The Dream of the Lake Union Ship Canal
A new legislative memorial urges the federal government to fund a canal connecting Puget Sound to Lake Union and Lake Washington to expand Seattle's industrial potential.
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Representative Sallee of King will introduce a memorial in the House urging the U.S. Congress to appropriate funds for the construction of a ship canal from tidewater at Salmon Bay to Lake Union, and from Lake Union to Lake Washington. The memorial notes that surveys have been completed and that the distance—roughly one mile and 1,700 feet—is not difficult to construct. The rapid expansion of commerce and manufacturing adjacent to the lakes renders deep-water communication with Puget Sound an absolute necessity for full development. The state asks for speed in constructing the canal to ensure the region's economic future.
“The rapidly expanding commerce and manufactures of the country adjacent to said lakes and said canal render it necessary that for the full development of the same there be deep water communication.”
This 1891 push for the Ship Canal predates the actual construction by over two decades; the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks would eventually open in 1917. This push was the literal foundation of Seattle's modern industrial geography, physically remapping the city to connect the fresh water to the salt.
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