South Lake Union in Seattle in King County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)

Lake — A Lake at the Heart of the City

A Lake at the Heart of the City Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, August 22, 2024

1. A Lake at the Heart of the City Marker

Inscription.

Lake — A Lake at the Heart of the City. . Side 1: , The Natural Lake , In 1850, half a dozen streams fed and drained Lake Union’s crystal waters. At its southwestern corner, very near where you’re standing, cattails in a large marsh rustled in the breeze. Forests of hemlock, cedar and Douglas fir fringed Lake Union, and the lake and its shore sheltered dozens of varieties of native plants and animals., Caption , (Photo #1) Two women rested in the woods on the western shore of Lake Union, in 1887., Side 2: , “When I was a little girl, I first saw Lake Union, surrounded by giant trees. There were trilliums and red currant bushes, deer runs and bear trails, and my parents warned me of cougars that lay in wait on the low fir branches. Hundreds of birds built their nests in the meadows and marshes, and the lake was filled with fish.” , Emily Inez Denny, Side 3: , Changing the Lake , People have always had a relationship with this place, sometimes harmonies and sometimes dissonant., Early industrialization encouraged lakeshore logging, and the lake’s marshes and shallows were soon filled with mill sawdust, industrial solvents and human sewage. Concrete hardened the lakeshore and streams disappeared into culverts. After 150 years of pollution, we now recognize that Lake Union requires loving stewardship., Captions , (Photo #1) A gas plant was built at the north end of Lake Union in 1906. Natural gas was made from coal, which brought in by railroad. Parts of the plant survive today at Gasworks Park. , (Photo #2) Construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal began in 1911, and the first ship traveled through the locks in 1916. The locks opened up shipping lanes between Puget Sound, Lake Union and Lake Washington, allowing oceangoing vessels into both lakes and encouraging industrialization. , Side 4: , Saving the Lake , As a community we have made choices about how to live on Lake Union, and after 150 of polluting, we must make a different choice, one of responsible stewardship., Today we can make this lake a place where we can live, work and play; a home for salmon and native plants. How will you help?, Captions , (Photo #1) Veteran photographer Josef Scaylea shot this 1992 photograph of Seattle, looking south across Lake Union from Gas Works Park. , (Photo #2) In 2002, Richard Jack, left and Keith Sanders of the Washington State Department of Ecology, scooped out sediment gathered from Lake Union.

Side 1:
The Natural Lake
In 1850, half a dozen streams fed and drained Lake Union’s crystal waters. At its southwestern corner—very near where you’re standing—cattails in a large marsh rustled in the breeze. Forests of hemlock, cedar and Douglas fir fringed Lake Union, and the lake and its shore sheltered dozens of varieties of native plants and animals.

Caption
(Photo #1) Two women rested in the woods on the western shore of Lake Union, in 1887.

Side 2:
“When I was a little girl, I first saw Lake Union, surrounded by giant trees. There were trilliums and red currant bushes, deer runs and bear trails, and my parents warned me of cougars that lay in wait on the low fir branches. Hundreds of birds built their nests in the meadows and marshes, and the lake was filled with fish.” —Emily Inez Denny

Side 3:
Changing the Lake
People have always had a relationship with this place, sometimes harmonies and sometimes dissonant.

Early industrialization encouraged lakeshore logging, and the lake’s marshes and shallows were soon filled with mill sawdust, industrial solvents and human sewage. Concrete hardened the lakeshore and streams disappeared into culverts. After 150 years of pollution, we now recognize that Lake Union requires

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loving stewardship.

Captions
(Photo #1) A gas plant was built at the north end of Lake Union in 1906. Natural gas was made from coal, which brought in by railroad. Parts of the plant survive today at Gasworks Park.
(Photo #2) Construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal began in 1911, and the first ship traveled through the locks in 1916. The locks opened up shipping lanes between Puget Sound, Lake Union and Lake Washington, allowing oceangoing vessels into both lakes and encouraging industrialization.

Side 4:
Saving the Lake
As a community we have made choices about how to live on Lake Union, and after 150 of polluting, we must make a different choice, one of responsible stewardship.

Today we can make this lake a place where we can live, work and play; a home for salmon and native plants. How will you help?

Captions
(Photo #1) Veteran photographer Josef Scaylea shot this 1992 photograph of Seattle, looking south across Lake Union from Gas Works Park.
(Photo #2) In 2002, Richard Jack, left and Keith Sanders of the Washington State Department of Ecology, scooped out sediment gathered from Lake Union.

Erected by MOHAI (Museum of History & Industry).

Topics. This historical marker

A Lake at the Heart of the City Marker - Side 1 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, August 22, 2024

2. A Lake at the Heart of the City Marker - Side 1

is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 47° 37.568′ N, 122° 20.237′ W. Marker is in Seattle, Washington, in King County. It is in South Lake Union. It is on Terry Avenue North. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA 98109, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Washington’s Puget Sound Region.

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 walking distance of this marker: Play — Having Fun on the Lake (a few steps from this marker); Work — At Work on Lake Union (a few steps from this marker); Paths — The Union of Pathways (within shouting distance of this marker); Native — This Indian Lake (within shouting distance of this marker); Pocock Shells (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); U.S. Naval Reserve Armory (about 500 feet away); Seattle Fire Department bell (about 500 feet away); Millstone (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Seattle.

A Lake at the Heart of the City Marker - Side 2 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, August 22, 2024

3. A Lake at the Heart of the City Marker - Side 2

A Lake at the Heart of the City Marker - Side 3 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, August 22, 2024

4. A Lake at the Heart of the City Marker - Side 3

A Lake at the Heart of the City Marker Side - 4 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, August 22, 2024

5. A Lake at the Heart of the City Marker Side - 4

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, August 22, 2024

6. A Lake at the Heart of the City Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 10, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 118 times since then and 11 times this year. Last updated on February 16, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 10, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.