Puget Sound Traction, Light and Power Company Maps and Property Inventory

Puget Sound Traction, Light and Power Company Maps and Property Inventory, 1918

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Seattle (Wash.). City Clerk
Title: Puget Sound Traction, Light and Power Company Maps and Property Inventory
Dates: 1918 (inclusive)
19181918
Quantity: over 500 maps and drawings
Collection Number: 1802-D8
Summary: Maps and drawings accompanying Comptroller/Clerk File 72055, December 30, 1918, describing the street railway property transferred to the City. Included are drawings for track system, bridge, trestle, and culvert construction, as well as building plans. The property was located throughout Seattle.
Repository: Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions: Records are open to the public.
Additional Reference Guides: CF 72055
Languages: English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The Municipal Street Railway System was formed in 1919 when the City purchased the Seattle street car rail lines of the Puget Sound Traction, Light and Power Company, Seattle Division. Voters approved the purchase of the railway properties of the Puget Sound Traction, Light & Power Company, Seattle Division on November 5, 1918. The Company was owned by Stone & Webster, based in Massachusetts, which purchased utilities and street railways in the late 1890s. Formed in 1898 by Stone & Webster, the Seattle Electric Company consolidated property and rights of small transportation and utility businesses. Puget Sound Traction, Light & Power incorporated in 1912.

The Municipal Street Railway System was administered by the Department of Public Utilities until 1932 when the Department was abolished. The System was then under the authority of the Board of Public Works. By 1938, the System was archaic and bankrupt. It received a loan from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation in 1939 and began a modernization program. The System was reorganized in 1939, changed its name to the Seattle Transit System, and came under the policy direction of the Seattle Transportation Commission from 1939-1951 and then the Seattle Transit Commission until 1971. The newly formed Department of Transportation operated the System until 1973 when it became part of Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle (Metro).

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

City of Seattle Clerk File 72055 dated December 30, 1918, describes the street railway property transferred to the City. The property includes franchises, contracts, and rights, right of ways, land, street railway track system, drawings for track system, bridge, trestle, and culvert construction, utility equipment, railway distributing system, tools, and buildings. Property was located throughout Seattle including: Fremont, Green Lake, East Jefferson, Madrona, Madison Street, Yesler Way, James Street, North Seattle, Georgetown, Ballard and West Seattle. In addition to describing the property of Puget Sound Traction, Light & Power, the CF 72055 serves as an index to the prints and drawings that accompany the CF. Researchers should consult CF 72055 for descriptions of property, schedules of right of ways, franchises, contracts, agreements, bridges, units of equipment, railway poles, and other data.

Individual maps are cataloged in the Digital Collections and can be found using the search term 1802-D8. All maps and drawings are described below at the folder level. Drawings include the track system and equipment, as well as buildings such as car barns and waiting stations. Legal descriptions of the property being transferred to the City is also included in the Clerk File. Rolling stock, freight, passenger and miscellaneous cars owned by Puget Sound Traction at the time of the purchase, are also listed in the Clerk File.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Puget Sound Traction, Light and Power Company Maps and Property Inventory, Record Series 1802-D8. Item [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Materials are arranged by geographical location and are in the order listed in CF 72055.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Puget Sound Traction, Light and Power Company Maps and Property Inventory, 1918Return to Top

Over 500 maps and drawings

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

Maps are cataloged in the Map Index; use search term "1802-D8" to find them. Where maps are cataloged, links to the index appear in the inventory below.

Container(s)		Description	Dates
drawer	Folder
7/4	1	Right of Way and Miscellaneous Land 36 maps : Maps show right of way outlined in red pencil See also CF 72055 General Item 2A	1918
7/4	2	Street Railway Track System 110 maps : Track maps number 1 to 110 with index See also CF 72055 General Item 3A	1918
7/4	3	Street Railway Track System 72 drawings : drawings showing typical track special work layouts See also CF 72055 General Item 3B	1918
7/4	4	Bridge, trestle, culvert construction drawings 21 drawings See also CF 72055 General Item 3C	1918
7/4	5	Miscellaneous track construction 54 drawings See also CF 72055 General Item 3G	1918
7/5	1	Location of railway feeders and returns / Electric Power Distribution 54 drawings See also CF 72055 General Item 6A	1918
7/5	2	Fremont Car House - Land Map and Building Plans 1 map; 15 plans See CF 72055 General Item No. 9A	1918
7/5	2	Green Lake Freight Shed - Land Map and Building Plans 1 map and 2 plans See CF 72055 General Item 10A	1918
7/5	2	East Jefferson Car House - Land Map and Building Plans 1 map and 9 plans See CF 72055 General Item 11A	1918
7/5	2	Madrona Freight Terminal 1 land map See CF 72055 General Item 12A	1918
7/5	3	Madison Street Cable Station and Car House 1 map,14 building plans, 42 equipment drawings See CF 72055 General Item 13A and B	1918
7/5	4	Yesler Way Cable Station, Car House Equipment 1 map, 1 drawing, 42 equipment drawings See CF 72055 General Item 14A and B	1918
7/5	5	James Street Car House and Cable Station 1 map, 2 plans, 24 equipment drawings See CF 72055 General Item No. 15A and B	1918
7/5	6	North Seattle Car House, Yard 1 land map and 12 building plans See CF 72055 General Item No. 16A	1918
7/5	7	Georgetown Land and Car Shops 13 drawings, 1 map, 43 building plans Building plans by C. A. Darmer Co. See CF 72055 General Item No. 17A	1918
7/5	8	Ballard Freight Shed Land map and 2 building plans See CF 72055 General Item No. 18A	1918
7/5	8	West Seattle Yard 1 land map See CF 72055 General Item No. 19A	1918
7/5	8	Miscellaneous Buildings, including waiting stations, shelter sheds and other buildings 14 maps and drawings See CF 72055 General Item No. 20A	1918

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Electric power distribution -- Washington (State)
Electricity in transportation -- Washington (State) -- Seattle
Street railroads -- Washington (State) -- Seattle

Geographical Names

Seattle -- Washington (State)

Form or Genre Terms

Drawings -- Washington (State) -- Seattle
Maps -- Washington (State) -- Seattle

Other Creators

Corporate Names
- Puget Sound Traction, Light & Power Company -- Puget Sound (Wash.) (creator)

Archives West Finding Aid

Table of Contents