The Wild Deer of Lake Washington
As the fishing season wanes, local sportsmen find unexpected game within city limits as deer wander into the urban landscape.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Now that the fishing season has closed, the sportsmen are turning their attention to hunting. In the near vicinity of Seattle the season is very backward. Two weeks ago a party of fishermen were trolling along the east shore of Lake Washington when they were surprised to hear a loud splashing in the water and found a deer swimming wildly about. The animal was weary from running and they succeeded in wounding it with bullets from revolvers. A short time ago a deer was found within the city limits, near the water works at Lake Washington and shot down. Old hunters account for the appearance of these animals at places where no one would ordinarily look for them as being due to what is known as the 'running time,' when they wander from place to place.
“A short time ago a deer was found within the city limits, near the water works at Lake Washington and shot down.”
It is striking to read of deer being hunted within Seattle city limits near the water works, a vivid reminder of how recently the city was still contiguous with deep wilderness. This story highlights the rapid transition from a wild landscape to an urban one that continues to define Seattle's expansion history.
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