West Point Light Station
Cargo vessels bound for ports on the Pacific Rim from Seattle round a sharp spit of land at the northern end of Elliott Bay. Named West Point by explorer Lt. Charles Wilkes, the point also marks the westernmost point of land within the city of Seattle. The federal government recognized the importance of the point [...]
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University Shell House
The University of Washington is a sprawling campus with many buildings more than 50 years old. But only one structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the so-called “Naval Military Hanger-University Shell House,” also called the Canoe House. The building is located southeast of Husky Stadium at the entrance to the Lake [...]
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Washington Street Public Boat Landing
The Washington Street Public Boat Landing Facility on Seattle’s central waterfront illustrates the city’s reliance on Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean. The earliest Anglo-European settlers chose the area in the 1850s because of its natural harbor, which made Seattle the nation’s primary arrival and departure point for the Klondike gold fields in 1896. For [...]
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Zodiac
Built for the heirs to Johnson & Johnson pharmaceuticals fortune, the two-masted schooner Zodiac was designed in 1924 by William H. Hand, Jr. to epitomize the best features of the American fishing schooner. The 136-foot, 145-ton vessel competed in the 1928 Transatlantic Race, in which uncharacteristically light winds left heavy ships like the Zodiac to [...]
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Point Robinson Lighthouse
Enormous cargo vessels traveling north and south through Puget Sound between Seattle and Tacoma make a sharp turn at Point Robinson, located on the eastern tip of Maury Island, which is connected to Vashon Island. Early mariners labeled the area the “fog net,” because fogs often obscured the point, catching inattentive ship masters. A foghorn [...]
More InfoPoint No Point Lighthouse
In May 1841, US Navy Lt. Charles Wilkes, exploring the uncharted waters of Puget Sound for the government, named a spit of land barely visible from the deck of a sailing ship Point No Point. But the early history of the site had little to do with maritime. In 1855, the local S’Klallum, Chimacum and [...]
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Locally designed and built, the wooden racing boat Pirate has recently returned to Seattle for a complete restoration. Designed by Ted Geary, the boat was built in 1925 at Seattle’s Lake Union Dry Dock Co. Early in the process, the builders decided to make her the best boat of its type on the west coast. [...]
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Chittenden Locks / Lake Wash. Ship Canal
Early Anglo-European settlers in the Seattle area faced the daunting challenge of moving products such as coal and logs over muddy roads and through shallow rivers. Pioneers dreamed of a water route west from Lake Washington to Puget Sound. Civic leaders agreed a canal was needed, but they argued for decades on the correct route. [...]
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Lime Kiln Lighthouse
The San Juan Islands are an archipelago just north of Puget Sound near the Canadian border. They are a favorite haunt of vacationers, and many visit the Lime Kiln Lighthouse on the western edge of San Juan, the largest island in the group. The lighthouse received its name from a number of mid-19th century lime [...]
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Marty McOmber
Dan Leach
Deborah Bach
Zach Wellington Simonson-Bond
Pete Leenhouts
Mary D. Christie
Zoe Olson
hannah hindley
Brendan Floyd
Aislinn Palmer
Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society
CWB Maritime
Madhuri Hosford
Joe Follansbee
Sue Loiland
Janeen Armstrong.
Oregon Maritime Museum
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