was 550,000, but this number decreased while the population of King County continues to rise significantly in the next forty years.
The 1990 census counted 515,000 people living in Seattle and 1.5 million in King County.

Major industry began in 1852 when Henry Yesler built a sawmill to begin Seattle's lumber industry.
The initial Commerce was trade and manufacturing because of the availability of timber and coal.
Seattle built their own link to the Pacific Rail Line at Walla Walla, Washington to increase their role and importance in the exportation of coal and timber.
Seattle became a major port for ships embarking to Alaska.
A 1889 fire which resulted when a pot of glue bursting, destroyed much of the city, but the city recovered and continued to expand.
In the 1897 gold rush, the population grew 600% from 1890 to 1910.

In WWI, Seattle flourished because of the growth of the manufacturing industry.
In 1916, Boeing Aircraft Company was founded and in WWII became a major supplier of planes to Europe and the United States and is still one of the major employers in the United States today.
Microsoft's headquarters are also located in a Seattle suburb.

When the first white settlers came to Duwamish River area and Elliot Bay , the Duwamish tribe had 17 established villages nearby. The Salish tribes had also been located in the area for millennia
The original settlers included Luther Collins, Henry Asselt, Jacob Mapel, and their families. These were some of the first people to claim land in this area
Many Native Americans were moved to reservations and were not allowed to live in the city. Many supported themselves by selling baskets and mats.

Native Americans attacked Seattle in 1856. The incident was known as the Battle of Seattle

In 1886, a mob rounded up all Chinese in the area, many who were immigrant workers, and forcefully brought them to the dock where a ship was waiting to take them away.
The police tried to protect the Chinese, but the mob continued to riot.
Compensatory damages were paid to the Chinese government but the actual victims never received any money.

In 1902, the first Sephardic Jews arrive in Seattle from Turkey. Immigration increased as the Ottoman empire deteriorated.
By 1930, Seattle was the second in the nation to New York for having the greatest Sephardic Jewish population.

After the founding of Seattle, there was a population boom which consisted mainly of men.
Asa Mercer recruited women from the East Coast to become teachers and to increase the supply of women.
11 women arrived with the first group.
In 1910, Seattle became the fifth state in the nation to enfranchise women.
In 1926, Bertha Knight Landes became the first female mayor of a major American city.

On April 21, 1942, all Japanese living in Seattle are ordered to evacuate.
110,000 Japanese from the East Coast were evacuated and put into "relocation" camps.
Around 7,000 of these lived in Seattle.
2/3 of those evacuated were American citizens.
The evacuation orders were in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the widespread public suspicion of the Japanese.
The first Asian American was not elected to the State Legislature until 1992 when Velma Veloria took office.

Manuel Lopez , the first black citizen of Seattle arrived in the city in 1852 and established the first black owned business there, a barbershop.
In 1967, the first African Americans were voted to City Council in what was called a "revolution".
Those elected were State Senator Sam Smith (1922-1995), and reformers Phyllis Lamphere and Tim Hill.

The University of Washington, originally known as Territorial University opened in 1861.
Seattle's first world's fair was held in 1909 and ran for 138 days
Seattle experienced a large earthquake in 1949. The earthquake affected a 230,000 square mile area. Most buildings in Pioneer Square encountered some damage including many schools and homes and also some bridges and gas lines.
Another major earthquake occurred in 1965 and Pioneer Square again received a lot of damage.

World's Fair

Seattle was one of the first of the larger cities to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Voters rejected Initiative 13 which would have repealed city ordinances to protect homosexuals from being discriminated against in housing and employment.
The Space Needle was created as a futuristic addition to the World's Fair's 21 Century theme. It officially opened on April 21, 1962. It was designed by Edward E. Carlson.
Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle and died in London in 1970. His remains were brought back to Renton, Washington.

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April 29, 2004