Diablo Dam incline railway climbing Sourdough Mountain, 1930. Courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives, 2306.
Children waving to ferry, 1950. Courtesy Museum of History and Industry.
Loggers in the Northwest woods. Courtesy Washington State Digital Archives.
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On March 14, 1911, Governor Marion E. Hay signed legislation authorizing the establishment of public port districts. The Port District Act was a victory for progressive and populist reformers who sought to put an end to private monopoly control of urban harbors. The legislation released the railroads' stranglehold on many waterfronts, enabling local communities to acquire and manage the resources that best promoted trade and commerce.
Washington now has 75 public port districts – more than any other state -- each of which is an independent government body, run by commissioners elected by local voters. King County citizens created the Port of Seattle, Washington's first public port district, in September 1911, and the second, the Port of Grays Harbor, followed in December 1911. The Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma - the state's two biggest - together make up the country's third largest container load center, trailing only Los Angeles/Long Beach and New York/New Jersey.
But this does not diminish the important roles that other ports play throughout the state. The Port of Bellingham has been a driving force in both economic development and environmental stewardship in its community. Traveling south, the Port of Peninsula has grown considerably from its early start providing shore access to oyster boats and gillnetters. Across the state, the Port of Clarkston is Washington's farthest inland port, and the Port of Pend Oreille owns its own railroad.
This week we mark St. Patrick's Day with a look at some of the Irish-Americans who played major roles in Washington history, beginning in 1805 with Sgt. Patrick Gass, who kept his own journal as a member of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. When the Hudson's Bay Company opened Fort Vancouver on March 19, 1825, they dispatched Dr. John McLoughlin to take charge of the Columbia district, and more Irish came with him.
Irish-Americans were among the many immigrants who traveled the Oregon Trail. Some who settled in Washington were Michael Simmons and half Irish, half Black George W. Bush, who both settled near Tumwater in 1845. By 1856, one in 12 land claims in Washington Territory were made by Irish-born settlers, many of whom had left their native land following the famine years of 1847-1850. Michael Cowley came to this country with no money at the age of 15 and became influential in the development of Spokane. James Purcell Comeford came to America in 1849, and later became the "father of Marysville." Jimmie Durkin and his family (including 13 siblings) arrived in America in 1868, and he grew up to become Spokane's legendary liquor tycoon.
On March 18, 1917, vaudeville aficionados laughed to the antics of a young Stan Laurel in a stage show at Seattle's Hippodrome. Exactly 10 years later, a new generation of entertainment junkies saw and heard their first "talkie" at the Blue Mouse, by which time Laurel, now paired with Oliver Hardy, had achieved worldwide fame.
Dancing? No!
On March 15, 1937, Governor Clarence Martin put his foot down on Washington's dance marathons, years after after cities like Tacoma and Bellingham had banned them. The craze had risen to popularity in the 1920s, but the Great Depression intensified the fad as a grueling endurance contest with partners dancing for weeks and even months on end.
Rock and Roll
On March 16, 1958, Seattle Bandstand debuted on KING-TV and became an instant hit with Northwest teens. Modeled after Dick Clark's Philadelphia-based, nationally broadcast American Bandstand, the two-hour weekly program launched the careers of several local bands and led to the creation of similar shows on NBC affiliates in Yakima, Spokane, and Portland.
Taking a Soul
On March 16, 2003, an Israeli army bulldozer ran over Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old peace activist from Olympia. Corrie and seven other activists with the International Solidarity Movement had been protesting the destruction of a Palestinian home by the Israeli military. She died from her injuries.
Winning Goal
Two years after Seattle was officially granted an expansion franchise for Major League Soccer, the Seattle Sounders FC made their debut on March 19, 2009, and has since smashed league records for attendance. They are the only team to have won four U.S. Open Cups, capturing their first MLS cup in December 2016 and their second cup in 2019.