Comments

1
"Officer, where can I find some Jews?"

"15th and Yesler, madam."
2
This is so utterly Chicago School it bleeds windiness.

What a fantastic, fascinating document. You win my "You Rock Today" award.
3
The answer to your question is: "Lube Jobs"...

as a big map nerd, thanks for this post...it IS fascinating.
4
I'm intrigued that the map makers had the racial consciousness to distinguish between different varieties of Asians. I mean, let's face it: it was probably made by white people, and white people aren't exactly famous for understanding the differences between, say, the Chinese and the Japanese.

I wonder if that type of racial awareness is a major component in defining the culture of Seattle and a few other American cities.

Also, did you guys notice that black people seem to be concentrated in what's now the ID and not the CD? I wonder when the CD became known as the "black area" of Seattle. Was it just 30 years or so in the overall life of the city (I'm thinking 1960-ish to 1990-ish), or was it longer?
5
@4

http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/displ…
6
I'm guessing the Business Hotels are more significant than Automobile Sales for that neighborhood's vice needs.
7
@4 again.

Is there an easier way to post a link?

http://bit.ly/aT4TcZ
8
TVDinner, the map was made by cops, who had a finely honed sense of which groups in the ID were connected, respected, paid up, etc. Good map, Soph! For you TV, here's a HistoryLink page that will get you started on background of the CD, hope you find it interesting:
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?Dis…
9
I am intrigued that the "vice resorts" in "mostly business Belltown" are "mostly cheap and second-hand." Don't worry 1940 Belltown! It'll take quite a few decades, but in the future, you too will have middle-class -- and even some high-class -- dwellings.

I am going to start referring to my local pub as a vice resort.

This Montana person is a treasure. More maps please!
10
Hire this guy as Slog Historian.
11
The vice resorts in the "Automobile" district are in the general area of present-day Fantasy Unlimited and the old gay bar, 2024.
12

I wish we were as honest as they were then.
13
See, half your problem is you're living in the wrong neighborhood.

Well, that plus you forgot the jet packs.
14
What, exactly, is a Light Industrial Negro?
15
@9, 10 no kidding - Montanan yay. It'd be cool to learn the original purpose of the maps - briefing the Council, getting funding, avoiding the 1940's version of civilian oversight?
16
@14 - I'd tell you, but you'd have to use the code word at the Speakeasy.
17
Fantastic post Brendan. That is one rich document. More like it please!
18
As someone who attends the University or Montana, I would really like to know where I can find this awesome person and their maps.
19
@15 I know that judges used to issue injunctions against Johns, prohibiting them from going to areas that had lots of sex workers, which in the middle of the 20th was the Yesler/Jefferson corridor, and in the late 20th was Aurora.
20
@10 Would that make him "Slogstorian"?

Capitol Hill was a very middle to lower middle class/Catholic/family neighborhood until de geighs moved in...apparently, we caused Straight Flight...
21
@20, or Straight Take the Money and Move Up - my folks' house doubled in value after the geighs, so they sold and moved to the water...
22
Not really straight flight, more like "people getting old and kids moving out". Some of the parents are still there.
23
@4; Seattle officials (and white America in general) were effective at xenophobia before they got around to being just plain racist. Differentiating between Asian nationalities was no problem for 19th century and wartime Seattle: if you don't believe me, try wikipediaing 'chinese exclusion act' or 'japanese internment'...
24
I wonder which one of those dots is the Wah Mee Club. I have memories of the reminants of this Seattle from my youth. This map takes me back to the Seaport town that was Seattle in the 60's
25
@18 That was me. I used to live in Seattle and now am doing the PhD in Ecology through the folks at the Flathead Station, but I live in Bozeman. Confusing but is seems to be working out.

@7 GREAT link.
26
"Jews"
27
My favorite is "Mostly cheap and second-hand". It sounds like Chez Vel-DuRay.
28
There are dozens of maps like this in the Seattle Room of the downtown branch of the public library. I can spend all day in there.

Please wait...

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