Five Historic Sites in Seattle

A few months ago we relocated (once again) from the Seattle area to Central Pennsylvania to be close to certain archives (Getting ready for the next project) as well as historic sites from colonial times to the Civil War. In short, we moved for history. But that doesn’t mean that the Puget Sound region doesn’t have its share of historic sites. I’m surprised at how many people I meet say that they want to visit Seattle. So I thought I’d share a few of my favorite historic sites around Western Washington.

The Ballard Locks

Ballard Locks/Carl English Garden

What the locals call the Ballard Locks (for the community it’s located in), is officially named the Hiram Chittenden Locks and is run by the Army Corp of Engineers. The Ballard Locks connect freshwater Lake Union and Lake Washington with saltwater Puget Sound. Opened in 1917, it still operates today providing a water route out of Seattle’s eastside communities to the Pacific Ocean. Stop by the small museum and gift shop, take a ranger-led tour, or just hang out and watch the boats go through the Locks (surprisingly relaxing). The Locks are also the home of the Carl English Botanical Garden with walking paths through thousands of flowers, shrubs, and trees curated by Corps of Engineers gardeners.

Discovery Park/Fort Lawton

If you’d like to walk through a temperate rainforest without leaving the city, take a trip over to Discovery Park. The park is actually on a large hill overlooking the Ballard Locks and used to be the U.S. Army’s Fort Lawton. Lawton was a point of embarkation during WWII and Korea. You get some great views of Puget Sound from different points in the park. There are miles of trails. You can hike down to take an iconic picture of the West Point Lighthouse, see some of the old buildings left over from the army days, and visit the veteran’s cemetery located in the park.

The Denny Regrade, where Seattle
leveled out its steepest hills. seattlepi.com

Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI)

Everyone knows that Seattle is the home of Starbucks, Boeing, and Microsoft. But the city and surrounding Puget Sound have a rich history prior to these industry giants. Western Washington started out as a collection of “resource towns” supporting industries like lumber, mining, fishing, and shipping. Seattle was the gateway to the Yukon Goldrush. Seattle became what it is through an entrepreneurial spirit that even changed the landscape. That is evidenced by major construction projects like the Locks and ship canal, and especially the Denny Regrade. This fascinating history is told through the Museum of History and Industry. The MOHAI (pronounced MO-HI by the locals) is located on the southern tip of Lake Union. Plan on spending the whole day, especially since you’ll want to walk around the Center for Wooden Boats co-located there.

Goldrush Museum/Pioneer Square

In 1897 gold was discovered on the Klondike River in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Just coming off of a deep economic depression, thousands of fortune hunters from the United States, Canada, and all over the world, flocked to this remote valley in the far north. Seattle competed with other cities, namely Portland and San Francisco, to become the place to get your supplies before jumping off into the wilderness. Seattle won. The story is told in the Klondike Gold Rush Museum, located in the Pioneer Square neighborhood and part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Park. The museum is not large but very interesting. It is my favorite historic site in Seattle. Plus walking around the Pioneer Square section of town will complete your day. Some of the buildings date from the period of the Klondike Goldrush. Choose one of the great restaurants for lunch and enjoy the historic architecture.

Museum of Flight

If you are a fan of aerospace then the Museum of Flight, located on Boeing Field in South Seattle, is the place for you. It’s my favorite aviation museum, touted to be the largest, independent, not-for-profit air and space museum in the world. (Okay, I really like the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum too, but that’s across the country in D.C.) Plan for the whole day as there is a lot to see here. As they say, “it’s worth the price of admission.” My favorite is the “Red Barn,” the birthplace of the Boeing Aircraft Company in 1916.

Coast Artillery Museum at Fort Worden

Just five you say?

No! These are just my five favorite major historic attractions in the Seattle area. There is so much more history to see in Puget Sound, especially if you want to drive a little. Check out the National Nordic Museum in Ballard, or the Washington State History Museum in downtown Tacoma. Puget Sound has a deep maritime history. Check out the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport or the Puget Sound Navy Museum in Bremerton. And another favorite of mine is Fort Worden State Historical Park in Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula. It's the home of a Coast Artillery Museum and you can explore the concrete batteries where they filmed "An Officer and a Gentleman." It’s a long list. Got one to add? Share it in the comments below. 

A Summary History of the 101st Airborne Division

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 "The Screaming Eagles"
(Original article written 5-9-08 by Jim Broumley)

Since 1974 the 101st Airborne Division has been the United States Army's "Air Assault" Division. The Division is capable of lifting, by helicopter, a 4,000-soldier combined arms force up to 150 kilometers behind enemy lines in one lift. Having approximately 281 helicopters, including three battalions of Apache attack helicopters, makes the "Screaming Eagles" the most versatile fighting unit in the Army. It is the world's only air assault division. The 101st consists of three infantry brigades, Division Artillery, Division Support Command, the 101st Aviation Brigade, the 159th Aviation Brigade, the 101st Corps Support Group, and various other separate commands stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Although the Screaming Eagles won their fame and reputation during the Second World War, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) can trace its lineage back to World War I. In the build-up to the Great War, the 101st Division was originally activated on July 23, 1918. Without fanfare, the Division was demobilized in December 1918. In 1921 the 101st Infantry Division was reconstituted as a reserve unit with headquarters in Wisconsin. This is where the distinctive "eagle head patch" was acquired. The eagle's head represented "Old Abe," the famed eagle mascot of the Wisconsin Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. The Division remained in the reserves until needed for World War II. The Screaming Eagles were disbanded as a reserve unit and reactivated in the regular army as the 101st Airborne Division on August 15, 1942.

The United States Army began testing the viability of parachute units in 1940, after seeing the success of British and German paratroop units in the early days of World War Two. The first tests, conducted at Fort Benning, Georgia, were so successful that soon the army was forming Parachute Infantry Regiments (PIR). Once the United States was thrust into the war, the army authorized airborne divisions. The 82nd and 101st would serve in the European Theater and later the 11th Airborne Division would see action in the Pacific.

Originally the 101st Airborne was comprised of the 502nd PIR and two glider infantry regiments (GIR), the 327th and the 401st. Also assigned were three artillery battalions and various support units. Rigorous training began at Fort Benning, Georgia and Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In June of 1943, the Division was joined by the 506th PIR, of "Band of Brothers" fame, who had been training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia at the foot of Currahee Mountain. The Division deployed to England in September 1943.

After eight more months of training in England, the Screaming Eagles were ready. On June 6, 1944, the Pathfinders of the 101st Airborne Division were leading the way into France for Operation Overlord: D-Day. In the fight against the German 6th Parachute Regiment for the town of Carentan, Lieutenant Colonel Robert G. Cole, Commander of the 3rd Bn, 502nd PIR, became the first member of the Division to be awarded the Medal of Honor. The 101st would spend 33 days in combat before returning to England to receive replacements and train for their next operation.

In September of 1944, the 101st Airborne Division made its second combat jump. This time the jump was in Holland for Operation Market Garden. During this battle, Private First Class Joe E. Mann of the 3rd Bn, 502nd PIR became the second member of the Screaming Eagles to be awarded the Medal of Honor. The Division spent 72 days in combat before being moved to France for refit.

On December 16, 1944, the Germans launched a surprise attack with thirteen armored and infantry divisions in the Ardennes region of Belgium. The front of the Americans was in danger of collapse. On December 17th the 101st received orders to move north out of France and defend the town of Bastogne, Belgium. This was the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge.

Bastogne was a hub of highways that moved through the Ardennes, a forested area that forced the German mechanized forces to use these roads. The Germans surrounded the city on December 20th, isolating the 101st and some elements of the 10th Armored Division. On December 22nd the Germans issued a demand for surrender. The acting Commander of the 101st, General McAuliffe, gave his famous reply of "Nuts." The Germans needed to seize the town of Bastogne for the success of their offensive. Although facing five German divisions, the Screaming Eagles held the town until help broke through on December 26th. The Division continued the defense of Bastogne for three more weeks, earning them the moniker of "The Battered Bastards of Bastogne."

The last mission of World War II for the Screaming Eagles was the taking of the German town of Berchtesgaden, Hitler's retreat in Bavaria. From March until August of 1945, the 101st Airborne served as occupation troops and took the surrender of German military units and prominent Nazi officials. In August of 1945, the Division moved to Auxerre, France to train for the invasion of Japan. The operation became unnecessary when Japan surrendered two weeks later. The 101st Airborne Division was deactivated on November 30, 1945, at Auxerre, France.

In the next eleven years, the 101st Airborne was activated and deactivated three times. Finally, in 1956 the Division was reorganized as a five-brigade division and came back to the Regular Army and its permanent home of Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Between 1956 and 1964 the Division was reorganized again and participated in several major exercises as the world transitioned into the nuclear age and the United States entered the Cold War. Most notable during this period was the 101st Airborne's deployment to Little Rock, Arkansas, in September of 1957 to assist in maintaining order during a series of civil disturbances. The unrest was a result of the integration of Central High School in Little Rock. This was a major event in the quest for racial equality and the professionalism of the troops of the 101st Airborne prevented possible tragedy.

The First Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division was deployed to Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam on July 29, 1965. They were the third United States Army unit to arrive in country. The remainder of the Division arrived in Vietnam in December of 1967, just before the Tet Offensive of January 1968. During Tet, the Screaming Eagles were engaged in combat operations as far south as Saigon and as far north as Quang Tri. One platoon of the Second Brigade landed on the roof of the United States Embassy in Saigon which was under attack by the Viet Cong.

During the early days of Vietnam, the Division made its transition from parachutes to helicopters as the method of insertion. In July of 1968, the Division changed its name to the 101st Air Cavalry Division. The next year, on August 29, 1969, the Division changed its name again to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Mobile), making it the Army's second airmobile division.

In late 1971 and early 1972, the Screaming Eagles left Vietnam and returned to Fort Campbell. During almost seven years of action in Vietnam, the 101st Airborne participated in 15 campaigns. Most notable were Hamburger Hill in 1969 and Firebase Ripcord in 1970. The Division served in the northern I Corps area of operations against the NVA infiltration routes through Laos and the A Shau Valley. The Division supported the ARVN Operation Lam Son 719 which involved invading southern Laos in 1971, but only aviation units actually entered Laos. During Vietnam, seventeen Medal of Honor awards were given to members of the Division. The Division suffered 4,011 soldiers Killed in Action during Vietnam, which is twice the number of casualties from World War II. The 101st was the last American Division to leave the combat zone of Vietnam.

In 1974 the Army terminated jump status for the Division and the Screaming Eagles formally became America's Air Assault Division. The Screaming Eagles took on their current designation of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). In the post-Vietnam years the Division has evolved into the rapid deployment force that it is today participating in major exercises and peace keeping operations throughout the United States, Honduras, Egypt, Rwanda, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, and elsewhere.

Since the end of the Cold War, the 101st has served proudly in the Persian Gulf War in January of 1991, conducting an air assault deep into enemy territory in the Iraqi desert. The Division sustained no soldiers Killed in Action during the "100-hour war" and captured thousands of enemy prisoners. The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) was the first conventional unit to deploy in the War on Terror. In 2002 the Division's Third Brigade participated in Operation Anaconda facing an intense period of combat in the rugged terrain of Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2003 the Screaming Eagles, led by Major General David Petraeus invaded Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Division has made a second deployment to Iraq in November of 2005 to conduct counterinsurgent operations and to train Iraqi security forces.

General Order Number Five, which gave birth to the 101st Airborne Division in the early days of World War II, begins "The 101st Airborne Division…has no history, but it has a rendezvous with destiny." The Division has certainly lived up to those prophetic words. The 101st is one of the most famous fighting forces in the world. Thousands upon thousands of proud soldiers have worn the distinctive "Screaming Eagle" shoulder patch, which is arguably the most recognizable unit insignia in the United States military.

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A Summary History of the 82nd Airborne Division

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"All American"
(Original article written 6-15-08 by Jim Broumley) 

The 82nd Airborne Division is an elite parachute unit of the U.S. Army whose home base is at Ft Bragg, North Carolina. The Division has the ability to begin combat operations anywhere in the world within eighteen hours of notification. The primary mission of the airborne is airfield and seaport seizure. Once entry is obtained by parachute, helicopter, vehicle, or by foot, the terrain is secured to rapidly receive additional combat forces. Every soldier in the 82nd Airborne Division is jump qualified and almost every piece of combat equipment assigned to the Division can be dropped by parachute onto the battlefield.

The 82nd Division was organized on March 25, 1917, at Camp Gordon, Georgia. Members of the Division came from all over the country so the unit was given the nickname "All American." This is the reason for the distinctive "AA" on the unit's shoulder patch. Less than a year after its formation the Division was deployed to France to fight in World War I. In less than five months of combat, the 82nd participated in three major campaigns. The famous hero of WWI, Alvin York was a member of the 82nd Division. Sergeant York was awarded the Medal of Honor for attacking a German machine gun and killing twenty enemy soldiers and capturing one hundred and thirty-two others. After the war, the 82nd was demobilized in May 1919.

Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division
board aircraft for a training jump in Oujda,
French Morocco. 6/2/1943 NARA 

The Division would gain its reputation in the next war. Recalled for World War II in March of 1942, the Division was re-designated the 82nd Airborne Division the following August. The 82nd was the first airborne division in the United States Army. During WWII the Division conducted parachute assaults into Sicily, Salerno, Normandy, and Holland. At the battle of Anzio in Italy, a German officer gave the paratroopers one of their many nicknames when he referred to them as "those devils in baggy pants."

The 82nd Airborne Division was not sent to the Korean War but rather began its use as America's strategic reserve and rapid deployment force. In January of 1968, during the Tet Offensive, the 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division was alerted and en route to Chu Lai within 24 hours. The 82nd stayed in Vietnam for 22 months of combat. The All-Americans fought in the Hué - Phu Bai area, and then later fought battles in the Mekong Delta, the Iron Triangle, and along the Cambodian border. The 3rd Brigade returned to Fort Bragg in December of 1969.

As the most highly trained light infantry division in the world, the 82nd Airborne has participated in practically every potential combat deployment of the U.S. Army since Vietnam. This includes Grenada in 1983, Honduras in 1988, the invasion of Panama in 1989, Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and into Iraq in 1990-91, Bosnia in 1995, Kosovo in 1999, Afghanistan in 2002, and the invasion of Iraq in early 2003. As of 2007, elements of the 82nd Airborne Division are on rotation to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The 82nd Airborne Division also carries the moniker of "America's Guard of Honor." They are the nation's strategic offensive force, maintaining the highest state of readiness. Generations of veterans have lived up to the Division's motto. They truly went "All the way!"

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