Browse Exhibits (4 total)
Cougar Mountain
Prior to settlement by white Europeans, the region around Cougar Mountain (now the cities of Newcastle, Issaquah, and Renton) was inhabited by the Coast Salish peoples, predominantly the Duwamish tribe.
Once Europeans settled on the land, they discovered rich coal deposits underneath the mountain. The coal industry attracted many European settlers to the region, and the abundance of coal helped fuel the growth of Seattle as well as numerous other industries in Renton and Issaquah, including the rail industry.
The area's history is also closely tied to U.S. military history. During both world wars, industries fueled by Cougar Mountain coal deposits manufactured freight cars and tanks for the war effort. The mountain is also home to two Cold War-era anti-aircraft missile sites which were abandoned toward the end of the 20th Century and left to be consumed by the wildland around it.
Today, Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, established 1983, dominates the wild heart of the mountain. Its 3,115 acres and 38 miles of hiking trails are beloved by the citizens of the Renton-Newcastle area. The park was established after Washington hikers organized walks on the trails in an effort to get the city to recognize their desire for the preservation of the wildland.
Cougar Mountain has a dynamic history, from the native inhabitants to their industrial, militarized usurpers, and back to a protected, beloved wild space. The mountain's history can be viewed as a relative success story in the Anthropocene. It represents land stolen by the improvement/extraction-minded will of the Western usurper but which, thanks to conservation efforts of modern people, has been allowed to return to its natural state. Cougar Mountain's conservation brings natural abundance back into perspective as an essential contributor to human welfare, and indicates that a return to the view of the natural world as intrinsically valuable still exists and can be reinvigorated with community support.
Sand Point
High level history of the changing uses of Sand Point, Seattle from before white settlement to current day including the adaptive reuse of Naval Air Station, Sand Point and the wetlands restoration of Mud Lake
Chittenden-Ballard Locks
A popular location in Ballard, the Hiram M. Chittenden (Ballard) Locks is a host of Seattle's history. Though renowned in engineering, the locks have left their mark on both human and non-human species.
Discovery Park
This exhibit is intended to capture aspects of the past and present of Discovery Park located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The park as a landmass has a long history in the colonial imagination, but this exhibit will focus primarily on the history post-military installation. This exhibit acknowledges the efforts and contributions of key figures and peoples who helped Discovery Park become what it is today, and reflect on the current use of the space. A special emphasis will be placed on the history of Discovery Park as it pertains to the Indigenous peoples of the land we know as Seattle.