With more than 16 square miles of territory, West Seattle was the largest of a half dozen towns annexed by Seattle a century ago in July.

An incorporated town in its own right, West Seattle became part of the larger city of Seattle July 24, 1907 with the signature of Mayor William Hickman Moore.

Seattle annexed five other nearby towns that year too.

Ballard's 3.7 square miles were added and so was South Park with 0.87 square miles.

Another 5.7 square miles in Southeast Seattle were added, as were 1.12 square miles of Columbia City, and 0.62 square miles of Ravenna. The city of Seattle almost doubled its geographical size with those half dozen annexations.

Mayor Greg Nickels celebrated the centennial with a brief speech to about 100 people gathered for the West Seattle Big Band's annual Concert in the Park July 17. The crowd lounged in folding camp chairs and on blankets spread across the lawn east of the Hiawatha Community Center. The building's tweed-like, four-color brick wall served as a backdrop.

When the mayor read the names of the communities that joined Seattle back then, he ended the list with "and the finest of those neighborhoods, West Seattle," followed by a warm cheer from the audience.

This year is also the centennial of Pike Place Market, which sprouted as a farmers' protest against high-cost onions, Nickels said.

The mayor also noted that 10 years before the annexation marked the beginning of the Klondike gold rush. Many Seattle businesses, including Nordstrom, amassed fortunes selling provisions and supplies to hopeful gold seekers as they left Seattle aboard ships bound for Alaska. Nickels credited Rep. Joe McDermott for mentioning that historical fact to him prior to the speech.

In a separate ceremony earlier this month, Mayor Nickels planted a Yoshino cherry tree just south of the Hiawatha Community Center to commemorate West Seattle's annexation. A plaque was installed in the ground to explain the new tree's presence.

Each of the six communities annexed in 1907 will receive a centennial tree in recognition of the event, said Dewey Potter, spokeswoman for Seattle Parks and Recreation.

Tim St. Clair can be contacted at timstc@robinsonnews.com or 932-0300.