The unique floating homes of Seattle got their start almost simultaneously with the development of the city itself. Seattle's first industries were logging and fishing, both seasonal enterprises, and it became common for loggers and sailors to build themselves floating shacks from scrap boards during their off seasons. As the trend spread, houseboats were built as permanent homes for families of men who worked at Lake Union's many industrial facilities: lumber mills, a chemical plant, a tannery, a varnish manufacturer, an asphalt plant, an asbestos factory, and shipbuilding yards. Because of the low-cost living, the houseboat colonies also attracted bohemians, political radicals, and a certain share of criminals. Lake Washington became the site for the city's wealthy to build their own houseboats for recreational purposes, made easier after the Yesler cable-car line was installed in 1888, connecting downtown Seattle to Lake Washington.
In this image young people gather around a group of houseboats, north of Madison Street on Lake Washington. Several are in canoes and appear to be preparing for (or returning from) a summer day of recreation.
SHS category: Sports
Caption by Peter Blecha, from "Seattle's Historic Houseboats," HistoryLink.org Essay 9507.
ID Number: SHS9025
Date: 1912
Physical Description: 1 photographic print mounted on cardboard: b&w ; 7.75 x 9.25 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.
