South Juanita in Kirkland in King County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
Juanita Beach Park: The Beginning
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, August 23, 2024
1. Juanita Beach Park: The Beginning Marker
Prior to 1916, Lake Washington’s shoreline reached today’s Juanita Drive. When Lake Washington was lowered, a vast, sandy expanse was revealed on the north side of Juanita Bay. Leslie and Alicia Forbes erected a small bathhouse and established a commercial bathing beach at the eastern edge of today’s Juanita Beach Park. Shady and Sandy Beach opened to the west and the three private beaches were in competition for business.
During the 1920-30’s, the character and flavor of the Juanita Junction area was one of a lakeside resort. The beaches were enormously popular and thousands of bathers flocked into Juanita each summer by car and ferry to enjoy its popular amenities including an amusement park, skating rink, and cabin rentals.
Entrance to the beach was 10 cents and a unisex bathing suit rented to 25 cents. There was a swimming dock and a boathouse for play boats and canoe rentals. In 1928 the original bathhouse grew to a new two story structure. In addition to the changing rooms, bathrooms and confectionary on the lower level, it included a dance hall with a jukebox and table area on the upper floor.
In 1956,
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Caption
(Photo #1) L.L. Forbes Juanita Beach in 1927. This was the second bathhouse and was also a dance hall.
(Photo #2) The swimming float at Juanita Beach attracted swimmers who often rented one piece unisex swimsuits at the bathhouse.
(Photo #3) The Juanita Beach Cabins circa 1920 located east of the current Juanita, Cabins were popular with Seattle families seeking experience of then remote Juanita.
Erected by Juanita Neighborhood Alliance / City of Kirkland, Washington.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1916.
Location. 47° 42.245′ N, 122° 12.921′ W. Marker is in Kirkland, Washington, in King County. It is in South Juanita. It can be reached
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, August 23, 2024
2. Juanita Beach Park: The Beginning Marker
Regionally, this marker is in the Puget Sound Region and in Greater Seattle. It is also on the American Pacific Coast, in the Pacific Northwest, and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, in the Cascade Range, in the Inside Passage, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Forbes Family History (within shouting distance of this marker); First Round The World Flight (approx. 2.7 miles away); Military Road (approx. 3.2 miles away); Co-Operative Mercantile Company building in c.1938 (approx. 3.9 miles away); Scion of the Washington Elm (approx. 5.3 miles away); Honoring the 11 “Mercer Girls” (approx. 5.4 miles away); Medal of Honor Memorial (approx. 5½ miles away); University Library (approx. 5½ miles away).
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, August 23, 2024
3. Juanita Beach Park
Credits. This page was last revised on July 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 10, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 237 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 10, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
