The Lake Washington Ship Canal was created to move logs, coal, and other resources directly from the east side of Lake Washington to Elliott Bay. Construction began in 1911 under Hiram M. Chittenden of the Army Corps of Engineers. The formal dedication and opening of the Lake Washington Ship Canal for business was on July 4, 1917, when the SS Roosevelt led a marine parade through the Ballard Locks, as more than half the city’s population lined the shores.
The boat in this image is believed to be the Orcas, a tender sent through both the large and small canal locks during construction. This image was likely taken when the larger lock was ready to be tested, on February 2, 1916, an unusually snowy day in Seattle.
SHS category: Canals
Caption information source: The Seattle Daily Times, February 3, 1916, page 11 Caption information source: "Lake Washington Ship Canal (Seattle)," by David B. Williams, HistoryLink.org Essay 1444 Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.
ID Number: SHS10603
Date: 1916
Physical Description: 1 photographic print mounted on cardboard: b&w ; 8 x 10 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.
