Site Report #2
The Pre-1850’s Seattle area was far from recognizable from what it is today. Instead of bustling streets and great buildings, there was instead rich forestland inhabited by the Duwamish Native American tribe. As there are no photographs of this time, this quote from the Seattle Times article of May 2001, A Culture Slips Away, by Ross Anderson and Sara Jean Green must suffice to describe what the U-District and many other places were like back then:
“In spring, people left their winter villages for camps where families hunted or gathered food and other resources. Gaps in the forest were maintained to encourage game and food supplies. Such "prairies" were cultivated at what is now Belltown, the University District, South Lake Union and along Sand Point Way Northeast, and most likely at Alki Point.”
While the white settlers were welcomed by Natives at first, according to the article, such friendly terms were not to last. As the settlers poured in, the Duwamish were soon outnumbered and even displaced from their homeland. Over the mid to late years of the 18th century, what was once forest land and prairies was quickly paved over with streets and what is now the U-District and university of Washington.
Seattle developed quickly. In the mid 1800’s it was mostly unsettled forest, but in a span of only fifty years it became a busy port city. In this time, the U-District and University of Washington developed into the place we see it as today. And by 1937, the U-District was almost indistinguishable from the one of the present. The only noticeable land mark that is missing is the I5 bridge, but it is also evident by comparison that the Eastlake Avenue bridge had been erected at this time. One more thing of note is the difference in buildings for the block between 8th and 9th and 42nd and 43rd. In 1937, though it is difficult to make out, it seems the structures were markedly smaller and closer together. There also does not appear to be much plant life, if any, from what might have remained during pre-settler Seattle.
Simply examining the environment around the U district, it was and is still bordered by Lake Union and Portage Bay. This and the fact that it might have once been a prairie land, makes it a reasonable place for settlers to develop. Few trees and water access would make it a desirable location for early settlers. Though it is unclear what exactly may have occupied the space of the block between 8th and 9th and 42nd and 43rd, examining the streets of today yields some inferences. The avenues themselves are on a slight incline, yet drains are not to be found. This might suggest that historically or at least in recent history, the site was not the place where water typically ran off. This may hint that the area was once a prairie which the Duwamish once cultivated. The slope is also noticeably flat. This may be due to artificial development over the years, but it if not, it may reflect a prairie like ancestry.
Bibliography:
Anderson, Ross, and Sara Jean Green. "Seattle History: The Seattle Times." Seattle History: The Seattle Times. Seattle Times, 27 May 2001. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.