Tag: history

August 4, 2023

North U Bridge project is a huge opportunity for a safer and better-connected U District + Survey

Most of the University Bridge is in decent condition, but the northernmost section between NE 40th and NE Pacific Streets needs major rehab or replacement, according to SDOT. The 1930s concrete structure is at the end of its life, and that may be for the best because it no longer fits into the U District…
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tagged: 11th ave ne, history, roosevelt, sdot, university bridge
March 15, 2023

Watch: Take a history tour of North Beacon Hill by bike

Bob Svercl’s latest video is a bike ride around North Beacon Hill focused on some history highlights of the area. He even included a route map if you are inspired to ride to the featured areas yourself. This is the second history ride video Bob has created recently. Two months ago, he featured Queen Anne.…
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tagged: beacon hill, bob svercl, bobco85, history, videos
February 20, 2023

I’m giving my first talk about my book Thursday (free, online) + Release delayed until August

Well, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that publication of my book Biking Uphill in the Rain: The Story of Seattle from behind the Handlebars has been pushed back to August due to delays in the proofing and printing process. I’m pretty bummed because I was really looking forward to…
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tagged: biking uphill in the rain, history, pacific northwest historians guild
February 7, 2023

Seattle’s first jaywalking law in 1917 was part of the city’s class war

This is one part of a series about jaywalking laws in Seattle and Washington. See also: From the beginning, Seattle ‘jaywalker’ stings were used to arrest poor people and Support an end to ‘jaywalking’ laws in Washington. The day before a new downtown Seattle jaywalking law went into effect July 7, 1917, a Seattle Daily…
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tagged: history, jaywalking, seattle general strike
December 8, 2022

Archive Gem: In 1970, Rainier Beach students created a protest group called Stop Traffic’s Obnoxious Pollution

Sometimes when you’re digging through the city archives, you stumble on some true gems. This letter I found deep in a box in the Seattle Municipal Archives is one of them. In 1970, some students from the Rainier Beach Cottage Program (a sort of alternative school program for middle and high school students housed within…
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tagged: history, rainier beach cottage program, rainier beach high school, Stop Traffic’s Obnoxious Pollution
August 17, 2022

What on earth is happening in this old photo?!?

I stumbled on this photo today in the Washington State archives and, well, I have no idea what the hell is going on here. Let see if the archive’s description can shine any light on it: “Shows 16 men standing on top of a log resting on a railroad flatcar, along with a dog and…
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tagged: history, wtf