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History
1888 — Pacific Halibut Fisheries is founded as the industry expands with the advent of railway access to the East, established the year before.
1889 — the first bridge at Salmon Bay (in the Ballard section of Seattle) is completed, followed by a float dock for the fishing fleet alongside.
1913 — Fisherman’s Terminal is constructed to meet the needs of the growing fishing fleet.
1917 — The Ballard Locks open; the water level of Salmon Bay rises 14’ and is now fresh water. The floating docks remain in use.
2008 — The giant old growth cedars used for floats are replaced with concrete.
These logs were salvaged in 2008, during the rebuilding of the dock. A few were lost to firewood cutters with no appreciation for the historical significance or the sheer majestic presence of the logs, many of which grew for 450 years before being felled for the dock floats in the late1800s. This means that they began growing in the 1400s!
Some of the salvaged logs were painstakingly processed not too far away, on the South end of Whidbey Island. They were hand split, the many spikes removed, and turned into slabs on a Wood-Mizer portable sawmill.
We have been fortunate to get some of that wood and are trying to bring out the best in each piece, recognizing that it is irreplaceable.
There's a rich range of colors in this wood, from deep brown where it was under water, to a blond color that could be mistaken for maple.
There's a rich range of colors in this wood, from deep brown where it was under water, to a blond color that could be mistaken for maple.
