Alki Beach

Alki Point

Coastline in West Seattle

Description

In 1851 on the cold stormy point at Alki Beach, the first white settlers that would go on to settle in Seattle, stepped down at the sandy beach just west of downtown and the Duwamish River. Today, Alki Beach has been incorporated into the park system extending from Alki Point to the mouth of the Duwamish River at Duwamish Head for 2.5 miles. Duwamish, a Chinook word meaning "many-colored water," was one of the original names picked for the city before Seattle was chosen. Fifty years after the landing at Alki Beach, the beach had become a popular destination for Seattle's residents, and in 1907 an amusement park was built to accommodate the city's entertainment needs. Luna park had many attractions including the "Powers Natatorium and Bathhouse" that had several heated pools of saltwater, a German carousel, ferris wheel, roller coaster, restaurant, and the original "Splash Mountain" sluice ride that takes riders on a boat chute into a "tub" of water. Today, Alki Beach is a great place to go for a hike and enjoy the view over the Pacific from Elliott Bay.