Move the slider to explore before-and-after maps of Seattle’s engineered waterways and shoreline
Construction of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and the Lake Washington Ship Canal profoundly altered the landscapes and waterways of Seattle and its environs, displacing a rich natural environment and the indigenous people and cultures it sustained. Use the slider below to see how Seattle’s shorelines have changed.
Mark Nowlin and Vanessa Martínez / The Seattle Times
Sources: burkemuseum.org; “Native Seattle, Histories From The Crossing-over Place,” by Coll Thrush; “Historical Changes to Lake Washington and Route of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, King County, Washington,” by Michael Chrzastowski; “Concrete Nurse Logs: Spawning Biodiversity from Ballard’s Century-Old Locks” by Hillary Belle Pritchett