Seattle Timeline 1800s
Seattle is built on Indigenous land, the traditional territory of Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Suquamish and Duwamish Tribes. These communities lived in the region for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans or white settlers, developing extensive trade and social networks, along with a deep knowledge of the land and sea. Despite historical challenges and displacement, the Suquamish and Duwamish Tribes continue to live in the area today, striving to preserve their heritage and culture.
This timeline begins in 1850, with the donation land claim and when the settlers first arrived in the region, fundamentally altering the landscape and societal structures that had existed for millennia.
1850
Donation Land Claim Act
Federal law encouraging white settlement by giving away Indigenous land, laying the groundwork for Seattle’s development. The law allowed for white males and married women to claim 320 acres of free land, which helped spur the westward resettlement of European Americans and had lasting impact on the economic, political, and cultural development of the Pacific North West.
1851
New York Alki
White settlers arrived in the Seattle area and founded a townsite they initially called New York-Alki by adding a phrase from the Chinook slang meaning “by-and-by.”
1856
Battle of Seattle
Armed conflict between U.S. forces and Native tribes during the Puget Sound War, resulting from settler encroachment.
1860s–1870s
Creation of Skid Road (Yesler Way)
Used to skid logs to Henry Yesler’s sawmill, this road gave rise to the term “Skid Row.”
1879
Yesler Mill Fire
A major blaze that foreshadowed Seattle’s vulnerability and the later Great Fire.
1885–1886
Anti-Chinese Sentiment & Riot
Culminated in violent efforts to expel Chinese workers; federal troops were deployed to maintain order.
June 6, 1889
Great Seattle Fire
On June 6, 1889, a catastrophe struck Seattle, Washington, changing the city’s landscape forever. What began as a small fire in a woodworking shop quickly escalated into a massive inferno that consumed 25 city blocks, leaving much of Seattle’s downtown in ruins.
1897–1898
Klondike Gold Rush
Seattle prospered as the main outfitting point for gold-seekers heading to the Yukon.
1899
Founding of the Seattle Union Record
A labor-owned newspaper that became a key voice for working-class politics.