1000

Present-day Kenmore and the surrounding areas are home to communities of Coast Salish peoples

The area surrounding present-day Kenmore is the traditional homelands and hunting grounds for people from multiple Coast Salish indigenous groups and sub-groups, including the Duwamish, Tulalip, Sammamish, Snoqualmie, and Suquamish. A village called ƛ’ a x̌w a d i s, (also written Tl’ awh-ah-dees or Tlah-WAH-dees), consisting of multiple cedar longhouses,…

1855

The Elliot Bay Treaty is signed, defining the rights and lands of local indigenous peoples according to the U.S. federal government

The Elliot Bay Treaty was signed between the U.S. federal government and chiefs representing some of the indigenous groups in area surrounding present-day Kenmore, including Chief Seattle who hailed from both the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes Subsequently, some of the affected groups moved to the reservations the treaty had established.…

1862

Indigenous communities are further impacted by epidemics

Contact with early white prospectors and traders spread diseases to the indigenous people in the Puget Sound region. In particular, an epidemic of smallpox that began in Victoria in 1862 resulted in the deaths of many of the indigenous people who remained in the areas surrounding Seattle and Lake Washington.

1864

Puget Mill Company buys timberland at the future site of Kenmore

The San Francisco-based Puget Mill Company, a lumber manufacturer, purchases 108 acres of timberland at the north end of Lake Washington that would later become the city of Kenmore. Over the next six years, Puget Mill purchases more than 1,100 acres in the area for $1.25 per acre. The company…

1870

Euro-Americans establish settlements in Sammamish valley

In the 1850s, prospectors discovered coal in Issaquah. Subsequently, Euro-Americans arrived to mine the region. This activity leads people to explore and eventually settle the nearby Sammamish River valley towards Lake Washington, which ends at present-day Kenmore. The first well-documented white settlers to establish homesteads in the Sammamish River valley…

1871

Remington, typewriter mogul purchases property in Kenmore

Philo Remington, whose family made rifles and typewriters, purchases 198.5 acres of timberland including waterfront property at the future site of Kenmore for $248.12.

1876
Watson Squire purchases acreage in what is now central Kenmore

Watson Squire purchases acreage in what is now central Kenmore

Watson Squire, a future territorial governor and U.S. senator, purchases 198 acres sight-unseen from his father-in-law, Philo Remington, in what is now central Kenmore. Squire actively seeks to promote commerce and economic development at the north end of the lake, but his efforts are hampered by the national economic downturn…

1884
The first water transportation begins

The first water transportation begins

The forty-foot Squak begins service on Lake Washington and the Sammamish River, moving passengers and freight from Seattle’s Madison Park to Bothell, Woodinville, Redmond, and Issaquah.

1887

Railroad tracks completed

Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad tracks completed from Seattle to Bothell along Lake Washington; in subsequent years, the line is extended to Woodinville, Redmond, Preston, Snoqualmie, and North Bend as the railroad becomes a major regional line serving logging areas.

1889
Creator moves to becomes a pillar of Kenmore

Creator moves to becomes a pillar of Kenmore

Scotsman John McMaster moves from Kenmore, Ontario to Seattle, where he learns of a new shingle-making process at a Seattle mill.

1892

The first real estate deal

Shirl Squire, son of Watson Squire, plats Northlake Terrace—likely Kenmore’s first real-estate development—encompassing much of the property in central Kenmore owned by his father on the north side of what is now Bothell Way. (Northlake Terrace remains largely undeveloped until the early 1950s.)

Watson C. Squire plats Northlake Terrace

1901
Shingle mill opens

Shingle mill opens

John McMaster opens a shingle mill at the north end of Lake Washington on January 1 and names the surrounding area after his hometown of Kenmore, Scotland.

1903
The first school

The first school

The Kenmore School District is established; first classes are held in a shack near the McMaster mill.

1913
Kenmore was an early transportation hub

Kenmore was an early transportation hub

Bothell Auto Stage driver Casey Bannister stands beside his Winton motor bus near Swamp Creek. The stage line was founded by Elmer Ross after completion in 1913-14 of a brick road that became Bothell Way. Previously, the land routes were rough trails and dirt roads that often became impassable during…

Brick road from Lake Forest Park through Kenmore to Bothell is completed

Brick road from Lake Forest Park through Kenmore to Bothell is completed

Italian and Greek immigrants complete work on the Brick Road from Lake Forest Park to Kenmore and Bothell, following the route of a wagon road first used in the late 1880s. The Brick Road adds a hard surface and all-weather reliability to the route, bringing with it an economic boon to…

1914
Early-day public transportation

Early-day public transportation

Kenmore became a more popular destination after red-brick paving replaced the dirt road from north Seattle to Bothell in 1914. In this photo, several of the motorized Bothell Stage Line vehicles make their way on the new road. One can imagine the enjoyment of the “Sunday drive” that was so…

1916

Opening of Lake Washington Ship Canal and Chittenden Locks

Lake Washington Ship Canal and Chittenden Locks open after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lowers the level of Lake Washington by nearly nine feet. The Sammamish River becomes a slough and effectively no longer serves as a commercial waterway. However, the lowering of the lake creates some thirty feet…

1917

First bridge across the Sammamish Slough at Kenmore at 68th Avenue is built

1921
Grand Opening of Inglewood Golf and Country Club

Grand Opening of Inglewood Golf and Country Club

The Inglewood Golf Clubhouse opens next to an 18-hole golf course developed on what had been Peterson’s goat farm and logged-off forest land.

1922
Kenmore Garage

Kenmore Garage

Beginning in 1922, Al Telquist (right) operated Kenmore’s first auto-repair garage at 65th Avenue NE and Bothell Way with his father-in-law, Dan Dygert. The large sign above the door reads “Kenmore Garage, Shell Gasoline, Day and Night Service.” Auto traffic in the area surged after opening of the brick road…

1924
Inglewood Golf and Country Club burns; rebuilt in 1925

Inglewood Golf and Country Club burns; rebuilt in 1925

After a fire destroys the original Inglewood Golf Club, a more splendid clubhouse opens and continues operating today.

1925

Kenmore Community Club is organized

Kenmore Community Club organizes to work together on needs of the community,  estimated to number about 150 people. Objectives the first year are improved fire protection,  widening of the highway, better phone service, and establishment of a polling precinct.

1928

McMaster shingle mill burns

1930

John McMaster dies at age 82.

Kenmore Community Club finishes new clubhouse

Kenmore Community Club finishes new clubhouse

Kenmore Community Club finishes its new clubhouse, financed from the sale of 150 bonds worth $10 each. Memberships cost fifty cents with dues set at twenty-five cents month.

1931
Construction of St. Edward’s Seminary begins

Construction of St. Edward’s Seminary begins

After several years of construction, the St. Edward Seminary opens to train Catholic priests. The facility was operated for 46 years until 1976.

1935
Sanitarium treated psychiatric cases

Sanitarium treated psychiatric cases

A three-story residence on Lakewood Villa Road (later NE 175th Street) became the Lakewood Villa Sanitarium specializing in psychiatry in the 1930s. Later renamed Firlawn, the facility offered private, long-term treatment. The famous American novelist Thomas Wolfe, author of Look Homeward, Angel, was a patient here in 1938. Photo courtesy…

1936
Wooden water tank holding 20,000 gallons is built on the Northlake hill

Wooden water tank holding 20,000 gallons is built on the Northlake hill

1938

Two-lane bridge crossing Sammamish River on 68th Avenue replaces 1917 wooden span

1942
Kenmore Volunteer Fire Department organized

Kenmore Volunteer Fire Department organized

As advocated by the Kenmore Community Club, the Kenmore Volunteer Fire Department is organized after voters approve creation of King County Fire Protection District 16.

1942: Kenmore’s Japanese-American families are forced to relocate to internment camps

Thousands of local families were impacted by the federal directives to remove people of Japanese descent from their homes and relocate them to internment camps. National Archives records show that at least one Kenmore-based family was sent to the Tule Lake camp in northern California, along with most of the…

Kenmore’s Japanese-American families are forced to relocate to internment camps

Thousands of local families were impacted by the federal directives to remove people of Japanese descent from their homes and relocate them to internment camps. National Archives records show that at least one Kenmore-based family was sent to the Tule Lake camp in northern California, along with most of the…

1946
Kenmore Air Harbor

Kenmore Air Harbor

A former swamp becomes the base for Kenmore Air Harbor. Owner Bob Munro and his family lived in the house, right, which doubled as an office. Photo courtesy of Kenmore Air Harbor

Bob Munro establishes Kenmore Air Harbor in a former swamp beside the lake

Bob Munro establishes Kenmore Air Harbor in a former swamp beside the lake

Soon after their return from World War II, aviation mechanics Bob Munro and Reg Collins and pilot Jack Mines establish Kenmore Air Harbor on 2.5 acres of a former swamp next to Lake Washington. Munroe builds a 36-horsepower airplane from the parts of wrecked planes and Kenmore Air is in…

1947
Water District 79 is organized

Water District 79 is organized

1953
Ralph Swanson Sr. opens Plywood Supply Company in Lake City Way

Ralph Swanson Sr. opens Plywood Supply Company in Lake City Way

Established by Ralph Swanson in Lake City with a single truck and a small shed, Plywood Supply moves three years later to Kenmore, where it operates with a fleet of trucks and six warehouses, where it becomes one of the city’s largest enterprises.

Kenmore Drive-In Theater opening

Kenmore Drive-In Theater opening

The Kenmore Drive-In Theater opened on May 1, 1953 behind what later became the Kenmore Village shopping center. The theater’s slogan was “See the Stars under the Stars.” The first program was a double-feature starring Gregory Peck and Ann Blyth in The World in His Arms and Joe McCrea appearing…

1954

Kenmore voters defeat an incorporation proposal

1958
Kenmore Library opens

Kenmore Library opens

First Kenmore Library opens with 5,600 books in its collection, housed in a remodeled barn on 73rd Avenue NE following a community fund-raising effort.

1970

A parallel bridge opens across Sammamish Slough on 68th Avenue, widening traffic to four lanes

Prominent Kenmore estate becomes a therapy center for the differently-abled

In their wills, Kenmore residents Charles and ElVera Thomsen donated Wildcliffe, their expansive summer home and blueberry farm, to the Easter Seal Society. From the 1970s until 1997, the Society used the property’s mansion, warm-water swimming pool, and extensive grounds along the Sammamish River as a therapy center for people…

1974

Alyeska Pipeline Service Company begins barging construction materials to Alaska by way of the Kenmore waterfront for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline

1976
The Kenmore Library moves into a 2,112-square-foot modular structure on 73rd Avenue NE.

The Kenmore Library moves into a 2,112-square-foot modular structure on 73rd Avenue NE.

1978

New park opens

Saint Edward State Park opens on 316 acres of land surrounding the St. Edward Seminary, lakeside property sold to the state by the Catholic Archdiocese.

Bike trail opens

Burke-Gilman Trail opens after Burlington Northern (a conglomerate of railroads that survived the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad) abandons its rail bed on the west side of Lake Washington.

1980
Official Kenmore community flag is unveiled

Official Kenmore community flag is unveiled

1995

Kenmore Incorporation Committee is formed

1996
Bastyr University moves

Bastyr University moves

Bastyr University moves from Seattle to the St. Thomas Seminary in Kenmore after leasing and later purchasing the 50-acre property from the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle; within twenty years, Bastyr becomes the nation’s leading naturopathic medical school.

1997
After repeated defeats, a proposal to incorporate the City of Kenmore is approved by voters.

After repeated defeats, a proposal to incorporate the City of Kenmore is approved by voters.

Measure for Kenmore incorporation passes with a 71 percent “yes” vote

1998
The City of Kenmore is incorporated and officially becomes a city on August 31

The City of Kenmore is incorporated and officially becomes a city on August 31

Kenmore Heritage Society is established

Kenmore becomes a city

Kenmore becomes a city

Citizens of Kenmore celebrate the incorporation of their city in August, 1998 with a parade along Northeast 181st Street during the Good Ol’ Days Festival. This small delegation of local residents carried a message from one of the community’s namesakes—Kenmore, Scotland. The new city had a population of nearly 18,000…

2001

Kenmore Founders Day is observed January 10 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the naming of Kenmore by John McMaster

2003
Kenmore by the Lake: A Community History is published by Kenmore Heritage Society

Kenmore by the Lake: A Community History is published by Kenmore Heritage Society

Many residents contribute stories and photographs for publication in Kenmore by the Lake, a project of the Kenmore Heritage Society.

2010
Kenmore City Hall dedicated

Kenmore City Hall dedicated

A new energy-efficient City Hall opens featuring City Council chambers, a community meeting room, and administration offices.

2011
Kenmore Fire Station 51 dedicated

Kenmore Fire Station 51 dedicated

The 2-story, 32,000-square-foot Fire Station 51 opens as operations center for the King County Protection District 16, which has served Kenmore since 1942.

2017
Kenmore Town Square and “The Hangar” dedicated

Kenmore Town Square and “The Hangar” dedicated