Was it a nose or a neck? That’s the question the Duwamish people pondered about Bailey Peninsula. They called it skEba’kst meaning nose because of its shape. The marshy isthmus connecting it to the mainland they named cka’lapsEb or neck. This peninsula jutting into Lake Washington holds centuries of stories. It began as a vital hunting and fishing ground for the Duwamish. Their summer homes were woven from Lake Washington’s cattails. They fished for salmon. They hunted deer and waterfowl. They gathered wapato bulbs.
In 1850 Isaac Ebey paddled past. Then in 1852 Edward Clark and John Harvey became the first American settlers. They built a shared cabin. It burned down during the 1856 Battle of Seattle. The peninsula’s name shifted over time. It was known as Andrews Peninsula then Bailey Peninsula. William E Bailey a Pennsylvania investor bought most of it in 1889 for $26000. He invested heavily in local real estate. He even bought the Seattle Press-Times. The Panic of 1893 forced him to return to Pennsylvania.
In the 1890s Seattle’s Superintendent of Parks saw the peninsula’s potential. He suggested buying it for a park. But the idea was dismissed. It was deemed too far and too inaccessible. But Bailey Peninsula’s fate would change. The Olmsted Brothers landscape architects were commissioned in 1903. Their plan included buying Bailey Peninsula. The city finally acquired it in 1911. This was after much negotiation and land condemnation. It was renamed Seward Park after William H Seward. He was the Secretary of State who championed the purchase of Alaska.
Seward Park wasn’t immediately developed. A picnic area and a few trails were built. Lake Washington Boulevard was extended to the park. The completion of the ship canal lowered the lake level. This joined the peninsula to the mainland. The once marshy neck became a meadow. The park’s amenities expanded. A bathhouse was built. It became an arts and crafts studio later. The Seward Park Inn a Tudor style building was constructed in 1927. It served as a concession stand. Then it became a nature education center.
Seward Park offers more than just history. The park is a haven for wildlife. Bald eagles nest there. The park boasts the city’s largest old-growth forest. It’s a magnificent 120 acres of virgin timber. A gift from Yokohama a Taiko Gata stone lantern stands at the entrance. It’s a symbol of friendship after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. Ornamental cherry trees grace the perimeter. They are living reminders of Seattle and Japan’s enduring connection. So explore Seward Park. Discover its history its nature and its enduring spirit.