Rising Tides and Tailwinds: The Story of the Port of Seattle, 1911-2011

Rising Tides and Tailwinds: The Story of the Port of Seattle, 1911-2011
ISBN-10
0295991313
ISBN-13
9780295991313
Category
History
Pages
128
Language
English
Published
2011
Authors
Historylink, Peter Blecha, Kit Oldham

Description

A century ago Seattle was held hostage by its own waterfront. Competing railroad companies built a chaotic sprawl of railroad lines, docks, and warehouses along the shoreline of the great natural harbor of Elliott Bay, creating conditions so bad that visionary civic planner Virgil Bogue called the harbor side "a blot on the city and a menace to the lives of its people." After many years of unproductive bickering and lawsuits, the Port District Act was passed making the Port of Seattle the first public port formed under legislation. The newly public port proved its worth during World War I, when it briefly became the second busiest in the country. In succeeding decades, the Port excelled in projects that would have been nearly impossible for private companies; it met the challenges of the Depression, founded Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, helped revolutionize containerized cargo, and generated tens of thousands of jobs. Entering its second century, the Port is a recognized leader in environmental restoration, sustainable aviation, and shipping practices. Kit Oldham is a historian at HistoryLink.org and co-author of Moving Washington Timeline: The First Century of the Washington State Department of Transportation, 1905-2005. Peter Blecha is the author of six books and a historian and editor at HistoryLink.org.

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