Early Kirkland

by Matthew W. McCauley

Kirkland is a city of over 88,000 today, but when the US government opened the eastern shore of Lake Washington for homesteading in 1870, it was an unforgiving, mostly unpopulated primeval forest of giant old-growth conifers and tangles of undergrowth. Over the next two decades, hardscrabble pioneers gradually braved the wilds to stake and prove up 80- and 160-acre land claims. In 1887, a consortium of speculators, developers, and dreamers headed by a dynamic English steel industrialist sought to transform the scattered wilderness ranches into a steel manufacturing center, the "Pittsburgh of the West." A boomtown was born, but within a few years, the steel scheme imploded, leaving in its ruins a few resilient families who undertook the arduous, decades-long struggle to forge a town. Early Kirkland provides a new look into Kirkland's past, from its beginning to 1940.

Genres: History

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 2, 2015

Reviews

[PJ Goelzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a newer resident to the area, it was interesting to learn more about the history of Kirkland. I especially appreciated the excellent old photos that really gave a feel for how early settlers lived. The only improvements I could suggest would be to get more in-depth stories to add to the book and overlays for some of the older map photos with current maps so people can get a better idea of scale.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Kirkland resident for several years now it was fun to learn about how the town was first incorporated and to recognize familiar streets, shorelines, and a few buildings that still survive from more than 100 years ago. Most of the photographs are from prior to WWI, but it sounds like the Kirkland Heritage Society has a much larger set of photos and other memorabilia from a broader time range.