Consider this: You are standing where the Duwamish people once sought spiritual healing. Welcome to Licton Springs Park. This place is more than just a park. It is a landmark rich with history.
Licton Springs Park gets its name from the Lushootseed word for the reddish mud found here. The word is “líd’tid” or “Licton”. For thousands of years, native people used these springs as a spiritual health spa. Imagine them gathering here after the last glacial period. That was about 10000 years ago. They came to heal their bodies and spirits. In fact, in 2019, Licton Springs Park became the first Native cultural site designated as a city landmark.
In the 1870s, Seattle pioneer David Denny recognized the value of this area. He built a summer cabin near the springs. He even had the water tested. The tests showed that the water was healthful. The natural spring once fed Green Lake. Later the spring was capped and drained into the Metro sewer system. This happened after the water became contaminated by residential development in the 1920s and 1930s.
The Olmsted Brothers designed a park for Licton Springs in the 1930s. Their design was part of a grand plan for Seattle’s streets and parks. Sadly, this park was never fully built. However, a park does exist today where Woodlawn Avenue curves to connect with N 95th Street. This is where the spring is located. Restoration efforts began in the mid-1960s. Volunteers helped to create a small pond and natural wetland vegetation. Today, you can still see urban park amenities.
The Everett and Interurban Railway Company came to Licton Springs in 1906. The trolleys became a part of everyday life. They helped to develop residential neighborhoods around the trolley stops. The whistle of the trolley became part of the atmosphere of Licton Springs. In the early years, the line ran through forests and farms. The rough wagon road became Aurora Avenue N in 1930.
The Pilling family had a dairy farm here from 1909 to 1933. Their farm eventually became the waterfowl habitat and birding site known as Pilling’s Pond. Japanese-Americans also had greenhouses and small farms in Licton Springs. Sadly they were forcibly removed during the Internment of Japanese Americans from 1942 to 1945.
North College Park became defined with the Licton Springs neighborhood in 1970. This happened when North Seattle College was established. The springs at the North Police Precinct and North Seattle Community College are headwaters of Thornton Creek. These neighborhoods are natural extensions of Maple Leaf downstream.
The spring’s red iron oxide was historically used by the Duwamish for face paint. It was also used for spiritual practices and as a trading commodity. The springs were also believed to be medicinal. In the late 1800s, the spring’s waters reportedly cured David Denny’s daughter of a skin disease.
For a time, a bathhouse was built on the Licton Springs site. It was marketed as a “healing spa.” An ad for the spa asked: “Why travel to distant resorts when you have a natural mineral springs located in Seattle?”
Today, Licton Springs Park stands as a testament to the area’s rich past. It is a place where you can connect with nature and learn about the history of Seattle. Remember the Duwamish people who first recognized the healing power of these springs. Consider the settlers who built their lives here. Licton Springs Park is a place where history and nature come together.