Bitter Lake

Bitter Lake is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, USA, named after its most notable feature, Bitter Lake. It was a mostly natural forest of Douglas-fir and Western Redcedar, inhabited by Native Americans, until the late 19th century. Development especially picked up when the Seattle-to-Everett Interurban streetcar reached the lake in 1906. A sawmill operated in the area until 1913, when most of the trees had been cut down. Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Download high resolution version (394x698, 13 KB)Map of Seattle, Washington with Bitter Lake neighborhood highlighted. ... Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Download high resolution version (394x698, 13 KB)Map of Seattle, Washington with Bitter Lake neighborhood highlighted. ... Jump to: navigation, search Downtown Seattle skyline City nickname: The Emerald City Location Location of Seattle in King County and Washington Government County King Mayor Greg Nickels NP/Democrat ¹ Physical characteristics Area      Land      Water 369. ... Bitter Lake is a small lake and neighborhood in north central Seattle, Washington (USA). ... Jump to: navigation, search A dense growth of softwoods (a forest) in the Sierra Nevada Range of Northern California A forest is an area with a high density of trees (or, historically, a wooded area set aside for hunting). ... Species See text. ... Species Thuja plicata Western Redcedar, Thuja plicata, a species of thuja, is an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to the northwestern US and southwestern Canada, from southern Alaska and British Columbia south to northwest California and inland to western Montana. ... Jump to: navigation, search Native Americans is a term which has several different common meanings and scope, according to regional use and context. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Everett High School (part of Everett Public Schools) Everett Public Schools logo Everett Station Everett is a city located in Snohomish County, Washington. ... An interurban streetcar line or interurban, also called a radial railway in Canada, is a streetcar line running between urban areas. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... This article or section should include material from Saw mill A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1913 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

To its east, across Aurora Avenue N., is the neighborhood of Haller Lake; to its west, across Greenwood Avenue N., is Broadview; to its north, across N. 145th Street, is the city of Shoreline; and to its south is Greenwood. N. 130th Street is often considered its southern boundary, although some place it further south, at N. 125th Street, N. 115th Street, or even N. 105th Street. Washington State Route 99 is a highway in the state of Washington, U.S.A. It extends just over 50 miles from Fife in the south to Everett in the east. ... Haller Lake is a small lake and neighborhood in north central Seattle, Washington, named for Theodore N. Haller, who platted the neighborhood in 1905. ... Broadview is a neighborhood in northwestern Seattle, Washington, USA. Broadview is bounded on the west by Puget Sound; on the north by N.W. 145th Street, beyond which is the city of Shoreline; on the east by Greenwood Avenue N., beyond which lies the neighborhood of Bitter Lake; and on... Shoreline is a city located in King County, Washington, 15 miles (24 km) north of Downtown Seattle. ... Greenwood is a neighborhood in north central Seattle, Washington, USA. The generally accepted boundaries of Greenwood are Aurora Avenue N. (Washington State Route 99) to the east, beyond which lies Northgate; N. 105th Street to the north, beyond which lies Bitter Lake; 8th Avenue N.W. to the west, beyond...

Bitter Lake played a more prominent role in Seattle at mid-20th century—when it was not yet officially part of the city—than it does today. From May 24, 1930 to 1961, it was home to Playland, one of several amusement parks built by the Washington Amusement Company. It was purchased a year after it opened by Carl E. Phare, a designer and builder of roller coasters, who designed The Dipper, a roller coaster with 3,400 feet of track and a maximum altitude of 85 feet. Other notable attractions included The Canals of Venice, 1,200 feet of darkness that may have been Seattle's most famous makeout spot for two generations, and a 9,600 square foot hardwood floor dance pavilion. During the Great Depression, it was home to dance marathons and flagpole sitting contests. Jump to: navigation, search May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... A typical roller coaster The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. ... Jump to: navigation, search The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ... Marathon dancing is a dance activity originating in the mid-1300s that became very trendy in the 1920s and 30s. ...

The 12-acre amusement park, with parking for 12,000 cars, closed at the end of the 1961 season, under three economic pressures: the rise of television, the rising value of its lakefront real estate, and the impending Century 21 Exposition (the 1962 Seattle world's fair), which would dwarf a relatively small amusement park on the edge of town. The Space Needle, built for the Century 21 Exposition. ... Jump to: navigation, search Worlds Fair is the generic name for various large expositions held since the mid 19th century. ...

Part of the site of Playland is now the R. H. Thomson Elementary School; the Bitter Lake Community Center sits near the onetime site of the Dipper.

References

• Jessica Davis, "Remembering Playland". North Seattle Herald-Outlook, July 13, 2005, p. 1.
• Louis Fiset, "Playland -- Seattle's Amusement Park (1930-1961)" at HistoryLink.org September 14, 2001, corrected on July 11, 2005, accessed August 27, 2005. Several good photos.