The first three parks along the west shore of Seattle's Lake Washington--Madison, Leschi and Madrona--originated in the early 1890s as marketable retreats by street railway companies, who also owned nearby lots they sold to the huge influx of people to the city after the Great Fire of 1889. The parks featured attractions like dance halls, promenades, canoes for hire, nature trails.
In this image, two couples sit on large wooden swings located in Madrona Park. In 1908 Union Trunk Line sold Madrona Park to the City of Seattle, which still maintains a 31-acre section of the original park as a swimming beach.
Caption information source: https://pauldorpat.com/archivepage/seattle-now-then-madrona-park-end-of-the-line Caption information source: "Seattle Neighborhoods: Madrona, Thumbnail History," by Junius Rochester, HistoryLink.org Essay 2235
ID Number: Lib1991.5.70
Date: Circa 1895
Physical Description: 1 photographic print mounted on cardboard : b&w ; 4 x 6 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Credit: MOHAI, William S. Newton Photographs, Lib1991.5.70
