History

A small group of pioneers from Illinois settled on the site of Seattle in 1851, at a place now called Alki Point. At that time, the region was inhabited by various tribes of Salishan Indians. The settlement was named in honor of Chief Seattle (properly Seathl) of the Suquamish and Duwamish tribes, who had aided the settlers.

Lumbering soon became the main activity. In 1853 Henry L. Yesler, a lumberman from the Midwest, built a steam-powered sawmill in Seattle, the first on Puget Sound. In the 1860's, Asa S. Mercer, president of the Washington territorial university, brought a number of women from the East to provide wives for Seattle's loggers. Seattle was incorporated as a town in 1865 and as a city in 1869, but remained a small mill town for some years.

The coming of the first major railway early in the 1880's marked the beginning of Seattle's growth. The city developed rapidly despite bitter labor disputes, riots against Chinese workers in 1886, and a disastrous fire in 1889. Population increased twelvefold, 1880-90. In 1893 Seattle became the western terminus of the Great Northern Railway. At about the same time, it became a port of entry for ships from the Far East.

The discovery of gold in Canada's Yukon Territory in 1896 brought prosperity to Seattle, which served as supply center for the gold miners. Expansion continued into the 20th century. In 1909 the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition was held in Seattle. The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 led to an increase in the city's maritime trade. In 1916 Lakes Washington and Union were connected to Puget Sound by the Lake Washington Ship Canal.

During World War I, Seattle led the country in shipbuilding. At the same time, William Boeing began manufacturing airplanes there. World War II generated new industrial growth, particularly in the shipbuilding and aircraft industries. In 1962 the city was the site of a world's fair, the Century 21 Exposition. During 1966–71, Seattle's economy was hard hit by temporary cutbacks in production by the Boeing Company. By the late 1970's, industrial diversification had helped the city's economy to rebound. In 1989 voters elected the city's first black mayor, Norman B. Rice. He was reelected in 1993. In 2001, the Seattle area was hit by a powerful earthquake.