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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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This Week Then

11/6/2025

Early birdseye Tacoma

News Then, History Now

Reincorporation

On November 11, 1875, Columbia County was formed out of Walla Walla County with Dayton as the county seat. Dayton officially became a city in 1877, but the incorporation was later nullified by a lawsuit over taxation. The city reincorporated on November 10, 1881.

Statehood Celebration

It had taken 36 years for Washington to make the transition from territory to statehood when it was admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889. Territorial voters had originally requested entry in 1878, but Congress declined their request.

Cross-Lake Transportation

On November 10, 1923, Mercer Island became a little less remote with the opening of the East Channel Bridge, which connected the small community to Bellevue and the Eastside. The opening of the Lake Washington Floating Bridge in 1940 completed the connection to Seattle and led to major changes in the island's development.

Grain Elevator

One hundred years ago this week, on November 6, 1925, a fire destroyed the Great Northern Railway's grain and ore terminal at Smith Cove in Seattle. This week also marks the anniversary of the first ship to load at the Port of Seattle's Pier 86 grain terminal, when the vessel arrived on November 10, 1970.

Noted Orator

Revered today as a national icon, The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was still regarded as a radical at the time of his sole trip to Seattle on November 8, 1961. When King's original speaking venue was suddenly canceled, local supporters led by Mt. Zion pastor Sam McKinney scrambled to find alternative platforms for King's message of social and racial justice. In 2005 the eponym of King County was officially changed to honor Martin Luther King Jr.

Few Games Are Greater

Fifty years ago this week, on November 7, 1975, Bishop Blanchet stunned Garfield in four overtimes in the high school football "game of the century." And on November 10, 2019, the Seattle Sounders FC won their second MLS Cup, three years after winning their first Major League Soccer championship.

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Image of the Week

Ravenna sinkhole

On November 11, 1957, a giant sinkhole opened up in Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood.

Quote of the Week

"I continue to be interested in new things that seem old and old things that seem new."

--Jaquelin T. Robertson

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