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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

10/23/2025

Fairfax, Pierce County

News Then, History Now

Sturdy and Strong

On October 24, 1872,  Schwabacher Bros. & Company erected Seattle’s first brick building. The three Schwabacher brothers – Louis, Sigmund, and Abraham – were successful retailers who had operated a general store in Walla Walla since 1860. In 1869 they opened a branch in Seattle, headed by their business partner Bailey Gatzert, who was married to their sister, Babette.

Moving Along

This week marks three notable anniversaries in transportation history. On October 23, 1875, the Walla Walla & Columbia River Railroad was completed from Wallula to Walla Walla. On October 27, 1909, construction began on the Lake Washington Ship Canal. And on October 26, 1927, the Seattle-Everett Highway opened.

Schooling Gone Wrong

On October 24, 1909, the Briscoe Memorial Boys School was founded in Kent, and it operated as a Catholic orphanage and boarding school until 1970. In recent years, reports came to light of rampant verbal, physical, and sexual abuse of boys at the school dating back to the 1940s. In his memoir, St. Ann's Kid, Seattle political activist John Mitsules describes some of the brutal discipline he experienced while attending school there.

Views of the Bay

On October 23, 1915, Larrabee State Park was established in Whatcom County as Washington's first state park. The land was donated by the Larrabee family, who were very influential in the development of Bellingham.

A Very Dark Day

On October 29, 1929, the stock market collapsed, ushering in the Great Depression, a 10-year economic downturn that caused hardship worldwide. Washington suffered as trade dried up, jobs vanished, and businesses closed. By 1931, unemployed workers in Seattle established a "Hooverville" south of downtown. The shantytown would remain there for almost a decade.

Hospital Stay

On October 27, 1967, Dr. Lester R. Sauvage, founder of the Hope Heart Institute in Seattle, performed the first "bloodless" open-heart surgery in the Northwest. Sauvage made significant contributions in the practice of coronary artery bypass surgery and was a pioneer in the research of artificial aortic heart valves.

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Image of the Week

On October 26, 1954, amateur adventurer Roy Bergo was rebuffed in his efforts to sail a motorized bathtub from Edmonds to Alaska. He made it as far as Whidbey Island.

On October 26, 1954, amateur adventurer Roy Bergo was rebuffed in his efforts to sail a motorized bathtub from Edmonds to Alaska. He made it as far as Whidbey Island.

Quote of the Week

"My dynamite will sooner lead to peace than a thousand world conventions. As soon as men will find that in one instant, whole armies can be utterly destroyed, they surely will abide by golden peace."

–Alfred Nobel

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