The Historic Sunset Highway
in Washington
The Bothell Branch
The Historic Sunset Highway
in Washington
The Bothell Branch
Before the Sunset Highway officially opened in 1915, Washington State faced a critical decision: which direction should the highway take around Lake Washington? There were three options; The first was the Yellowstone Trail route through Kirkland across Lake Washington on the ferry; the second was around the southern end of the lake through Renton; and the third was around the northern end of the lake through Bothell. The southern route was chosen primarily due to its proximity to Seattle's industrial hub, ensuring direct access for the bustling trade and commerce sectors south of the city. The first option was not considered as the State wanted to eliminate ferries whenever possible.
This decision to take the southern route left the northern side of the lake without a state-recognized route for nearly a decade.
In 1922 a one mile stretch of the Pacific Highway north of Seattle at N. 137th to N. 160th was dedicated as a "Road of Remembrance" to the fallen soldiers' of World War I. After the War in 1919 The American Forestry Association petitioned for many of the new roads that were being built to replace the "elbow joint" way of travel. These roads were to be planted with trees along the side of the roads. By the early 30's Victory way stretched from the north end of the University Bridge all the way to Kenmore. Sadly by the late 30's the name Victory Way began to fade.
The Red brick road Park is located about a mile west of Bothell off of Hwy 522 on the Wayne Curve. It is a 5 acre park with a picnic area and next to the Burke Gilman Trail. This part of the highway was paved with brick from Bothell to Lake Forest Park in 1913 as part of the Pacific Highway. In 1937 the highway from Bothell to Seattle became part of the Bothell Branch.
The Willow People were the first inhabitants between Kenmore and Woodinville. These people were related to the Duwamish who lived on Elliott Bay in Seattle had lived in the area for longer than anyone can remember. The Willow People were forced onto reservations in 1870, and that was the same year the first American settlers arrived. They were Columbus S. Greenleaf and George R. Wilson who filed claims and built their homes. By 1876, there were 8 families living in the vicinity.
The first people of the area were a subgroup of the Duwamish called the "Willow People" They had a village at the mouth of Bear Creek. The first American settlers to make their homes in the aera was in the 1871 when Ira and Susan Woodin came and started a homestead on the east edge of the Sammamish Slough. There 160 acre farm was just north of today’s NE Woodinville Drive near its intersection with Juanita-Woodinville Way NE. More and more people began to move in and by 1886 Woodinville had a population of 60. The Woodin home soon became the center of the new community, serving as its first school from 1878 until 1883, its first church until 1880, and an informal doctor’s office. The first post office beginning in 1881 was run out of the Woodin's home.
The Redmond - Woodinville Rd. terminates at NE 175th St. in Woodinville. The Bothell Branch continues on what is now known as Woodinville Drive. Also at this intersection is the original downtown Woodinville. Leaving Woodinville on Woodinville Dr. and just as you pass under Interstate 405, the original alignment of the Bothell Branch continued due west on a bridge over the trailer park and then connecting back to Woodinville Dr. at 113th Ave NE. This is just past Brackett's Landing at the intersection with NE 174th St.. The original alignment then continued on to connect back to today's Highway 522.
The Sammamish Slough is the 14 mile outlet of Lake Sammamish that empties into Lake Washington. Originally it was called the Squak Slough, until the early 1900's it was renamed. The Bothell Brach of the Sunset Highway follows the slough north through the towns of Redmond, Hollywood, Woodinville and empties into Lake Washington at Kenmore.
Leaving Redmond north toward Bothell, the original route of the Bothell Branch follows the Redmond - Woodinville Road or Highway 202. About 1.5 miles north of Redmond, the original alignment veered to the left and follows 154th Pl NE. You can see where the old road separated from the new road just before you reach NE 109th St. Just before you reach NE 124th St. you will notice a flat spot now covered in grass that was the old road veering to the right. This is where the old road connected back to Highway 202.
The James Mattson Road contains the longest stretch of exposed historic red-brick highway in King County. In 1901, the northern route between Seattle and Snoqualmie Pass, first developed as a road in 1865, was realigned to create what is now 196th Avenue NE in order to eliminate a long, difficult grade. The dirt and gravel road was often impassable, and with the growing popularity of automobile travel, local resident James Mattson and his neighbors pressed the county to pave the road to provide an all-weather surface.
Traveling westbound to Redmond on Highway 202 from Fall City and just as you pass by the Redmond - Fall City Animal Hospital is the Evans Creek Realignment. This is where the road begin to climb up the hill from the bottom lands. As you pass the hospital, original wagon road veered to the right as the road ascended the hill. Today this road is used a a driveway. When the new highway was constructed in the late 1920's, the new road was realigned and the steepness was overcome by using a cut and fill.
The first wagon road along Patterson Creek was the 1892 County Road No.344 or the R. L. King Road. This road Connected Fall City with the 1878 Duthie Hill Road and began at 292nd Ave SE and Highway 202 and ran east on Highway 202 to SE 31st St. and terminated at SE 24th St. From SE 31st St. the south spur ran on 308th Ave SE and terminated at SE 40th St.
Fall City was established as a trading post in 1869 and became a hub of the local economy. It was known at the time as "The Landing", as shallow water and rapids upstream on the Snoqualmie river made it impassable to the large dugout canoes used for transporting goods. The first small steamboats started ferrying people and supplies up the river from Puget Sound in 1875. This route became known as the Snoqualmie River Highway.
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