This blueprint map depicts the former King County community of Foster, Washington, just south of Seattle city limits. Brothers Joseph and Stephen Foster came from Illinois and settled in the area in 1852, where the Black and White Rivers met. Joseph Foster became a very prominent pioneer who served as an early Washington Territorial legislator, the first superintendent of schools, and a well-respected local leader. His homestead was located at the present-day site of the Foster Links Golf Course. Foster was annexed by Tukwila in 1989 and the community is now part of the City of Tukwila.
The "S & T.I. Ry," indicated at the right of the map, represents the Seattle-Tacoma Interurban Railway or Puget Sound Electric Railway. It was a 38-mile stretch of track, running between Tacoma and Seattle and began operating on September 25, 1902. There were 19 stations along the fully electric line, including Foster Station in Foster, WA. The wooden cars departed every hour, with a one-way fare price of 60 cents. The final trains ran on December 30, 1928, due to declining ridership as the road system expanded around the region.
Caption information sources: "Interurban rail service between Seattle and Tacoma begins on September 25, 1902," by David Wilma, HistoryLink.org Essay 5340. "Interurban Rail Transit in King County and the Puget Sound Region ," by Walt Crowley, HistoryLink.org Essay 2667. "Tukwila - Thumbnail History," by Alan J. Stein, HistoryLink.org Essay 2091. "Tukwila History", City of Tukwila website, retrieved from https://www.tukwilawa.gov/visitors/about-tukwila/tukwila-history/, April 22, 2019. "Annexed Residents Impatient to Get Sidewalks," by Anh Do, The Seattle Times, August 21, 1990.
ID Number: 2019.3.30
Date: Circa 1905
Physical Description: 1 map : blueprint : ; 27 x 15 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant.
