Ship canal opens, local mill sues | Heritage Corner

Published 10:24 am Thursday, January 10, 2013

The opening of the Lake Washington Ship Canal in 1916 changed the financial as well as the physical landscape of Bellevue. After the “cut” lowered Lake Washington by nine feet, any business dependent upon the water had to adapt or perish.

The logging mill on Wilburton Hill perished.

The first logging camp on the hill appeared in 1901 under the direction of Manley Wilbur. It was later purchased by Wade Hewitt and Charles Lea, who formed the appropriately named Hewitt Lea Lumber Co.

In its heyday, the company had a daily capacity of 75,000 board feet of lumber and 170,000 shingles. Much of this lumber was rafted down Mercer Slough to Lake Washington. When the lake dropped, the mill’s best means of transporting its product went with it. Forced to close in 1918, the company sued King County successfully for $125,000.

Heritage Corner is a feature in the Bellevue Reporter. Material is provided by the Eastside Heritage Center. For more information call 425-450-1049.