The Waterway

Between 1913 and 1920 the lower 9 miles of the Duwamish River were cut and straightened to create a canal of half that length. Simultaneously, the River’s meanders were back filled - ensuring an accessible, flood-free industrial landscape for Seattle. In 1920, this Dredging was suspended with a turning basin at present day Salmon Cove Park, though a few turn-of-the-Century visionaries hoped to extend it 25 miles farther south, to Tacoma. To the north, at the mouth of the Duwamish, fill created Harbor Island. Upon completion, it was the largest human-built island on Earth.