Bothell

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.

Also in 1876 the first lumber mill started business and logging would become the main industry that brought in more families to settle there and by 1885 there was a store and a school. That was the same year David Bothell arrived and built a hotel he called the Bothell Hotel. In 1888 the Seattle Lakeshore & Eastern came through on it's way to North Bend and that was the same year the first Post office began. It was called the Bothell Post Office. In 1889 Bothell became the official name for the town.

The slough was first used to float logs down to the mill. Steamers began to land at Bothell in 1874 and traveled between Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish. Bothell was the lunch stop on the 14 hour trip to Issaquah from Seattle. in the 1910's the Army Corps of Engineers dredged and straightened the slough and reduced the length from 30 miles to 14 miles. When Lake Washington was lowered in 1916, the slough became too shallow for steamers and it ended an era.

In 1878, the first wagon road was completed from Seattle to Bothell and by the 1890's the road had reached Redmond and Fall City. It wasn't a very good road in the winter months and was barely passable by autos in the dry months. County Road No. 71 built in 1878 is now Main Street and Valley View Road in Bothell.

In 1913 Gerhard Ericksen helped get the Pacific Highway completed between Seattle and Everett. This new highway ran along the north end of Lake Washington through the towns of Sheridan Beach, Mountlake Terrace, Kenmore and Bothell before turning north toward Everett. In 1913 there was 4 miles of the road between Kenmore and Bothell that was surfaced in brick. Gerhard Ericksen was an early champion for good roads in Washington. Today a small section of the brick road was restored at the Wayne Curve that is now called Red Brick Road Park.

In 1915, the road between Bothell and Redmond was completed. This along with the Pacific Highway brought many travelers into Bothell and it quickly became a transportation hub. One of the Bothell city leaders exclaimed that every motorist coming to Seattle from the east and north must come through Bothell.