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New Land: Southeast Asian Refugees Finding Home in Washington
Thurs, Aug 13th
6-7 pm
Zoom (register HERE)In 1975, Washington Governor Dan Evans watched in “stunned disbelief ” as the evening news broadcast desperate scenes in Saigon. CIA employees and South Vietnamese civilians were clamoring to board US helicopters as communist troops closed in on the capital. When California balked at resettling refugees, Governor Evans opened Washington’s door— wide. Since then, tens of thousands of Southeast Asians have made Washington home. They have raised families, worked hard, started businesses and enriched their communities in countless ways, weaving their cultures into the fabric of the Evergreen State. Based on new oral histories, New Land features compelling stories of courage, hope and resilience. First generation refugees and their descendants recount their experiences in the eventful half-century since those first arrivals.
Edward Echtle Jr, oral historian for Legacy Washington since 2023, was raised in Washington. He received a master’s degree in history from Western Washington University, with an emphasis on Pacific Northwest labor and immigration. Echtle previously worked as a freelance historical researcher and writer. Past projects include oral histories of Alaska salmon cannery union reformers, exhibit work with the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, historical reports and interpretive displays for public agencies, and serving as Executive Director of the Bigelow House Museum in Olympia. Echtle is also a contributing author at Historylink.org and has produced historic context reports for environmental litigation, architectural surveys, and archaeological investigations.
Words, Writers, Southwest Stories is a free monthly speaker series that highlights local authors, historians, and voices to foster a deeper understanding of our community and its people.
Admiral District History Walking Tour
3rd Saturdays June-Sept, 10:00-12:00 pm (July tour moved to Sat, 7/25/26)
45th Ave SW and Seattle Street
The Duwamish Peninsula has been home to Coast Salish peoples at least as far back as the retreat of the last glacier 14,00 years ago. Despite the arrival of the colonial landing party, AKA the Denny Party, on Alki in 1851, the peninsula saw only scattered settlements in subsequent decades. In the late 19th century, European American settlers platted what is now the Admiral District.
Learn about the people who have lived along Duwamish head and Admiral district, attempts to erase Coast Salish people from residing here, and the annexation of “West Seattle” to the larger city in 1907. Stops include the Admiral Viewpoint Story Pole, Hainsworth House, the Benbow Room, West Seattle Library, the Admiral Theater, West Seattle High School, and the Sixth Church of Christ (home to the Washington Black Legacy Institute and the Seattle Griot Project).
End your tour with the Washington Black Legacy Institute and learn about their work preserving Seattle’s Black History.
The tour begins at Belvedere Park at the corner of 37th Ave and Admiral Way. Please consider parking in the neighborhood as parking at Belvedere Park is limited. Your tour ends at the Sanctuary at Admiral, known as the Sixth Church of Christ, which is about a ½ mile from your starting point.
Tours are offered every 3rd Saturday at 10:00 am and run until 12:00 pm. They include one and a half miles of walking and involve some elevation and disrupted walking paths.
To learn more and register for a walking tour, please visit: loghousemuseum.org
North Admiral Neighborhood History Walking Tour: “Captains and a Colonel on Columbia”
4th Saturdays June, Aug, and Sept, 11:00-12:15 pm
45th Ave SW and Seattle StreetNestled in the North Admiral residential neighborhood is a collection of architecturally or historically significant homes. Take a walk passing by twelve such homes built between 1889 and 1910, exploring how and why the area was developed.
The tour begins at the northwest corner of 45th Ave SW and Seattle Street. Please try to scatter your parking so that it doesn’t congest the immediate area at that corner. Registration will be limited to 15 people.
Tours are offered on fourth Saturdays at 11:00 am and run until 12:15 pm. They involve a one-mile walk. Please be advised that the route is inaccessible for users of strollers and wheeled mobility aids, since it includes curbs and sidewalks which are unpaved and/or which lack (curb) ramps.
To learn more and register for a walking tour, please visit: loghousemuseum.org
Alki History Walking Tours
EVENT DATE/TIME: April-Oct, first and second Saturdays, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
EVENT LOCATION: Start and end at the Log House Museum (3003 61st Ave SW)The Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s popular Alki History Walking Tour is back! Attendees will learn about the history of Alki Beach, the peoples who have lived here, and how settlement by various groups and individuals has left its mark on Alki. You’ll visit historic and cultural sites in the area and discuss how our understanding of the area and its people continues to evolve.
Tour stops include the Log House Museum, Fir Lodge/Alki Homestead, historic sites and monuments at Alki Beach, and Doc Maynard’s home in West Seattle.
Tours are offered rain or shine and include about one mile of walking with multiple stops. The tour is ADA accessible although there are no stops that include seating.
This program is FREE although registration is required (attendance is capped at 20 sign-ups). Suggested $25 donations gladly accepted.
To register for a walking tour, please visit: loghousemuseum.org
Alki History Walking Tours
EVENT DATE/TIME: April-Oct, first and second Saturdays, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
EVENT LOCATION: Start and end at the Log House Museum (3003 61st Ave SW)The Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s popular Alki History Walking Tour is back! Attendees will learn about the history of Alki Beach, the peoples who have lived here, and how settlement by various groups and individuals has left its mark on Alki. You’ll visit historic and cultural sites in the area and discuss how our understanding of the area and its people continues to evolve.
Tour stops include the Log House Museum, Fir Lodge/Alki Homestead, historic sites and monuments at Alki Beach, and Doc Maynard’s home in West Seattle.
Tours are offered rain or shine and include about one mile of walking with multiple stops. The tour is ADA accessible although there are no stops that include seating.
This program is FREE although registration is required (attendance is capped at 20 sign-ups). Suggested $25 donations gladly accepted.
To register for a walking tour, please visit: loghousemuseum.org
Admiral District History Walking Tour
3rd Saturdays June-Sept, 10:00-12:00 pm (July tour moved to Sat, 7/25/26)
45th Ave SW and Seattle Street
The Duwamish Peninsula has been home to Coast Salish peoples at least as far back as the retreat of the last glacier 14,00 years ago. Despite the arrival of the colonial landing party, AKA the Denny Party, on Alki in 1851, the peninsula saw only scattered settlements in subsequent decades. In the late 19th century, European American settlers platted what is now the Admiral District.
Learn about the people who have lived along Duwamish head and Admiral district, attempts to erase Coast Salish people from residing here, and the annexation of “West Seattle” to the larger city in 1907. Stops include the Admiral Viewpoint Story Pole, Hainsworth House, the Benbow Room, West Seattle Library, the Admiral Theater, West Seattle High School, and the Sixth Church of Christ (home to the Washington Black Legacy Institute and the Seattle Griot Project).
End your tour with the Washington Black Legacy Institute and learn about their work preserving Seattle’s Black History.
The tour begins at Belvedere Park at the corner of 37th Ave and Admiral Way. Please consider parking in the neighborhood as parking at Belvedere Park is limited. Your tour ends at the Sanctuary at Admiral, known as the Sixth Church of Christ, which is about a ½ mile from your starting point.
Tours are offered every 3rd Saturday at 10:00 am and run until 12:00 pm. They include one and a half miles of walking and involve some elevation and disrupted walking paths.
To learn more and register for a walking tour, please visit: loghousemuseum.org
North Admiral Neighborhood History Walking Tour: “Captains and a Colonel on Columbia”
4th Saturdays June, Aug, and Sept, 11:00-12:15 pm
45th Ave SW and Seattle StreetNestled in the North Admiral residential neighborhood is a collection of architecturally or historically significant homes. Take a walk passing by twelve such homes built between 1889 and 1910, exploring how and why the area was developed.
The tour begins at the northwest corner of 45th Ave SW and Seattle Street. Please try to scatter your parking so that it doesn’t congest the immediate area at that corner. Registration will be limited to 15 people.
Tours are offered on fourth Saturdays at 11:00 am and run until 12:15 pm. They involve a one-mile walk. Please be advised that the route is inaccessible for users of strollers and wheeled mobility aids, since it includes curbs and sidewalks which are unpaved and/or which lack (curb) ramps.
To learn more and register for a walking tour, please visit: loghousemuseum.org
Alki History Walking Tours
EVENT DATE/TIME: April-Oct, first and second Saturdays, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
EVENT LOCATION: Start and end at the Log House Museum (3003 61st Ave SW)The Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s popular Alki History Walking Tour is back! Attendees will learn about the history of Alki Beach, the peoples who have lived here, and how settlement by various groups and individuals has left its mark on Alki. You’ll visit historic and cultural sites in the area and discuss how our understanding of the area and its people continues to evolve.
Tour stops include the Log House Museum, Fir Lodge/Alki Homestead, historic sites and monuments at Alki Beach, and Doc Maynard’s home in West Seattle.
Tours are offered rain or shine and include about one mile of walking with multiple stops. The tour is ADA accessible although there are no stops that include seating.
This program is FREE although registration is required (attendance is capped at 20 sign-ups). Suggested $25 donations gladly accepted.
To register for a walking tour, please visit: loghousemuseum.org
Alki History Walking Tours
EVENT DATE/TIME: April-Oct, first and second Saturdays, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
EVENT LOCATION: Start and end at the Log House Museum (3003 61st Ave SW)The Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s popular Alki History Walking Tour is back! Attendees will learn about the history of Alki Beach, the peoples who have lived here, and how settlement by various groups and individuals has left its mark on Alki. You’ll visit historic and cultural sites in the area and discuss how our understanding of the area and its people continues to evolve.
Tour stops include the Log House Museum, Fir Lodge/Alki Homestead, historic sites and monuments at Alki Beach, and Doc Maynard’s home in West Seattle.
Tours are offered rain or shine and include about one mile of walking with multiple stops. The tour is ADA accessible although there are no stops that include seating.
This program is FREE although registration is required (attendance is capped at 20 sign-ups). Suggested $25 donations gladly accepted.
To register for a walking tour, please visit: loghousemuseum.org