Thanks for the thoughts on Seattle's equine history. I remember thinking many years ago (1970s), "I wonder if there's anybody still alive who remembers when horses were common on Seattle streets?"
What kicked off that musing was my dad's observation that Seattle's hilly terrain necessitated having at least one road up and down hills suitable for horse traffic. The road would be graded to accommodate a 'one-horsepower' wagon. For example, you couldn't expect ol' Nellie to pull a wagon laden with sacks of flour and groceries up Queen Anne Avenue (the future counterbalance), could you? No, too darn steep.
Where would you go? Why, the route up Taylor-5th Avenue N-Boston has a nice steady grade all the way from the base of Queen Anne hill to its top.
You can find such roads throughout hilly Seattle. During my days as a cyclist around Seattle, these roads were on our radars, for a similar reason. A nice easy, continuous grade from bottom to top!
On Queen Anne's north side, there's Third Avenue West. On Magnolia, there's Gilman Blvd and Thorndyke. On the Beacon Hill, there's Beacon Ave South and Cheasty Boulevard. In West Seattle, there's Admiral Way.
Downtown got regraded and regraded, but I suspect Western Avenue has always been such a wagon or horse route, leading from waterfront piers and railway sidings up to Pike Place Market and to other downtown locations. Which I guess would tend to argue the need for two stables mentioned in your essay!
Thanks for the thoughts on Seattle's equine history. I remember thinking many years ago (1970s), "I wonder if there's anybody still alive who remembers when horses were common on Seattle streets?"
What kicked off that musing was my dad's observation that Seattle's hilly terrain necessitated having at least one road up and down hills suitable for horse traffic. The road would be graded to accommodate a 'one-horsepower' wagon. For example, you couldn't expect ol' Nellie to pull a wagon laden with sacks of flour and groceries up Queen Anne Avenue (the future counterbalance), could you? No, too darn steep.
Where would you go? Why, the route up Taylor-5th Avenue N-Boston has a nice steady grade all the way from the base of Queen Anne hill to its top.
You can find such roads throughout hilly Seattle. During my days as a cyclist around Seattle, these roads were on our radars, for a similar reason. A nice easy, continuous grade from bottom to top!
On Queen Anne's north side, there's Third Avenue West. On Magnolia, there's Gilman Blvd and Thorndyke. On the Beacon Hill, there's Beacon Ave South and Cheasty Boulevard. In West Seattle, there's Admiral Way.
Downtown got regraded and regraded, but I suspect Western Avenue has always been such a wagon or horse route, leading from waterfront piers and railway sidings up to Pike Place Market and to other downtown locations. Which I guess would tend to argue the need for two stables mentioned in your essay!
Thanks again!
Brian
Bremerton