One Street, Eight Names: The Tide-Land Map That Broke Seattle's Addresses

The publication of the new map of the tide lands by the board of tide land appraisers has given City Engineer Thomson's scheme for re-naming the streets of the city a severe setback, and he is now in the same position as before he started the work. He will have to commence all over again. The map contains some names which are already claimed by other streets in remote portions of the city, and in fact the streets were named without the slightest consideration for existing streets and the extension of the same. The tide land appraisers, in naming the streets platted along the tide lands and the rim of the harbor as far north as the mouth of the bay, have followed out the idea of naming the streets north of Yesler avenue after the principal cities of the United States, and those south of that avenue after the several states of the Union.

Thus the two blocks of Depot street fronting on the tide lands have been named Roanoke street, notwithstanding the fact that there is a Roanoke street about half a mile long on the east side of Lake Union, in the Denny-Fuhrman addition. Depot street is now known under a series of names that are confusing to old-timers as well as to new owners. First it is Roanoke street. Two blocks further east it is called Depot. For over a mile it is thus known, and then, for some unexplained reason, it is called Hawthorne avenue. A little further it changes to Decatur street, and still further, when a little jog is encountered, it is again changed, and is known by several other names as it runs toward Lake Washington. But this is only one of many similar cases, for there are few streets in the city that maintain their names and identity throughout their entire length.

Along the flats the conditions are even more confusing than in the districts north, for the new names are more numerous in accordance with the additional land made available. The appraisers have seen fit to call a certain street directly south of King street after the state of Connecticut, which is an extension of Arbor street, German avenue and Baxter street. As it proceeds toward the lake it again loses its identity, and is known as Champa street. Then again, south of this new street is Alaska street, named without any alteration of the connecting and existing thoroughfare of Dearborn street, which runs across Beacon Hill. But this street is also known by a series of names as it leads across the country east. From Dearborn it changes to Mikado, from Mikado to Modjeska, then to Cullen, then to Florence, and finally runs into the wilderness as Duke street. Residents will have to hire a private detective to keep track of their possessions on Beacon Hill along this street unless Mr. Thomson can devise some means of straightening out and untangling the maze of names.

Then comes the new street of Massachusetts. As soon as the street leaves the flats the existing plat shows that the extension is known as Woodstock street, but further on this is called Frederick street, and finally winds up under the title of Lee street. It seems that every man who built a house out in that vicinity named the street as it was graded past his premises, after some hero of his own imagination.

Vermont street is known under a series of names, having as many aliases and being as unreliable as a professional outlaw. In the several districts traversed it is known variously as Plummer, Tilton, Elizabeth, Tremont and Prince. Yesler street is also called South Pine, being a well-known thoroughfare under the latter name, as it is the street along which the water main is laid from the pumping station on the lake to the reservoir on Beacon Hill. Texas street is an extension of Addition street and Rural street. Then comes Tennessee street, also known as Walker street, and then are Alabama, Mississippi and Kansas streets, all new creations. Mississippi street is the extension of Lander street, and Kansas the extension of Forrest avenue.

Chehahs avenue has no extension, meeting the meander line of the flats between the streets. Spokane avenue and Orleans avenue will have to fight it out in South Seattle, for they both claim the same street. But the most unfortunate mistake of all is the naming of the extension of Denny street after a state which is synonymous with storm, drouth, cyclones and blizzards — Dakota! It is possible that the residents of that portion of the city will not permit Mr. Thomson to change the name to Dakota.

Nebraska street is a short affair, being located across the north end of Edwards Island, and extending for a block along the shore on the east. Colorado is also remembered with a name on this island. Whatcom street is the extension of Smith street, while that avenue runs around the head of the bay on the line of the filling wall to West Seattle. Seattle boulevard will wipe old Grant street off the map, for with the filling of the bay Grant street will be no more in name. In rapid succession along the flats appear the names of streets as follows: Arizona, Minnesota, Wenatchee, Klickitat, Wisconsin, Kitsap, Colorado, Utah, Commercial and several others.

From the head of the bay north along the meander line of the present water front the appraisers have seen fit to make a great many changes in names, in places the new names offsetting existing streets for two blocks up. The publication of the map by the appraisers made things complicated for the city engineer, but he hopes to recover from his shock, and will in a few days start in and try to figure out a method which will straighten out the names in a manner that will prove satisfactory to all. He has devised a new system. He will make a map of the city with the new names, and will present the same to the city council for action.