On this day in 1907, the City of Ballard was no more and it was annexed to Seattle. The momentous change added both a new neighborhood and 17, 000 people to Seattle’s population.
At the time, Ballard had increasing difficulties in providing services to the growing population and particularly had issues with the water supply. Reportedly, a dead horse was once found floating in Ballard’s only reservoir. The need for clean water was reportedly so dire that in April, 1901 Ballard City Council requested to purchase water from Seattle for a 20 year term (see document below from Seattle Municiple Archives). This plan was obviously in place before annexation was considered.
The vote to annex passed by 996 votes to 874 on November 6, 1906 and at approximately 3:45 p.m. on May 29th, 1907 Ballard officially became part of Seattle. Some residents showed their reaction to the decision by draping Ballard City Hall (pictured above) in black crepe. The flag on the city flag pole also flew at half mast to mourn the loss of the city.
106 years on it is interesting to look back at the events that shaped our neighborhood.
Photo courtesy of Ballard Historical Society. Document courtesy of the Seattle Municiple Archives.
