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Historylink reminds us that the Montlake Bridge opened 88 years ago today — June 27, 1925. Montlake was the fourth and last local crossing of the Ship Canal and was welcomed as the “most beautiful in the city” for its unique Gothic towers. At the opening ceremonies, a streetcar carrying local politicians led the Seattle Police marching band across the span and then…
One of the highlights of the ceremony came when City Council President Bertha Landes (1868-1943), who one year later would become Seattle’s first woman mayor, took two tries to christen the bridge with what, at the height of Prohibition, was described as a bottle of “some effervescing fluid.” On her first swing, the bottle struck the steel superstructure, but did not break. On a second and mightier attempt it did, “splashing her with its contents.”
Happy birthday bridge!
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