8. Hiram M. Chittenden Locks

A half-mile drive or walk west on Ballard Avenue NW and Seaview Avenue NW will lead you to the entrance to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. A pair of locks raise and lower boats some 20 feet between Salmon Bay and the higher level of the Ship Canal and Lake Union. The project plan, conceived by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers district commander Hiram M. Chittenden, also lowered Lake Washington by nine feet to complete the passage between salt and fresh waters.

The idea for such a canal was first proposed in 1854, but federal funds were not approved until 1910. Work began the following year and the locks were officially dedicated on July 4, 1917, and the entire waterway was declared complete in 1934. The original grounds and buildings were designed by Bebb and Gould. Beginning in 1931, Carl English cultivated the botanical gardens which now bear his name. The facility also includes a small museum and interpretive center, and a busy fish ladder on the south side of the canal near Commodore Way.

Courtesy Walt Crowley

Courtesy Walt Crowley

Courtesy Alan Stein