The Chelan and Yakima are bathed in the shades of a summer sunset, their cabins mystically aglow in this fantastic photo by Mike Bonkowski. While marginally better than last summer, the weather for much of July was cooler than normal and fairly wet, but there were some spectacular sunsets and thunderstorms.
weighed on the minds of many a Puget Sound commuter when it was reported that the former WSF ferry went down with some 144 souls off the coast of Zanzibar. Reports confirm the ferry was dangerously overloaded, with some saying an additional deck had been added onto the existing ones for more passenger and cargo capacity. The Skagit and Kalama operated safely for decades in Washington waters, but WSF made sure the vessel was never loaded beyond capacity.
Since the disaster, the Kalama, which was operating for the same company in Tanzania, has had her certificate revoked and has essentially been condemned. Photo at left, author's collection, two at right courtesy of AP.
From Wikipedia:
Luna Park was an amusement park in Seattle, Washington that operated from 1907 until 1913. Designed by famed carousel carver Charles I.D. Looff, who carved and installed Coney Island’s very first carousel, Luna Park took its name from Coney Island’s Luna Park. The 12-acre (4.9 ha) park was constructed near the Duwamish Head on the northern tip of Alki in West Seattle. Built on pilings, the expansive boardwalk extended over Elliott Bay and was called the Greatest Amusement Park on the West Coast.
Luna Park’s main attractions were Charles I.D. Looff's hand-carved carousel, the Great Figure Eight Roller Coaster, the Giant Whirl, Shoot the Chutes, the Canals of Venice, and the Cave of Mystery. The Zeum Carousel was originally intended for an amusement park in San Francisco, but the earthquake of 1907 disrupted the city's plans and the carousel was installed in Seattle instead. With vaudeville enjoying immense popularity at the time, Luna Park also housed two theaters, the Dreamland Theater and the Trocadero, with the latter performing a new play each week.
Additionally, Luna Park hosted daily acts, including the clown Uncle Hiram, Don Carlo’s Trained Monkey and Dog Circus, and the Original Human Ostrich. The park featured a live bear pit, as well as several transitory exhibits, such as Baby Incubators. The park was also host to a variety of concessions and games of chance, such as shooting galleries and ball tosses. One of the park’s most prominent structures was its Natatorium, which housed heated saltwater and freshwater swimming pools.
On July 4, 1908, Luna Park became the site of Seattle’s first manned flight. L. Guy Mecklem launched his airship from the park, racing two automobiles a distance of ten miles to the Meadows Racetrack in Georgetown. A much-heralded event, Mecklem beat the automobiles with two minutes to spare. Mecklem housed his aircraft at Luna Park for a short time afterward, charging visitors ten cents each to view it.
Luna Park was accessible by trolley, the West Seattle ferry, or the Seattle Municipal Railway’s Luna Park Line. During evening hours the park was brilliantly illuminated, with each building and ride outlined in bulbs. Because of its extravagant lighting scheme the park could be seen for miles and was billed as a safe nighttime destination for women and children.
Other of Luna Park’s nighttime attractions weren’t as popular among the moral community of West Seattle. The park boasted the longest and best-stocked bar on Elliott Bay, a venue that angered the citizens around Alki. Feeling that drunks would overrun their community, West Seattle petitioned to be annexed into the City of Seattle in the hope that its conservative mayor, William Hickman Moore, would address this and other concerns.
Seattle annexed West Seattle in 1907, two days after Luna Park opened, but it did little good. The same year the City of Seattle also annexed Ballard, Southeast Seattle, South Park, Ravenna and Columbia City. With such massive expansion, Mayor Moore had little time to focus on the concerns over Luna Park. West Seattle citizens next attempted to put a referendum on the ballot to close the park entirely. A petition was circulated but invalidated shortly after when a number of its signers asked for their signatures to be removed.
In the next mayoral election, Hiram Gill replaced Moore as mayor. Gill, who favored an open-town policy, was not the mayor for which West Seattle was hoping. Gill’s chief of police, Charles Wappenstein, was tasked with controlling the restricted district. Instead he took payoffs from those dealing in booze, gambling and women and the district expanded. Wappenstein was also involved with the development of a 500-room brothel in Beacon Hill, a project in which Luna Park’s manager, W.W. Powers, was an investor. The Forces of Decency, an activist group consisting of prohibitionists and newly enfranchised female voters, pushed for a recall election and Hi Gill was voted out of office.
The park and its bar continued to operate for another two seasons, so its affiliation with vice had little impact on Luna Park. Numerous visitors sustained injuries at the park. One patron slipped from the top of one of the rides and snapped his neck. Another patron injured his knee playing the high striker and filed a successful suit against Luna Park. There were also disputes between the park's managing companies, however, that led to the filing of lawsuits. Charles I.D. Looff, who operated the park's amusements, sold his share of the company out of frustration and returned to his operations in California.
Luna Park set the stage for a grand reopening for its 1913 season. “New Luna Park to Equal Eastern Amusement Resorts,” read the headline in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The park was to be “new in every element of its ownership and conduct,” right down to its manager, W.H. Labb, who had built White City in Chicago. The park was to feature enlarged attractions, including “racing coasters” that would replace the Great Figure Eight roller coaster. The management was even offering stock in the park at $1,000 per share, which they promised would yield 25% dividends. However, Luna Park was closed that same year.
The rides were disassembled and removed, with the Zeum Carousel traveling to California (the carousel is now in operation at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco, California). The Natatorium continued to operate, however, changing its name to Luna Pool. In 1931 Luna Pool caught fire and the remains of Luna Park were destroyed in the blaze. The fire was suspicious, with many believing that the culprit was the same arsonist, Robert Driscoll, who had destroyed a number of other Seattle landmarks. The pier was declared a total loss and replacement estimates were too high for the city to finance rebuilding. It was condemned in 1933.
In 1946, the City of Seattle filled in the pools of the Natatorium to avoid potential lawsuits. Today the site is known as Anchor Park due to the sizeable anchor, salvaged from the waters near this location, that is on display. The park also features observational viewers that project phantom images of Luna Park over Elliott Bay, offering visitors a glimpse into the past. Today all that remains of the Greatest Amusement Park on the West Coast are the original pilings, which are visible during extremely low tide. The name also survives in such local businesses as the Luna Park Cafe.
The photo above, by Matt Masuoka, shows the Walla Walla at dock from the spot where Luna Park once stood, with some of the remaining bits of the pier at a very low summer tide.
*Subject to change at any time/ Reflect assigned routes and may not be the current situation
ANACORTES-SAN JUAN ISLANDS:
Elwha
Hyak
Yakima
Chelan
ANACORTES-SIDNEY:
Chelan
SAN JUAN INTERISLAND:
Evergreen State
MUKILTEO-CLINTON
Cathlamet
Kittitas
PORT TOWNSEND-KEYSTONE
Kennewick
Salish
KINGSTON-EDMONDS
Spokane
Puyallup
SEATTLE-BAINBRIDGE
Tacoma
Wenatchee
SEATTLE-BREMERTON
Kaleetan
Kitsap
FAUNTLEROY-VASHON-SOUTHWORTH
Issaquah
Tillikum
Sealth
POINT DEFIANCE-TAHLEQUAH
Chetzemoka
STANDBY
Hiyu
Klahowya
Walla Walla will be in for dockside repais from 23 July until end of summer.
The Vacationland , seen here in 1960, is in the last weeks of operation before being put out of work by the Mackinac Bridge behind her. She would end her days as B.C. Ferries Sunshine Coast Queen. Author's collection.
Another in the long list of ferries being cut up in Ensenada, the Queen of Vancouver will be heading south soon. She'll be the second B.C. Ferry to make the trip the breakers there, having been preceeded by the Queen of Esquimalt.
The Gig Harbor.
DAY ROOM ARCHIVES
Late January/Feb 2012
March 2012
April 2012
MAY 2012
JUNE 2012
JULY 2012
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One of Puget Sound Navigation's prettier steamers, the Kulshan was an all-Washington product, her steel being milled in Irondale. Built in 1910, she sailed on the Bellingham route almost exclusively until 1929. Author's collection.
Named thrice: Majestic, Whatcom, and lastly, City of Bremerton. She was remodeled only once, converting from a passenger steamer to the car ferry City of Bremerton. This one stumped everyone this month!
Mystery ferry for August
Named twice, both times after an individual
Any ideas? Email me here!
