Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in seattle, WA

History Lesson: Tacoma's Union Station.

February 17, 2009

Programming note: yes, today is Tuesday, meaning it's traditionally list day at Savvy Source. Today's topic is clocks and time telling, and I wrote and post EXACTLY on this topic back in October 2008. Go take a look. Lucky for you, that means a BONUS post.

Tacoma's Union Station is a easily identifiable landmark on Pacific Avenue in the heart of the down town core. As you've probably figured out by "Union Station" in building's description, it was constructed as a train station. Tacoma, as the "City of Destiny", was designated as the Western terminus of the northern route the Northern Pacific Railroad's transcontinental railroad. Construction commenced in the early 1880s and was complete by 1883.

The station had an immediate effect on the greater Tacoma area, as the population exponentially increased from just under 2,000 in 1873 to over 35,000 by 1890. The site of the Tacoma station was expanded and moved to its current location in 1892. By the turn of the century the community had its sights set on a larger and more grand station to reflect Tacoma's status in the west.

Construction on the current station began in 1909 and was completed just two years later. The design and construction was universally lauded by the public. However, the trains that created the beautiful building would eventually cause its demise. Railway ridership came to a peak in the 1930s and again during the second world war, then the introduction of the automobile was the ultimate crush to rail a the major form of passenger transportation in the United States.

The national passenger rail service merged into Amtrak in 1971, and with further passenger decline, the last passenger train left Tacoma's Union Station in June 1984. The building was abandoned and fell into disrepair. However, just three years later Congress authorized a lease for Union Station to provide space for federal courts. The building underwent a three year renovation and a three story addition.

Today, Tacoma's Union Station is home to federal courtrooms and its renovation was central to the revitalization of Tacoma in the 1990s. You can stop by to sneak a peak at the gorgeous rotunda and Chihuly art pieces - it's located right on the free Tacoma Link line!  Read more...

History Lesson: the Lake Washington Ship Canal.

February 08, 2009

Fremont Cut. Shilshole Bay. Ballard Locks. Montlake Cut.

Just what ARE all these locations? Are they connected? Are they the same thing?

No, they're not, but they are all sections of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, which connects the Puget Sound to Lake Washington. Did you know that there was not originally a navigable passage that connected the Puget Sound and Lake Washington? In the mid-1800s, this idea came about, partially in the hopes of the US Army siting the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Seattle (eventually it was built in Bremerton). It did receive the backing of the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1891 and construction began in 1911, with completion by 1934, though the main locks (Hiram M. Chittenden Locks - better known as Ballard Locks) were complete in 1917.

Traveling from east to west, vessels pass through the following:

Union Bay
Mountlake Cut
Portage Bay
Lake Union Fremont Cut
Salmon Bay
Hiram M. Chittenden Locks
Shilshole Bay

The Canal's crossing from east to west are as follows:

Montlake Bridge
University Bridge
Ship Canal Bridge
George Washington Memorial Bridge (better known as the Aurora Bridge)
Fremont Bridge
Ballard Bridge
Salmon Bay Bridge - for the Burlington Northern Railway

Why don't you make it your mission to take your preschooler across all the bridges? (Except the railroad bridge, of course!) THAT sounds pretty cool!  Read more...

History Lesson: Snoqualmie Falls.

by Bethany Dunn

January 12, 2009

If you have ridden one of the trains from the Northwest Railway Museum, then you have probably experienced the beauty of the Snoqualmie Falls. It is a 268 foot waterfall located on the Snoqualmie River between the cities of Snoqualmie and Fall City. Visited by approximately one and a half million people each year, it is one of our state's most popular attractions. Near the falls, most  Read more...

History Lesson: Fort Vancouver.

by Bethany Dunn

January 05, 2009

If you grew up in the great Pacific Northwest, you'll know our local history consists of three words: Lewis and Clark. But you know there's MORE to our history, right? We're going to head a bit further south from Seattle (practically, Oregon!) and look at the history of the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site just outside of Vancouver, Washington. Growing up  Read more...

History Lesson: Kwanzaa.

by Bethany Dunn

December 26, 2008

Today is the beginning of the week-long celebration of Kwanzaa! It is a holiday honoring African heritage and is celebrated throughout the world. Kwanzaa was first created by African-American scholar and activist, Ron Karenga, in 1966. His goal was to create an alternative to existing holidays and give African-Americans an opportunity to celebrate their heritage. The work Kwanzaa  Read more...

History lesson: Hanukkah.

by Bethany Dunn

December 24, 2008

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight day Jewish Holiday that began (this year) on December 21. The holiday celebrates and commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt during the second century. The festival is observed by the lighting of a special candelabra, called a Menoray . One candle is lit each night,  Read more...

History Lesson: Washington State Governor's Mansion.

by Bethany Dunn

November 17, 2008

Washington State is one of the few states that has an agreement to allow a private, non-partisan organization furnish and maintain the public rooms of our Governor's Mansion - all at no cost to the taxpayers of Washington State. The Governor's Mansion Foundation raises funds through events and other activities to provide for annual operating expenses, insurance and art exhibits.  Read more...

Introduction to the Official State of Washington Flower.

by Bethany Dunn

November 14, 2008

After we married I moved into my husband's home in Des Moines (Washington, natch). Our property (just 7,200 square feet) held twenty-seven rhododendron plants. Let me repeat that: TWENTY-SEVEN RHODODENDRON PLANTS. I did a little bit of research on rhododendrons and quickly discovered the they are the official flower of the State of Washington, and apparently, our property held an official  Read more...

History Lesson: Veterans Day.

by Bethany Dunn

November 10, 2008

Your preschooler will likely have tomorrow, Veterans Day, off from the rigors of the academics and everyday stressors of school. Make Tuesday more than just a day off. It's a great opportunity to talk about the significance and history of the day. So just what is the history of Veterans Day (which, by the way, is the official spelling as declared by the  Read more...

History Lesson: 520 Floating Bridge.

by Bethany Dunn

November 03, 2008

In part two of two of our historical look at the floating bridges of Lake Washington, we'll now take a closer look at the State Route 520 floating bridge. (Did you miss the post on the I-90 Bridge ? I hope not! After the completion of the I-90 Bridge in 1940, traffic soon overwhelmed the bridge and in the 1950s plans were developed to build a second floating bridge across Lake Washington.  Read more...

History Lesson: I-90 Floating Bridge.

by Bethany Dunn

October 27, 2008

Growing up in Portland, my family would make frequent visit to the Seattle area (Redmond, specifically) to visit my uncle, aunt and cousins. I remember these car trips taking FOREVER; when, in reality, they only took three and a half hours. Of course, this was well before the time of car DVD players and we had to do things like read books or listen to Kenny Rogers albums. LIKE ANIMALS.  Read more...

History Lesson: Deception Pass.

by Bethany Dunn

October 13, 2008

While not a Seattle landmark, per se, Deception Pass is located north in Island County, and should be on your short list for a day-visit. Technically, Deception Pass is a strait (narrow, navigable channel of water that connects two larger navigable bodies of water) that connects Skagit Bay, which is part of Puget Sound, with the Strait of Juan de Fuca. While breathtaking in  Read more...

History Lesson: The Space Needle.

by Bethany Dunn

September 24, 2008

Seattle is known for a few things: rain, Frasier and the Space Needle. The two former icons are probably of little interest to your preschooler (well, apart from the puddles), and the latter is one that most can probably point out on your trips through the city of Seattle. So, just where did it COME from? The short story is this: the story of the Space Needle is the story of the Seattle Center,  Read more...

History Lesson: Labor Day (plus Seattle Labor Day BONUS!).

by Bethany Dunn

September 01, 2008

The first Monday of September brings us the traditional end-of-the summer holiday, Labor Day. And while a long weekend, family barbecues and last minute school shopping (even for preschoolers!) is usually what we think about when looking forward to this holiday, do you know the history of Labor Day? The day originated in 1882 out of the New York City labor movement; the Central Labor Union  Read more...

History Lesson: Washington State Capitol.

by Bethany Dunn

August 18, 2008

It's never too early to start talking to your preschooler about government, and a great place to start is local government. Children respond to visual cues; a visit to the State Capital Building could jump start your little legislator. Olympia was named the capital of the Washington Territory in 1854, before the State of Washington was carved out and admitted to the union as the  Read more...

History Lesson: Commencement Bay.

by Bethany Dunn

August 11, 2008

Puget Sound is home to several bays along the waterfront - one of the most impressive is Commencement Bay, located in Tacoma. According to Wikipedia , "a line drawn from Point Defiance in the southwest to Browns Point in the northeast serves to mark the generally accepted division between the bay and the open sound." Today, the bay is one of the busiest commercial ports in the world, with  Read more...

History Lesson: The Northwest Railway Museum.

by Bethany Dunn

August 04, 2008

Most preschoolers like trains. But there are always the ones, and I'm sure you either know one or have one in your household, who has a slight obsession with them. Then the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie may be just the thing to send them over the edge. The museum itself was founded in 1959 as the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association and operated under that name until 1999, when  Read more...

History Lesson: Point Defiance Park.

by Bethany Dunn

July 23, 2008

You've heard me go on and on and on about how cool Point Defiance Park in Tacoma is. It's one of the nation's largest urban parks (top 80) and has a rich history. President Andrew Johnson reserved the land at what is now Point Defiance Park for use as a military installation - although that function never materialized. Instead, it sat undeveloped until President Grover Cleveland deeded the  Read more...

History Lesson: Safeco Field.

by Bethany Dunn

July 15, 2008

As I explained yesterday , Safeco Field is definitely one of the activities that you need to experience with your child before they grow up. But just what is the best was to getthe most out of your visit to the park with your children? First, a little history. The financing for Safeco Field was created by the Washington State Legistlature (after a tax issue narrowly failed  Read more...

"History Lesson: Gas Works Park."

by Bethany Dunn

July 04, 2008

Since many Seattlites will be converging upon the city's iconic Gas Works Park, I thought it might be a great time to look back and piece together just how this post-modern creation came to be. Because, honestly? I had NO idea until I did my research, but it is as cool as a story as I thought it would be. Beginning in 1900, the Seattle Light Company began to purchase lots on the north  Read more...

History Lesson: The story of the Creation of the Interurban Line.

by Bethany Dunn

June 23, 2008

Kids love trains. Some REALLY do (like my son, shown below intently watching a toy train with a REAL train behind him at last summer's Thomas the Train visit at the Northwest Railway Museum ). (Don't mind the scraps on my poor son's face; he had a fight with some cement stairs and lost.) Some of us adults like trains, too. As I eagerly await the opening of Sound Transit's first set of light  Read more...

Things that go vroom! The history of the Seattle Monorail.

by Bethany Dunn

May 19, 2008

The Seattle Monorail is to Seattle like the, well, the Space Needle is to Seattle: iconic. But before you take your next ride on the rail, take a moment to talk to your children about its history - it may make your next journey that much more interesting. The Monorail is the prefect introduction to transit for young children due to its short and interesting ride. In April 1961,  Read more...

History lesson: The Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

by Bethany Dunn

May 14, 2008

Almost universally, kids love bridges (or maybe its just mine!). I have been meaning to take them down to Tacoma and do the drive over to Gig Harbor and back to show them the "old" and the "new" Narrows Bridges . It's almost been one year since the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened to connect Tacoma to Gig Harbor and the Olympic Peninsula. To get the most out of the experience, here's some  Read more...