History of Seattle: The Expansion of Art and Culture with a High Tech Approach

Seattle, a prime city in Washington, is a hilly terrain neighboured by the saltwater body of Puget Sound on one side and freshwater Lake Washington on the other making it a geographically vegetative and cultural city. Officially settled on 13th November 1851, Seattle has witnessed a roller-coaster history with various downfall instances; however, Seattle always stood up strong to rebuild their infrastructure in a more organised and better manner.

The present-day Seattle was inhabited by the Duwamish and Suquamish tribe in the mid-1850s, before which there were shreds of evidence of life in the area from glacial period. With the first European expedition of George Vancouver, Seattle has proliferated wisely.

Let’s know more about this amazing city and its historical tale!

How Seattle got its Name? 

In 1851, inhabitants came to the Seattle area and established it with the name “New York” initially to which they added a Chinook Jargon word “Alki”, meaning “by-and-by” naming it as “New York- Alki”. Subsequently, the village area near Elliott Bay (present-day Pioneer Square District) was named Seattle to honour Sealth, a Duwamish Indian leader.  

Early Settlements in the City, Seattle

1. Vancouver’s Exploration of Seattle

The early years of Seattle settlement saw an expansion due to enhancement of North Asian trades. Various explorers including Juan de Fuca of Spain sailed through the Pacific Coast of Washington for powering the trade in Russia. However, George Vancouver arrived in 1792 by mapping and locating the Northwest Passage to Seattle. With the suggested reports of Vancouver about the city's beauty and economic feasibility, British exploration enhanced which was later declined with the settlement of American traders. 

2. Establishment of the first Non-Native American Community in Seattle

The year of 1851 witnessed the inhibition of settlers from Illinois through the Portland area for encampment in Alki Point, the present-day Western Seattle. Illinois settlers then became the first non-native American community in the Seattle area who started timber trade and logs shipment in the early years.  

3. Development of Seattle in the Early Years

The early years of Seattle’s economy were dominated by timber and logging trade, during which Henry Yesler became the major employer in the city. In 1869, Seattle witnessed the arrival of the railroad due to which Seattle replaced San Francisco as the transport point by early 1880s. However, the arrival of anti-Chinese riots in 1889 consumed many infrastructural buildings, road, blocks and railroad terminals. In 1893, Great Northern Railway was established in Everett, leading to Seattle's massive development as a city centre. During this era, the city's population expanded from 3,533 in 1880 to 80,671 in 1900 after which saloons, casinos and brothels were set up leading to more criminal activity and corruption.

Expansion and Enlargement of the City in the Early 20th Century

In the 1890s, the water route to Seattle established a depot for Klondike gold rush, which led to a massive exodus from the neighbourhood countries to Seattle. Resultantly, the population of Seattle extended to nearly 2,50,000. Following the extension of the city, R.H. Thomson developed various municipal corporations, Seawell and structural developments. However, some settlers initiated the Progressive movement leading to an alcohol ban from 1916 to 1933. There were many social and political reforms in the city during this movement in which women received the voting right till 1910. In the 1920s, Seattle began establishing various art centres with the construction of Frye Art Museum and Henry Art Museum followed by the commencement of the jazz era in 1924. 

Seattle’s Role in World War II

Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbour initiated the US's entry in World War II where the Puget region was actively participating. During that period, the prime concern was the need for jet planes and boomers in the war, for which Boeing positioned them in the Seattle area to manufacture planes and boomers. During the war, Seattle stood up strong and became one of the top three cities in getting contracts per capita. During the war, Seattle produced 1000 B-29 bombers, 8,200 planes and 6,981 B-17s with the Boeing settlement and employed more than 80,000 workers from the city. 

Expansion of Seattle’s Population during World War II

World War II accelerated the inhabitation of thousands of workers from across the country in Seattle to produce more weapons and jets. Out of 5 million African American immigrants, around 10,000 settled in Seattle and worked as a shipyard employee till 1942. It was estimated that 60,328 shipyard workers in Seattle are from African American origin during the end of the war era. Subsequently, the soldiers, workers, or labourers who were immigrants during the war became a part of Seattle with permanent residency. They strengthened the political scenario and civil rights legislation of the city. 

The Boom in the City post World War II

1. Boeing’s contribution to Seattle’s economy

The end of world war II came as a disappointment for Boeing factories as the military cancelled the orders resulting in the factory shut down and unemployment of around 70,000 people. However, with subsequent stagnation, the manufacturing of jet aircraft started which acted as a rebirth for Boeing, making its leading commercial planes producer. 

2. Establishment of METRO transportation in the city

Post-war consequences also increased the pollution level in lakes and traffic on the roads. At that point of time, natives in Seattle came up with a regional METRO plan to manage the city's transport and sewage issues.   

3. Infrastructural Development of the City

During the post-war period, Seattle organised many fairs, including Century 21 exposition, World’s fair among others, and fabricated various art and cultural buildings like Seattle Center, Pacific Science Center, Space Needle, etc. Moreover, monorail construction during this period attracted a substantial number of tourists in the city of Seattle, smashing a reasonable profit in the city's tourism sector. 

Contemporary and High Tech City of Seattle

Industrial Resonance of Seattle

Seattle’s industrial and political growth was initiated with a high tech approach in 1979. In the era of 1975- 1979, Bill Gates and Paul Allen shifted their company from New Mexico to Seattle where the sale for their company Microsoft increased three folds making it the world’s most profitable organization by 1995. The boom in Seattle’s population's financial status acted as a catalyst for developing the web of industries. Moreover, the establishment of a well-renowned coffee shop chain, Starbucks and biotechnology industry, Nordstrom added to the enhancement of economy in the Seattle region, sprouting every day in a better manner. 

Modern yet Cultural Seattle Today 

With a high spirit of optimism, Seattle has faced a lot of challenges and is now proudly a city filled with cultural arts, live musical theatres and sports. Pioneer Square and Pike Place Market beautifies the city and waterfalls allure the suburbs' beauty around Seattle. The city's development also increased financial inequality and raised racism, injustice, and global warming in the city lately. However, Seattle is now more vibrant and beautiful, both architecturally and financially and is planning to spawn in the coming years.