This week we’re publishing the winning entries in the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s youth-writing contest, for essays on “Women History Makers of the Duwamish Peninsula.” Tonight, we conclude with the high-school winner:

Bertha Landes
By Halle Morgan

Bertha Ethel Knight Landes was born in 1868. She was born into a world where women couldn’t vote and where there were barely any women in politics. Landes paved the way for many, becoming the first female mayor of a major US city. All her adult life was devoted to making the city of Seattle a better place.

Landes saw the community as an extension of home and was always very active in it. She founded the Women’s City Club and played leadership roles in many organizations including the Women’s University Club, the Woman’s Century Club, the League of Women Voters, the Women’s Auxiliary of University Congregational Church, and was the president of the Washington State League of Women Voters. This leadership led her to be appointed by the mayor to serve on a commission studying unemployment.

In 1922, Landes and Katheryn Miracle were elected to serve on Seattle City Council, becoming the first women to do so. As a city council member, Landes supported city planning and zoning as well as social concerns such as hospitals and recreation programs. In 1924 when Landes was reelected, she became the council president. The mayor at the time, Edwin Brown, left the city to go to the 1924 Democratic National Convention, leaving Bertha as the acting mayor.

In 1926, Edwin Brown ran for reelection and Landes ran against him. Landes ran on a platform that emphasized “municipal housekeeping,” vowing to clean up the city government. Landes won the election by over 6,000 votes and quickly set to work. She continued to work for things she supported when she was on the city council as well as fought against bootleggers and reckless drivers.

Landes fulfilled her promise of cleaning up the government by putting the city’s financial house in order. She also improved public transportation and parks and advocated for municipal ownership of utilities such as Seattle City Light and street railways. One of her great accomplishments as the mayor was building the Civic Auditorium, which was later used for the Opera House at the 1962 World’s Fair.

A bill that Landes signed that personally affected West Seattle was Seattle Ordinance 54627, which authorized a new pump station in West Seattle, and the equipment and personnel needed to maintain it, which was much needed at the time. This measure helped get water to West Seattle residents. Previously, people on the peninsula hadn’t gotten the water they needed. There wasn’t a lot of water in the area, and the lack of water had many unfortunate health effects on people in these neighborhoods. While there was still much to be done to reform and strengthen West Seattle’s water infrastructure issues, Mayor Landes’s initiatives and legislation were able to create real change in the lives of many people living in West Seattle.

In 1928, Landes ran for reelection. Although she was supported by local newspapers and her ratings were high, Landes lost to Frank Edwards. Despite this, Bertha Landes continued being active in the community. She wrote for national newspapers and was chair of the Sewing Room Work for the Women’s Division of the Mayor’s Commission for Improved Employment. She was also the first woman to serve as moderator of Washington’s Conference of Congregational and Christian Churches.

Bertha Landes had an everlasting impact on the city of Seattle; after her time as mayor, she endlessly encouraged other women to get involved in politics. Today Bertha’s work is still in the city – the largest meeting room at the Seattle City Hall is named in her honor. The tunnel-boring machine that was used to create the tunnel in replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct was named after her as well. Like how that machine paved its way through the ground, Bertha Landes paved the way for many others. With her accomplishments and encouragement, Landes convinced many women that they too, can make a difference.

“Let us, while never forgetting our womanhood, drop all emphasis on sex, and put it on being public servants.” -Bertha Landes.

If you missed the other winning essays earlier this week, here’s the elementary winner published Monday; here’s the middle-school winner published Tuesday. Congratulations to all three!

(Photo credit: Seattle Municipal Archives)

Back in January, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society started accepting entries for its youth-writing contest, welcoming essays on “Women History Makers of the Duwamish Peninsula.” We promised to publish the winning essays. The SWSHS has chosen its winners, and tonight, here’s the first one, from the 3rd-5th-grade category.

A Hero to Washington
By Lillian Stowell

Katherine Smith was a hero to Washington, but no one made a statue or a mural for her, even though she deserved one.

She was born on February 9, 1868, in Pennsylvania. Then when she married George A. Smith she moved to Colorado. Colorado was the second state that women could vote in. However, she lost her right to vote when she moved to Alki, Washington in 1904.

She started a woman suffrage club that 200 people attended. Women gained the right to vote in Washington in 1910. I chose Katherine because she fought for women suffrage fairly. She did not riot, instead she convinced officials to let women vote by talking to them. I think women’s voting is important because women might have different opinions then men. For example, if there was a president that didn’t treat women respectfully then women couldn’t vote for someone\ else.

Without women like Katherine who fought for women suffrage, we might not have Vice President Kamala Harris today.

Lillian is a student at West Seattle Elementary. The SWSHS contest had middle- and high-school winners, too, and we’ll publish those winning essays over the next two nights.

Photo of Katherine Smith from the Seattle Star, February 1911

Thanks to Aaron Jennings for the photos and report – that “ghost sign” is uncovered on a building undergoing renovations at 5001 Delridge Way SW [map]. King County Assessor records say the building dates back tp 1925. We haven’t found other history yet, but the sign clearly notes it was once home to William Damaske‘s drugstore.

You can find lots of online references to “ghost signs” around the city, like this site; seldom are they as clear, however, as this one! (Here’s a West Seattle example.) If we find out anything more about the Delridge sign, we’ll add to this story.

Reminder to students thinking about, or planning on, entering the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s first-ever writing contest for youth – the deadline for entries is now one week away! The theme, as originally announced, is “Women History Makers of the Duwamish Peninsula.” From the SWSHS announcement:

Students should submit an essay that explores the contributions of a specific woman from the Duwamish Peninsula who has made a historical impact on the community, past or present, famous or not-yet-famous. Essays will be accepted in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Winners will be selected in each grade category outlined below:

Grades: 3 – 5: 250 words maximum
Grades: 6 — 8: 500 words maximum
Grades: 9 – 12: 750 words maximum
Essays will be judged by a panel of SWSHS staff, volunteers, and community partners based on the following criteria:

Demonstrated understanding of the woman as a person and the role she has played or is playing in the history of the Duwamish Peninsula
Effective use of descriptive language.
Correct punctuation, spelling, and grammar
For grades 6 and up, appropriate citations in any reference style.

The winner in the high school category will receive a $125 cash prize and the winner in middle school category will receive a $75 cash prize. Winners in all categories will receive a special certificate and gift from the Southwest Seattle Historical Society and Paper Boat Booksellers. Winning essays will also be published on the Historical Society’s website and West Seattle Blog. Best of all, winners will be honored at a special digital event hosted by the Historical Society!

The deadline for entries is 5 pm February 15th. Go here to enter.

For your weekend listening consideration: The newest episode of what we would describe as definitive peninsula podcast, All Ways West Seattle. This time, host Keith Bacon features three topics: First, West 5 – as the restaurant/bar approaches its 18th anniversary – with a look at its legendary Mai Tai. Speaking of legends, you’ll also hear from the person whose quirky art installation is a tribute of sorts to the man at the heart of the West Seattle Bridge’s oddest story – the freighter pilot who took out the old bridge in 1978, Rolf Neslund, And the third segment of All Ways West Seattle’s new episode is a chat with your editor here, who founded the site 15 years ago as something very different from what it has become. (Here’s an audio snippet that Keith tweeted.) Here’s the full episode. If none of those topics interest you, see what else has been spotlighted in the podcast’s archived episodes here.

(Log House Museum, file photo)

The home of West Seattle’s history is offering a new virtual experience – here’s the announcement:

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society is pleased to announce its first digital tour experience “Who Writes My History Books? Why Your Voice Matters In Living History.” Join us for an online tour to experience the enrichment that an in-person field trip experience affords, even while we can’t be together. This tour is open for student groups Grades 6 – 12, and any interested adult groups. Sign ups are required at least two weeks before your desired tour date. “Who Writes My History Books?” is a free experience. Tours will be available from 11 AM – 3 PM on Thursdays and Fridays on a first-come first-served basis. Tours will be capped at 25 for school groups and 12 for adult groups.

“Who Writes My History Books?” breaks down the historical process, and empowers students to document their thoughts and experiences as active witnesses of history. By the end of the tour, participants should:

-Understand why individual accounts of history matter (including yours!)

-Be familiar with the basic steps of the historical process

-Have practice asking questions to better understand historical documents

-Be exposed to the idea that history is constantly being rewritten. Our understanding of history can seem static, but how we interpret history changes all the time!

To register, please visit www.loghousemuseum.org, call 206-350-0999, or email museum@loghousemuseum.org. Tours run for approximately one hour. Tour availability is based on docent availability and is subject to change.

(Photo courtesy Southwest Seattle Historical Society)

Tomorrow night, you are invited to set sail into another chapter of local history. Here’s the announcement:

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society is delighted to host Michaela Kraft for a live Zoom presentation on Thursday, January 21 at 6:00 PM. Kraft will deliver a presentation and cooking demonstration titled, “Fish For Thought: Fishing Derbies Strengthen Community on Alki and Beyond.” Registration is required.

During the 1940s, fishing competitions had proliferated so quickly that nearly every town along the Sound, as well as numerous businesses and organizations, sponsored one. Though they were widespread, Seattle became the hub for these derbies. We’ll explore a brief history of fishing and these fishing derbies in the Pacific Northwest, and then zoom in on the Alki Fishing Derby and how this tradition brought people together and built a rock-solid sense of community on Alki.

Following the presentation, Kraft will be offering a cooking demonstration of a popular Alki dish that reflects recipes that were likely used around the time of the Derbies.

Michaela Kraft is from Wisconsin, and is a Museology graduate student at the University of Washington. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Drama and Arts Management from the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point, and has been fortunate to work at a number of historical societies and historic sites throughout the Midwest. She is passionate about interpretation, and has used her background in the theater to bring the past to life.

For more details and to register, please visit our website at loghousemuseum.org, or contact Maggie Kase, the Programs & Interpretation Coordinator at programs@loghousemuseum.org.