Take a walk, to shape a tour! Join SW Seattle Historical Society on Alki Beach on three upcoming Saturdays

(Wednesday low-tide photo by Lynn Hall)
In case you haven’t already seen it in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar – the Southwest Seattle Historical Society is launching a new series of beach walks, starting this Saturday, but with a twist – the walks are not tours in themselves, but rather, your chance to help shape a tour. This announcement from SWSHS explains:

The history of Alki Beach awaits a rich, multi-layered walking tour to be developed this spring by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, and you can help make it happen.

The historical society plans three “scouting expeditions” on foot from 10:30 a.m. to noon on three Saturdays this month. The walks will start and end at the historical society’s “Birthplace of Seattle” Log House Museum, 3003 61st Ave. SW.

People can sign up for one, two or all three sessions. They will cover these sections of the beach:

* The promenade, Saturday, May 9

* The sandy beach, Saturday, May 16

* The rocky beach north to the former Luna Park (often called Anchor Park), Saturday, May 30

Leading the sessions is Dave Hrachovina, who grew up in West Seattle and is the museum’s regular docent/greeter on Fridays and Saturdays. He is looking forward to putting together the beach walks.

“You never get tired of Alki,” he says. “It is like an inexhaustible spring of pleasure for young and old. It is Seattle’s headwater, and it is contagious. The more you learn, the more it grows on you.”

The purpose of the sessions is to identify points of interest to be included on a beach walk, everything from the Duwamish tribal story and the Landing Party saga to the times of shacks, tents and the “Coney Island of the West.” Icons present and past will be part of the mix, including the “Birthplace of Seattle” monument, the Statue of Liberty replica, the Alki Bathhouse, the Alki Natatorium, and Luna Park.

If you are interested in taking part in these “scouting expeditions,” please call 206-938-5293 or e-mail clay.eals@loghousemuseum.info to reserve your spot.

4 Replies to "Take a walk, to shape a tour! Join SW Seattle Historical Society on Alki Beach on three upcoming Saturdays"

  • Bree May 7, 2015 (5:10 am)

    Wow. This will be a busy Saturday with the Community sales + the hot weather – all bringing many people to West Seattle.

    • WSB May 7, 2015 (5:46 am)

      And in fact, I should add a footnote to this … in addition to being the starting/ending point for the first of these, the Log House Museum is having a sale as part of Community Garage Sale Day on Saturday – #192 on the map.
      .
      https://westseattleblog.com/wsgaragesaledaymap/

  • Duff Radke-Bogen May 7, 2015 (7:45 am)

    I recently watched the Princess Angeline movie (checked out from the library). My take away was how native Americans have disappeared from our cultural image of the Denny party landing. The local people out numbered the new comers. Helped them survive the winter and told them about a better site, the peninsula across the bay.
    A tour needs a map and this map would be the perfect media to show the who, what, when, where, which preceded the landing.
    (My mom WSHS’36 gave me the impression that clam juice was a Seattle thing like fries and tartar sauce. The movie gives the clam juice back story.)
    DRB

  • Clay Eals May 7, 2015 (11:34 am)

    Great comment, Duff. I hope you can join us on one or more of the scouting expeditions. Just e-mail me at clay.eals@loghousemuseum.info to RSVP. Also, the “Princess Angeline” DVD is viewable and on sale at our “Birthplace of Seattle” Log House Museum. We were honored to co-sponsor its screening last September at West Seattle Meaningful Movies.

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