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1949 Map of Duwamish Head

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Duwamish Head
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

Puget Sound serves as the central artery for this late 1940s landscape, connecting the growing residential districts of West Seattle to the industrial and naval hubs across the water. The map documents a maritime-dependent era before modern bridge expansions, where a complex network of ferry lines like the Seattle-Winslow Ferry and the Fauntleroy-Vashon Ferry bridged the gaps between Bainbridge Island, Vashon Island, and the mainland.

Neighborhood detail is particularly dense along the western shore, highlighting community foundations like Lafayette Sch and James Madison Junior High Sch. The map also captures specialized land use of the period, from the Laurel Beach Sanatorium near Brace Pt to the settlement of Creosote on the Kitsap side. The transition from industrial points like Duwamish Head to recreation areas such as Schmitz Park illustrates the diverse character of the Seattle shoreline during this period of post-war growth.