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Now & Then Paul Dorpat

Sampling The City

NOT SO LONG after the turn-of-the-century consolidation of Seattle's previously diverse trolley lines, the new and more efficient monopoly, the Seattle Electric Co., purchased four "special" cars from the John Stephenson Co. of New Jersey. At 46 feet long, bumper-to-bumper, they were then the biggest of Seattle's electric cars, and the trolley company's special plans for them were clearly signed on their sides. The four double-ender trolleys — numbered 362 to 365 — carried both visitors and locals on rail explorations of our then fast-expanding metropolis.

Since motorcars were still a rarity in 1903, aside from walking, there were few ready ways to sample Seattle that were not by rail. From Pioneer Square the trolley lines reached to Lake Washington, Ballard, Green Lake, the University District, Rainier Valley, all destinations with attractions. So for the purchase of a single ticket a customer could explore almost every corner of the city, including, beginning in 1907, West Seattle. Since there was no competing cacophony of motorcars, to be heard by their passengers the conductor-tour leaders had only to bark above the creaking of the long cars themselves as they rumbled along the rails.

By 1907 these "Special Seeing Seattle Cars" were not the only tour in town. There were then enough paved streets and even boulevards in Seattle to allow open buses to go anywhere hard tires and spring seats could comfortably carry their customers. These sightseers were also regularly photographed as a group, and many among them would purchase a print of their adventure either for a memento or message. The group portraits were ordinarily printed on postcard stock, and of the many sold, some carry handwritten flip-side expressions of the joys of seeing Seattle.

Paul Dorpat specializes in historical photography and has published several books on early Seattle.

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