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1908 Map of Seattle

Name: 1908 Topographic Map of Seattle
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

Seattle and its surrounding shorelines undergo rapid transformation in this 1908 revision, capturing the city as it prepared for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition near the State University. The intricate street grids of Ballard, West Seattle, and Georgetown are clearly established, though the southern reaches of the Duwamish River still show a meandering path through South Park and Vanasselt before later industrial straightening.

Transit networks are the lifeblood of this era, with the Puget Sound Electric Ry and Northern Pacific railroads connecting early industrial hubs to the residential growth near Green Lake and Lake Union. Along the edges of Elliott Bay and Lake Washington, numerous points and coves like Duwamish Head and Wetmore Slough illustrate the complex interface between the maritime economy and the emerging urban landscape. Notable landmarks include the military grounds at Fort Lawton and the prominent Lakeview Cemetery.