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Diablo Dam incline railway climbing Sourdough Mountain, 1930. Courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives, 2306.
Children waving to ferry, 1950. Courtesy Museum of History and Industry.
Loggers in the Northwest woods. Courtesy Washington State Digital Archives.
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9/10/2026
On the Air
Seventy-five years ago this week, on September 10, 1951, KING-TV broadcast the first live local news program in Washington, with Charles Herring as anchorman. The 15-minute segments, called "Early Edition," were mostly rip-and-read copy from The Associated Press and other wire services, telefaxed photos, and perhaps a kinescope from the networks. Sometimes 16-mm film was shot for local coverage.
At the time, KING-TV had been on the air for two years, and like other new stations throughout the country, it was inventing television as it went along. Dorothy Stimson Bullitt had purchased KEVR radio in 1947 and renamed it KING, and two years after that she purchased KRSC-TV for $300,000 (the first sale of a television station in the United States) and also renamed it KING. Shortly after she bought the television station, the Federal Communications Commission froze station applications, giving KING and Herring a virtual monopoly on local news broadcasts. The newscast originally was sponsored by Alka-Seltzer, and Herring voiced the commercials. When the television industry realized that news credibility and sales pitches shouldn't mix, Herring lost this lucrative sideline.
During his career Herring covered many big stories, including the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, which was shown on the first live broadcast via satellite between the United States and Europe. Herring worked at KING for what he called, "16 wonderful and crazy years," before leaving the station in 1967. He and his wife, Mary Bemus, went on to operate radio station KAPY-AM in Port Angeles.
In the Air
During the summer and early fall of 1927, soon after returning from his historic solo flight across the Atlantic, aviator Charles Lindbergh traveled the country in the Spirit of St. Louis, promoting aviation and the building of airports. He made two stops in Washington, as well as many low-altitude flyovers of cities along his route.
His first stop here was Spokane, where he landed at Parkwater Aviation Field (later Felts Field) on September 12. After a speech at the Interstate Fairgrounds, he was whisked to the Davenport Hotel, where a banquet was given in his honor. It was hoped that Linbdergh’s visit would coincide with the National Air Derby and Air Races, but that event was held later, during the week of September 21. Nevertheless, "Lucky Lindy" wished the promoters great success, which they eventually did enjoy.
The next morning Lindbergh took off, heading for Seattle on a meandering route the brought him over Walla Walla, Pasco, and Yakima. After crossing the Cascades at Naches Pass, Lindbergh flew low over Enumclaw, Auburn, and Renton, before reaching Seattle, where more than 25,000 people were waiting at the University of Washington Stadium. He landed at the nearby Sand Point Naval Air Station and was taken to the stadium by boat. After giving a speech, he and Mayor Bertha Landes traveled by car to Volunteer Park, where the aviation hero was greeted by 30,000 school children. From there he went to the Olympic Hotel for another honorary banquet.
The next morning, he took off from Sand Point and flew over Georgetown, where Boeing Field would open the following year. From there, he flew back over Renton, where he dropped leaflets promoting aviation, and then headed to Portland. On the way, he flew over the Capitol Dome in Olympia, and also performed low-level flyovers of Tacoma, Fort Lewis, Aberdeen, Centralia, and Chehalis.
One hundred and seventy-five years ago this week, On September 14, 1851, Luther Collins, Henry Van Asselt, and Jacob and Samuel Maple (sometimes spelled Mapel) arrived at the mouth of the Duwamish River, and two days later filed King County's first claims under the Donation Land Claim Act. This constitutes the first permanent non-Native settlement in King County, but its significance was soon eclipsed by the efforts of the Denny Party in establishing Seattle.
On September 10, 1889, the Washington State Grange was founded at the Pioneer Store in Camas. Born out of objections to the proposed state constitution, the organization became a driving force for social, economic, and political reforms, including a state income tax, approved overwhelmingly by voters in 1932 only to be struck down by the Washington State Supreme Court on September 8, 1933.
On September 13, 1909, cats at the Ballard police station went stark raving mad, but there was a more serious health problem in the region. On September 12, Seattle health officials reported an outbreak of typhoid fever, but it wasn't until later that the cause was determined to be contaminated drinking water at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition.
On September 15, 1915, the citizens of Mabton celebrated their abundant alfalfa crop by opening the Hay Palace – built almost entirely of hay bales. And on September 13, 1923, Ellensburg held its first rodeo in a celebration of Western culture that harkens back to the days of the town's origin as a trading post named Robber's Roost.
In the wake of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, Seattle citizens converged by the thousands on Westlake Park. The destruction of the World Trade Center had special resonance in Seattle because it had been designed by a native son, Minoru Yamasaki, and built under the guidance of lead structural engineer John Skilling. Sadly, the events of September 11 overshadowed a second tragedy the next day, when a plane crash killed 16 UW Husky fans in Mexico.
Several Washington cities celebrate birthdays this week, beginning with Port Orchard, which incorporated as Sidney on September 15, 1890. Sunnyside incorporated on September 16, 1902, and Wapato did the same exactly six years later. Gold Bar incorporated on September 6, 1910, while Moses Lake incorporated on September 15, 1938. And although East Redmond became a city on September 14, 1956, it disincorporated in 1964.
One hundred and twenty-five years ago this week, on September 14, 1901, Pier 4, commonly known as the White Star Dock, collapsed into Elliott Bay on Seattle's central waterfront.
"One of the basic troubles with radio and television news is that both instruments have grown up as an incompatible combination of show business, advertising and news. Each of the three is a rather bizarre and demanding profession. And when you get all three under one roof, the dust never settles."
– Edward R. Murrow
