Historians Discuss the Lake Washington Ship Canal at The Seattle Public Library July 23
release date: July 18, 2017
Historians David B. Williams and Jennifer Ott will read from their HistoryLink.org publication "Waterway: The Story of Seattle's Locks and Ship Canal" and discuss the regional changes stemming from Seattle's locks and canal from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 23 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium, 206-386-4636 .
Library events are free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Parking is available in the Central Library garage for $7.
This year is the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. But why does a city surrounded by water need another waterway? Find out what drove Seattle's civic leaders to pursue the dream of a Lake Washington Ship Canal for more than 60 years and what role it has played in the region's development over the past century. Williams and Ott will discuss decades of false starts and political shenanigans, as well as the far-reaching social, economic and environmental impacts of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. The two will explore how industry, transportation, and the very character of the city and surrounding region developed in response to the economic and environmental changes brought by Seattle's canal and locks.
Williams is a freelance writer focused on the intersection of people and the natural world. His most recent book was "Too High and Too Steep: Reshaping Seattle's Topography," which won the 2016 Virginia Marie Folkins Award, given by the Association of King County Historical Organizations to an outstanding historical publication. Other books include "Stories in Stone: Travels Through Urban Geology" and "The Seattle Street-Smart Naturalist: Field Notes from the City." He lives in Seattle.
Ott is a historian and assistant director with HistoryLink.org. She is also the president of the nonprofit group Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks and a steering committee member of the Volunteer Park Trust. She lives in Seattle.