In 1888, Seattle investors convinced British industrialist Peter Kirk to open a steel mill in Kirkland, named in his honor. They hoped that the Moss Bay Iron and Steel Works, reorganized in 1890 as the Great Western Iron and Steel Company, would turn Kirkland into the Pittsburgh of the West. The city boomed as speculators subdivided land and built substantial brick buildings. Unexpected mining difficulties and the nationwide economic depression of 1893 put an end to Kirkland's early dreams of prosperity.

This photo shows the Kirkland waterfront in 1906, more than a decade after the steel mill closed. The lakefront brick structure (far left), called the Bank Building, housed offices for the steel mill and real estate company. Uphill, at the intersection of Market and Picadilly (now Market and Seventh), stand five brick buildings from the Kirk venture. Kirkland's Central School can be seen on top of the hill (center right). At the time this photo was taken, the Lake Washington shoreline was some nine feet higher than it is today.

Webster & Stevens number: 7671