Back in 1854, only 2 years after Seattle was settled, Thomas Mercer, one
of the pioneers of the settlement, proposed building a passage between
Lake Washington, and the Puget Sound. It was, he said, the reason
why he named Lake Union what he did - he saw it as a link between Lake
Washington and the Sound, a stepping stone in the union of the two
bodies of water.It was 80 years before this vision was realized. Lake
Washington was lowered 9 feet, and Lake Union was raised to match the
upper lake's height. A ship Canal was cut between the two lakes,
and the locks were installed, with the project finishing in 1934.
In order to get to the locks, you have to cross the "Ship Canal Bridge". This building houses the management offices, workshops, and maintenance facilities for the locks. The locs are run from a small room at one end. Designed my Leonardo Da Vinci more than 1500 years ago, these locks aren't far from the original specs designed so long ago. The majority of the work is done by gravity, and the water itself... essentially, the only moving parts are the valves, and the doors. Boats of all sizes line up in the locks, and then the huge doors close. Some of the boats in the locks are quite large! Once the process begins, it only takes a few minutes to drain the locks down to the level of the Puget Sound. While the levels were changing, salmon were jumping, somehow seeming to know that they were about to be dumped out in the Sound's salt water again. I'm sure some stayed in the lock, and swam through the open door when the waters again rose to the level of the lake for boats heading the other way. These doors are incredibly large, and weigh several hundred tons, but are ballanced so that it takes only about a 10 horsepower motor to open them. Once they open, the last few inches of leveling are done quite quickly The heavy doors open in virtual silence. Once the water is drained out of the lock, the boats make their way through the locks, and into the Puget Sound. To one side of the locks is a fish ladder. Heading under the ladder, you can see the fish swimming into Lake Washington on their way to Issaquah, where there's a large hatchery. They get used to the fresh water in the ladder, and pause at each level to adjust to the new salinity and oxygen levels. Some of the salmon that head through the locks are suprisingly large! Its fun to watch them in the fall, heading to where they were born, after roaming thousands of miles in the ocean for 4 years... its pretty amazing!
In order to get to the locks, you have to cross the "Ship Canal Bridge".
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