Alki Point is a point jutting into Puget Sound, the westernmost landform in the West Seattle district of Seattle, Washington. Alki is the peninsular neighborhood on Alki Point. Alki was the original settlement in what was to become the city of Seattle. It was part of the city of West Seattle from 1902 until that city’s annexation by Seattle in 1907. The Alki neighborhood extends along the shore from the point, both southeast and northeast. To the northeast, it continues past Alki Beach roughly to Duwamish Head, the northernmost point of West Seattle, WA. Alki Point also marks the southern extent of Elliott Bay; a line drawn northwest to West Point marks the division between bay and sound. The Duwamish called it “Prairie Point” (Lushootseed: sbaqWábaqs). The name refers to prairies near the point maintained through seasonal burning by indigenous cultivators. It was a place of native occupation and colonial reconnaissance before 1851. Other words for the end include Battery Point, Me-Kwah-Mooks Point, and Roberts Point.
History
The Denny Party landed at Alki Point on November 13, 1851, and platted a settlement of six blocks of eight lots. The original name of the payment was “New York Alki,” “Alki” being a word in Chinook Jargon (Wawa), meaning “eventually” or “by and by.”The name “New York” may have been chosen because it was the state of origin of several of the settlers. However, the next April, Arthur A. Denny abandoned the site at Alki for a better-situated site on the east shore of Elliott Bay, just north of the plat of David Swinson “Doc” Maynard. This site is now known as Pioneer Square. Bed Bug Exterminator Seattle
Charles C. Terry, who owned the land, and some others held on at Alki for a while but most eventually joined the others in Pioneer Square. Terry gave his claim to Maynard in 1857 in exchange for his Pioneer Square holdings; Maynard farmed the land for 11 years and sold it to Hans Martin Hanson and Knud Olson in 1868, Hanson taking possession of the point itself.
Alki Beach
Alki Beach is the principal tourist attraction at Alki Point. It features sand, saltwater, bungalows, and unique local restaurants. It is generally not a popular famous swimming beach, owing to the cold waters of Puget Sound. It offers stunning views of the Olympic Mountains and downtown Seattle. Alki Beach is also a place where “people watch” or get a tan, providing a casual environment for people to gather and hang out. There is access for wheelchair users and roller-skaters. In the summer months, Alki Beach becomes crowded, especially on weekends. Alki Beach is also famed for its biking and walking trail, which provides a picturesque view of nearby Blake Island. Tourist attractions include the miniature of the Statue of Liberty, the iconic Alki Point Lighthouse, and the Birthplace of Seattle monument, which also includes a tribute to the Indigenous Duwamish people without whom the first settlers would not have thrived. The main commercial strip in West Seattle, uphill from Alki Beach, California Ave SW, provides five-and-dime shops and diners that recall earlier decades.
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