Lincoln Park (Seattle)

Lincoln Park is a 135 acres (0.55 km2) park in West Seattle alongside the Puget Sound. The park's attractions include forest trails, a paved walkway along the beach, athletic fields, picnic shelters, and a heated saltwater swimming pool which is open during the summer. The park is adjacent to the Fauntleroy neighborhood.

Lincoln Park, seen from the Fauntleroy-Vashon Ferry

History
A diver at Lincoln Park's Colman pool in 1950

The park occupies a headland called Williams Point. The Duwamish called the area "Tight Bluff" (Lushootseed: CHuXáydoos), referring to the dense plant growth.[1]

The city of Seattle approved acquisition of the park in 1922 as had been recommended by the Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architecture firm in 1908.[2][3][4] The park was called Williams Point Park by the Olmsted Brothers but was named Fauntleroy Park by the city.[2][5] The park was eventually renamed to honor Abraham Lincoln.[3]

The Olmsted Brothers were never commissioned to develop a plan and the park was developed without any particular design vision.[5]

In 1925 the city of Seattle built a dirt sided swimming pool at Point Williams where there had been a natural lagoon. A wood sluice gate allowed the Lincoln Park Swimming Pool to be filled with salt water at high tide and drained at low tide.[6][7] The construction of the pool coincided with a convention of the Knights Templar, about 500 of whom camped in the park.[8][9]

In the 1930's the WPA and other American New Deal agencies built trails, seawalls, playgrounds and tennis courts in the park.[10]

In 1941, Seattle pioneer descendant Kenneth Colman donated Lincoln Park's Colman Pool to the city of Seattle as a memorial to his father Laurence. The saltwater Colman Pool was built over the site of the tide-fed swimming pool that the city had constructed in 1925.[11] The lobby of the pool's building has a mural by Ernest Norling.[12] The pool was integrated in 1944 after demonstrations by African American students from the University of Washington.[13]

In the late 1960's and early 1970's Forward Thrust allocated approximately $900,000 to Lincoln Park for the improvement of its facilities. Among the projects were tennis courts and washrooms.[14][15]

In 1985 and again in 1988 the Army Corps of Engineers oversaw projects to stabilize the 1930's era seawall and protect Colman Pool and other structures at Williams Point. For the 1988 project, approximately 40,000 tons of rocks were deposited along the seawall and around Williams Point.[16] A follow on study by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service found that the projects had a detrimental effect on the intertidal ecosystem.[17]

Over the course of a given year, thousands of hours of volunteer effort go into maintaining this sanctuary for the use by all as a respite from the stresses of a fast-paced urban environment.

Environment
Lincoln Park waterfront walk and beach

Lincoln Park is composed of approximately 64% forested natural area, 16% developed landscape area, 12% shoreline and 8% recreation space (playground, ball fields, etc). The upland area includes open and forested portions, and is bordered to the west by a steep bluff that drops approximately 100 feet to the saltwater shoreline below. Vegetation includes open lawn with trees, intact and invaded native forest, madrona groves, beach grass, and landscape beds.[5]

The park is a major migratory destination for many species of birds, and provides critical nesting habitat during mating season for bald eagles, owls and many other birds. Over 150 species of birds have been observed in and around the park.[18] Between 2017 and 2020 the Seattle chapter of the Audubon Society documented 61 species of birds in the park.[19]

As an urban sanctuary and preserve, Lincoln Park is highly valued for the variety of its trees,[20][21] relatively well conserved natural undergrowth, and ease of access. A grove of rare Dawn Redwoods was planted in the park in 2014.[22]

A 2010 study found Lincoln Park's shoreline habitat to be one of the ecologically healthiest in Seattle.[23]

References
  1. Thrush, Coll (2007). Native Seattle: Histories from the Crossing-Over Place. University of Washington Press. p. 231. ISBN 0-295-98700-6.
  2. "Letter from Olmsted Brothers to Mr. J. M. Frink". archives.seattle.gov. Seattle Municipal Archives Digital Collections. January 25, 1908. p. 17. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  3. "Seattle Parks and Recreation: Park History - The Sherwood Files" (PDF). seattle.gov. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  4. "Lincoln Park". Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  5. Seattle Parks and Recreation (2002). "VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN Draft" (PDF). seatte.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  6. Skaret, Morey (June 15, 2001). Tate, Cassandra (ed.). "Morey Skaret: Lifeguarding at Lincoln Park in the 1930s". historylink.org. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  7. "Seattle Municipal Archives Digital Collections : Image Record : Lincoln Park Swimming Pool [29770]". archives.seattle.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  8. A history of the activities of the thirty-sixth triennial committee, Knights Templar : for the conclave of the Grand Encampment of the United States of America, held at Seattle, July 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 1925. Seattle : Press of Lowman & Hanford Co. 1925. p. 81.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  9. Dean, Dora (July 18, 1925). "Sir Knights Enjoy Roughing It, Modern Style". Seattle Daily Times (online NewsBank). Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  10. "Fauntleroy". Southwest Seattle Historical Society - Log House Museum. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  11. Becker, Paula (2006-04-13). "Colman, Kenneth Burwell (1896-1982)". Historylink.org .
  12. Diltz, Colin (August 5, 2015). "Postcards from the Past: Colman Pool, 1941". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  13. Henry, Mary T. (April 22, 1999). "Colman Swimming Pool is integrated in 1944". historylink.org. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  14. "Improvements like these will employ more than 1400 men". Seattle Daily Times. April 12, 1970. p. 123. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  15. S.N., Rosengren (August 26, 1970). "Letter to the editor: Expensive rest room". Seattle Daily Times. p. 12. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  16. "LINCOLN PARK SHORELINE EROSION CONTROL PROJECT SEATTLE, WASHINGTON OPERATION AND MATNTENANCE MANUAL" (PDF). August 1990. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  17. US Fish and Wildlife Service (November 20, 1990). "Impact of Beach Gravel Enhancement on Epibenthic Zooplankton at Lincoln Park" (PDF). Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  18. "Lincoln Park (Seattle), King County, WA, US - eBird Hotspot". ebird.org. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  19. Seattle Audubon Society. "Park - Neighborhood Bird Project". Neighborhood Bird Project. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  20. "Lincoln Park Tree Walk" (PDF). www.seattle.gov. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  21. "Article - Tall Tales from the Northwest: Big Trees of Seattle by Arthur Lee Jacobson". www.arthurleej.com. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  22. Denise (2014-10-24). "Jurassic Forest of West Seattle". Seattle Nature Alliance. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  23. Seattle Department of Planning and Development (January 2010). "Shoreline Characterization Report" (PDF). City of Seattle. Retrieved November 18, 2020.


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