While Interlaken Blvd may “officially” be just outside of the Montlake Historic District you would be hard pressed to convince any Montlake Free Range Kid that Interlaken, Louisa Boren Park or any part of “The Ravine” was not their turf. With that mindset I began trying a few years back to find the site where a Montlake icon, the Good Road Lunch Room, had stood.
It’s well known that Interlaken Blvd follows the general route of the Seattle Bicycle Path that was laid out during the 1890’s. Many have reported on that so I will leave you to sort through those resources. The Good Road Lunch Room is mentioned in all of those narratives but the exact location has never been located to my satisfaction. We know that it was somewhere between Roanoke and 24th, but where?
Don Sherwood wrote in his history series of Seattle Parks that the lunch room was located just north of where 19th and Interlaken Blvd intersect. Interlaken Drive joins there, as well, but neither existed in 1900 and the topography doesn’t seem to match the photos.
Jean Sherrard wrote in “Seattle Now and Then” that George Cotterill, the assistant city engineer who helped build the bike path said that it was located in one of the two of the largest canyons between Roanoke Street and 24th. Jean speculated that it was in the first ravine east of the current intersection of Interlaken Blvd and Interlaken Drive. The problem is that there are three, not two, major ravines and the one he suggests is the least suitable for building in.
The westernmost ravine is at the head of “Wheeler Valley” and seemed possible but probably wouldn’t be the choice as it is a little steep. Its advantage would be that it set above Wheeler’s Valley which had been cleared and there was a cabin of some sort below. The middle ravine to the east seemed too steep to me and not a great place to build anything. Looking to the easternmost ravine nearest to 24th I saw possibilities as the grade of the ravine didn’t slope so steeply above the boulevard. Growing up as a “Free Range Montlake Kid” I had been over every inch of all of those sites and the eastern ravine certainly matched the historical photos more closely, but I kept looking for some new evidence.
A few months ago I came across a detailed map in the Olmsted Archives dated 1903 of “Washington Park and Vicinity”.
It had been ground truthed in August of 1904 by James Frederick Dawson, designer of the Arboretum and the first associate partner of Olmsted Brothers. He had scribbled notes all over the map indicating current conditions, the type of foliage, etc.
There was only one building shown on the bike path and it was set deep into the easternmost ravine with the bike path looping behind it. His notes say “good brook – This house has been burnt down”
I think I have my smoking gun.
Then two days ago I came upon a recent posting by Tom Fucoloro in the Seattle Bike Blog. Tom's article described his search for remaining portions of the old Seattle Bike Path and featured a link to a YouTube video where he explores that path from Roanoke to Madison and then loops back into the Arboretum. The video is fascinating and his resources are good. In my opinion he nailed the location of the Good Road Lunch Room in the eastern ravine and he did it without the Olmsted Map. I’ve sent the document to him to add to his research materials.
Take a look at his article in the Seattle Bike Blog, watch his video and look at the maps. You will enjoy the video but maybe Tom and I have got it wrong. Go look for yourself and see what you think.
And wherever you place the southern boundary of Montlake you
will be able to take a walk and visit all of the possible sites of the Good
Road Lunch Room - a historic MONTLAKE location.
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