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Redmond Tidbits
The namesake of Redmond was a Captain named Luke McRedmond and a man named Warren Wentworth Perrigo were the first white settlers to stake land claims on the northern end of Lake Sammamish. The greatest challenges for Captain McRedmond and Mr. Perrigo was to clear the gigantic trees that had such as very large girth that the available equipment was simply inadequate. The challenge itself soon resulted to the first economic boom in Redmond, although the immediate solution was a technique of felling the giant trees by burning their trunks above the roots. In the 1880s, numerous loggers arrived in the valley, and a man named John Peterson constructed the first sawmill just east of Lake Sammamish close to Issaquah in 1890. In 1905, Campbell Mill was constructed at Campton. Other prosperous shingle operations and lumber mills soon followed, which created a demand for services and products, while also providing substantial payrolls.
During the early days of Redmond, the only practical transportation was steamboats because of the thick forests and very few roads. These flat bottomed steamers carried passengers and goods by crisscrossing the lakes that fed the Sammamish River and traveling all along the Sammamish River until 1916 when the local waterways and lakes were lowered to nine feet as the result of the Chittenden Locks being opened. One year prior to Washington becoming a state, in 1888, the Seattle Lake Shore and Eastern Railroad arrived in this this wilderness community. The marketability of the timber from Redmond was virtually ensured with the arrival of this railroad.
During the booming time of the logging heydays, Redmond was a rollicking community of restaurants, movie theaters, dance halls, hotels, and saloons. The first brick structure in the community was the Redmond Trading Company that was constructed in 1908. However, it wasn't long before other brick buildings were built, that included The Redmond State Bank, whose largest depositors in 1911 were the lumber mills, the Brown building, the Old Redmond Schoolhouse, and Bill Brown's Garage. However, much the same as in other Western towns of the period, the majority of the structures were made from wood. As the result of a public water system, and when they caught fire, they were particularly vulnerable to complete devastation. The fact is that the main impetus for the stable community that had a population of some 300 people to become a fourth class community in 1912 was the repeated and disastrous fires. That same year brought the incorporation of Redmond, which permitted the community to tax its flourishing saloons and finance a modern waterworks.
Redmond blossomed during the term of the first mayor of the community who was a man named Frederick Reil. Automobiles became an often seen sight on Main Street, which is currently known as Leary Way. Several new buildings were constructed in the downtown area. In 1916, the state of Washington adopted Prohibition, which was four years ahead of the rest of the country. Much the same as the rest of the nation, this created bootlegging operations within the community as well as several liquor stills in the woods that surrounded it.
During the 1920's the local timber industry rapidly faded because aggressive logging destroyed much of the virgin forests. After that, the mainstay of the economy of the community became agriculture. Farmers struggled to remove extremely large tree stumps in the valleys and on the hills that were once home to bobcats, bear, and deer. They planted profitable crops, built structures for their mink and chickens, staked acres of berries, and fenced their property for dairy cattle. During this era, the population didn't grow much as, during the Great Depression, numerous young adults looked for employment elsewhere.
From the early days of horse drawn carriages and steamboats, the natural progression of dependable transportation and better roads has facilitated the growth in Redmond. In 1940, the population of the community was 503 people when the first Lake Washington floating bridge opened, which started a steady, but slow increase in the population of Redmond. Vigorous residential growth was initiated by the logging boom of the during the 1880's, which created a demand for local services and goods. By the early 2000's, the population of Redmond had exploded to 43,610 people, primarily as the result if the high tech industries in Redmond, although this high tech industrial growth started slowly during the 1970's.
With an independent cultural and economic heritage of agriculture and logging. Redmond is continually growing and evolving as a dynamic community. The residents of Redmond embrace the future with their long tradition of pioneer resourcefulness, participation, and pride in their community.
Redmond is a great place to work, live, play and raise a family. There are many different indoor and outdoor attractions for visitors and their families to enjoy, including recreational sports, the performing arts, seasonal events and museums and a visitor center.
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