Lake Union

Although landlocked until completion of the Lake Washington Ship Canal in 1917, Lake Union's shores were settled in the 1850s and sprouted saw mills fed by a log canal to Lake Washington. Construction of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad (now the Burke-Gilman Trail) accelerated the north shore's development after 1885, and developers platted new Fremont, Wallingford, and Latona neighborhoods in the 1890s. The Eastlake and southern Cascade neighborhoods developed a mix of industry, working-class homes, and houseboat communities. The area boasts Fremont's collection of quirky monuments (a giant Troll under Aurora Bridge, rocket ship, and V. I. Lenin), Wallingford's historic Gas Works Park, Eastlake's picturesque floating homes, and an emerging maritime history center on the south shore of Lake Union.

	Lake Union

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To learn more, search HistoryLink essays by keyword or click the files below.

Thumbnail Histories

• Cascade
• Eastlake
• Fremont
• Wallingford
• Lake Washington Ship Canal

Cybertours

• The Burke-Gilman Trail

Libraries

• 7 Fremont Library
• 23 Wallingford Library

Museums

• 2 The Center for Wooden Boats
• 13 Northwest Seaport
• 16 Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society