The Southwest Seattle Historical Society (SWSHS) invites residents to bike into history as the second annual SWSHS Bike Tour returns to West Seattle Sunday, June 7, from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. The Bike Tour accompanies SWSHS’ popular Walking Tour series, showcasing some of West Seattle’s most influential landmarks.
Beginning at the Log House Museum on Alki Beach, the Bike Tour is a casual 5-mile bike ride around the Duwamish Peninsula via Alki and Harbor Avenues and West Marginal Way. Featured sites on the route include the Log House Museum, the newly reconstructed Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza, Alki Beach, Anchor Park (formerly Luna Park) and the new Duwamish Longhouse on West Marginal Way.
Bike Tour creator and Museum Assistant Sarah Frederick and Museum Director Andrea Mercado are excited about the Bike Tour’s unique format in reminding Seattleites of West Seattle’s central influence on the city’s history.
“We felt the Bike Tour would be an interesting way of exploring the city’s history,” said Frederick. “Much of the route is a bike path or part of the existing Alki Cultural Trail. Taking the history out of a museum and or standard educational setting is refreshing for the patrons. It’s wonderful to stand on the spot where something actually happened and bring it to life through stories.”
Two highlights of the Tour are the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza on Alki Beach and the Duwamish Longhouse on West Marginal Way. The Alki Statue of Liberty was re-dedicated in September 2008 to great fanfare, bearing a more durable bronze cast of the statue as well as dynamic landscaping. The Duwamish Longhouse was completed in December 2008, providing a focal point for the proud Duwamish tribe that lived in the region and welcomed the Denny Party upon their arrival in November 1851.
Admission to the Bike Tour is $7 for non-members, $5 for museum members. Donations are accepted. The Log House Museum is located at 3003 61st Avenue SW, a half-block off Alki Avenue. Participants are encouraged to register by contacting Sarah Frederick at (206) 938-5293 or shop@loghousemuseum.org.
