The free online encyclopedia of Washington state history

8221 HistoryLink.org articles now available.

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.

This Week Then

9/28/2023

A wooden walkway through the forest leads to the entrance to a tunnel, part of the Iron Goat Trail near Stevens Pass and once the route of the Great Northern Railroad

News Then, History Now

Kudos to Four

Washington cities that celebrate anniversaries this week include Stanwood, which voted to incorporate on September 29, 1903; Okanogan, which voted to incorporate on September 30, 1907; Granger, which had its incorporation approved on September 28, 1909; and Mill Creek, which incorporated 40 years ago this week on September 30, 1983.

Produce Galore

From September 30 to October 2, 1885, the first Kittitas County Fair was held near Ellensburg. The first Puyallup Fair began on October 4, 1900, and on October 2, 1906, the first San Juan County Fair opened in Friday Harbor.

Visits of Yore

On October 1, 1909, President Taft visited the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle. On October 4, 1960, Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko of Japan visited Seattle to commemorate the centennial of the first trade and friendship treaty between the United States and Japan. And on October 3, 1979, the Dalai Lama paid his first visit to Seattle as a guest of Seattle University and its president, Father William Sullivan, SJ.

Flying High

On September 24, 1924, more than 40,000 people gathered at Seattle's Sand Point Airfield to welcome two U.S. Army aircraft that had just completed the first aerial circumnavigation of the globe. The planes were the survivors of a fleet of four Douglas Air Cruisers that had departed Sand Point for their round-the-world trip more than five months earlier.

The Egg and I

On October 3, 1945, Betty MacDonald's The Egg and I was published, and within a year her tale of chicken farming had sold more than a million copies. She followed this up with Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, her first book for children.

Queen of the Sky

On September 30, 1968, the public got a close-up view of the first 747 Jumbo Jet at its rollout in Everett, and most were impressed with its sheer size. Four months later the 747 took its first flight and flew for more than an hour while a three-man crew performed a series of tests, including sideslips and a simulated loss of hydraulic power.

Today in
Washington History

New On HistoryLink

Image of the Week

Several people observe the Bubbleator, a clear, plexiglass orb on a hydraulic lift that carried millions of visitors between floors at the Washington State Coliseum during the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair.

The Bubbleator at Seattle Center carried its final passengers on October 1, 1980.

Quote of the Week

"An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day."

–Henry David Thoreau

Major Funding Provided By

Education Partners