In 1885, Judge Thomas Burke, D.H. Gilman, and other investors raised funds to build the Seattle, Lake Shore, and Eastern Railway. They hoped to connect Seattle by train to the eastern part of the U.S., but the initial route only reached the north end of Lake Washington. Later absorbed by the Northern Pacific the line was used primarily for a diminishing amount of freight and passenger service.

Burlington Northern acquired the route by merger in 1970 and announced the abandonment of 11 wooded miles of track in 1971. A committee of interested citizens formed to persuade the railroad to donate the land for a hike and bike trail. Hundreds of people, including those in this image, hiked the tracks that September in support of the idea. The initial part of the trail was dedicated in August 1978.

Caption information source: “From Railway to Parkway?," by Mamie H. Rockefeller, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Northwest Today, September 5, 1971, pages 4,5.
Caption information source: “Hundreds Hike Along Lake Rails,” by Ed Stover, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 13, 1971, pages A1, A5.
Caption information source: “The original 12.1-mile stretch of the Burke-Gilman Trail, Seattle's popular cycling and pedestrian trail, is dedicated on August 19, 1978,” by Rita Cipalla, HistoryLink Essay 20809.