History of 21 Acres

 by Nan Hawthorne

Nature and human plans have governed the fate of the land on which 21 Acres is established.  The effects of both destructive and creative forces of nature long preceded those of humans.  Glaciation scoured the land, and then redeposited the first of the soils that would grow and grow into arable land, attracting the settlers who arrived in the late 19th century.  Our acreage remained agricultural from thence to today.  Landholders' efforts built and destroyed topsoil's while the Sammamish River floods augmented both.  Now we are engaged in restoration and preservation of this land that has seen so much change. More....

Land grant 1928 - Arthur L. Calkins

Thank you to Nan Hawthorne, 21 Acres Community Gardener and volunteer,  for the extensive research and providing this in depth historical perspective.

Nan Hawthorne has been a freelance and contract-based writer for over 15 years and has a first novel, An Involuntary King: A Tale of Anglo Saxon Engand, due out the end of this summer. She and her husband, Jim Tedford, garden at 21 Acres and have been community gardeners for decades.

Photo: Nan and MacDhui Duck, a cat.

Sammamish Valley Summer, artwork by Ron Paul Baum

Historical Timeline

1800’s – The area along Squak Slough (today known as the Sammamish River) was inhabited by the Simump Tribe. The word “Squak” was a term used by local Native Americans which meant swampy area.

Sept 1871 – Ira and Susan Woodin homesteaded 160 acres along Squak Slough and became the first permanent white settlers in the region.

1876 – The first steamboat to be put into use on Squak Slough (later renamed Sammamish River) was the Mud Hen. The side wheeler made only one trip up the meandering slough because her wheels became entangled in the reeds and grasses. It is believed the Mud Hen remained on Squak Lake and provided freight and passenger service there.

1887 – The Seattle-Lake Shore & Eastern Railway reached Woodinville which forever changed the way the valley developed.

1912 – Squak Slough was straightened and dredged between Redmond and NE 145th Street at a cost of $60,000 paid for by the valley farmers. The valley still flooded at times.

1916 – Lake Washington was lowered nine feet to install the Ballard Locks. This made Squak Slough very difficult to navigate.

1953 – Saginaw Sawmill was built on the Sammamish River at Woodinville.

1960’s – Portions of the old Seattle-Lake Shore & Eastern railway were abandoned which was acquired by the City of Seattle. Today, the Burke-Gilman (named after the founders of the SLS&E Railway) and Sammamish River Trails extend ~27 miles between Ballard and Redmond.

1963-64 – Sammamish River (formerly Squak Slough) flood control project was completed. The river was straightened, widened and deepened to protect adjacent farm lands from spring flooding.