Hiram Chittenden Locks under construction, 1916. (Courtesy Museum of History & Industry.)
Seattle's Big Ditch
Not long after Seattle was founded in the 19th century, city founders envisioned it as an industrial hub. To help further that aim, and to help transport the timber and coal from east King County, they decided they needed some kind of canal to connect Lake Washington with Puget Sound.
After several false starts, and political turmoil, Major Hiram Chittenden of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers helped jumpstart the eight mile long project now called the Lake Washington Ship Canal. The Ship Canal opened freshwater moorage to ocean-going vessels, and spurred Seattle's thriving maritime industry. In the five-part series Seattle's Big Ditch, reporter Marcie Sillman takes us on an audio tour of the Canal, the people who work in the maritime industry, and the pressures the industry faces as most of the city turns its attentions to the high tech industry.
Reported by Marcie Sillman. Music from Bill Frisell's The Intercontinentals.
Listen to the full documentary (MP3)
Funding for Seattle's Big Ditch was provided by the KUOW Program Venture Fund. Contributors include Paul and Laurie Ahern and Puget Sound Energy.
Lake Washington Ship Canal spillway near Fremont (Courtesy Museum of History & Industry.)
Seattle's Big Ditch: Building the Lake Washington Ship Canal
Monday, June 27, 2005
The Lake Washington Ship Canal: it's eight miles long, leading west from Union Bay, near the University of Washington, all the way to salmon bay in Ballard, and the salt water of Puget Sound. These days the ship canal is a major pleasure boat thruway. But 100 years ago, Seattle's movers and shakers hoped it would open Lake Washington to major industrial development. In the first part of a weeklong series, KUOW's Marcie Sillman takes us on a personal tour of the waterway, the backbone of Seattle's maritime industry.
Seattle's Big Ditch: The Men Who Fish
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Seattle's Salmon Bay is home to the majority of boats that fish in Alaska. Some people even joke that Ballard is Alaska's largest town. But in a city hopped up on caffeine and hyped about high tech, it's easy to overlook the fishermen. In the second part of a weeklong series about Seattle's maritime industry, KUOW's Marcie Sillman introduces us to some of the men who fish the North Pacific.
Seattle's Big Ditch: The Maritime Industry Under Pressure
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
In Seattle, high tech is king. But did you know that the city's maritime industry generates almost as much money as high tech?....more than two billion dollars every year. And jobs in maritime pay about the same as those in high tech. But many people in the maritime industry feel their contributions aren't appreciated by the general public. They worry that Seattle's rising land values and gentrification may drive them out of business altogether. KUOW's Marcie Sillman takes a look at some of the pressures facing the maritime industry in today's installment of our weeklong series.
Seattle's Big Ditch: The Pleasure Boats
Thursday, June 30, 2005
From the beginning, Seattle's leaders saw the Lake Washington ship canal as a gateway to industry in this city. That's true. It's also the major marine highway for sailors and yachters traveling between Elliott Bay and Lake Washington. All this week we've heard from people who make their living on the ship canal. Today, in the fourth part of our weeklong series, KUOW's Marcie Sillman introduces us to the other boaters who call the canal home.
Seattle's Big Ditch: Fish v. Glitz: Can High Tech and Maritime Coexist?
Friday, July 01, 2005
For years timber, airplanes and fish ruled Seattle commerce. But lately, the glitter of high tech profits has stolen the limelight. And the allure of waterfront property is driving prices out of reach for fishermen, boat builders and other businesses that depend on the sea. Can Seattle's maritime industries survive the squeeze? That's a question facing area politicians. In the final installment in a weeklong series, KUOW's Marcie Sillman examines the public decision-making that will shape Seattle in the 21st century.
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