World War II, which ended with the atomic bombing of Japan, was followed by the period known as the Cold War, a rivalry between the United States and the USSR. Fearing the spread of communism and the possibility of Russian nuclear attack, the U. S. organized and promoted an active nationwide civil defense program. The Seattle Civilian Defense Corps created 867 fallout shelters throughout the city, whose residents were to be warned of emergency with a three-ton super siren mounted on the Seattle Police garage at Fifth Avenue and Cherry Street.
This "Operation Northwest Passage" map was drawn on top of a 1950 City Engineer boundary map of Seattle. The blueprint map is marked with concentric rings showing the expected severity of destruction in the city, ranging from "complete destruction" in the center, to "minor damage" in the outermost of the four rings. The Port of Embarkation and Boeing Field are labeled at opposite points within the outermost ring.
Text on map: Operation: "Northwest Passage" Seattle Civil Defense Corps, July 10, 1951. Legend: 1 Complete Destruction, 2 Damage Beyond Repair, 3 Major Damage, 4 Minor Damage. From original map: The City Engineering Department, R. W. Finke, City Engineer, Boundary Map, The City of Seattle, April 1950, Scale, 1" - 2700', 839-35B.
Caption information source: "Seattle tests a super siren during the Cold War on February 27, 1952," by David Wilma, HistoryLink.org Essay 3688, https://historylink.org/File/3688
ID Number: 2018.3.1
Date: 1951
Physical Description: 1 technical drawing : blueprint ; 24 x 36.5 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant.
