The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-04-12
SAD MAZE OF NAMES.
Tide Land Plat Increases Con-
fusion Of Streets.
AN UTTER LACK OF SYSTEM
Extensions OF Upland Streets Given
New Names - Engineer Thorn
sons Bewiidering Task.

The publsoa,Ion Of the new ma, Of she
tide lands by the board us sg5e land ap-
pr1ssers has given City Engineer Thorn
sons scheme for remaining the strets OF
the city severe setback. and ne is raozv
IN the same position as before he started
che work He VIII have TO commence ali
over again The map contains Sssxne
names which ara already claimed nv
other strets IN remote portions of the
city. and in fact the streets were named
without the slighies consideration for sx-
listing streets and the extension of the
same. The tide land appraisers. In nam
ing the streets plated along the tide
lands and the rim az the harbor as far
north as the mouth OF Salmon Ray. have,
followed out the idea OF naming the
streets north OF Yesler avenue after the
principal cities OF the United States. and
those soath OF that avenue after the sew
eral states OF che Union.
Thus the two blocks OF Depot street
fronting on the tide lands have been
named Roanoke street notwithstanding
the fact that there IS a Roanoke street
about half a mfle long on the east side
OF Lake Union. in the Dsnny-Fuhrman
addition Depot street is now known un-
der a series Of names that ara ronfus-
ang 20 old-timers as well as 20 new
Corners First Il - Roanoke street. Two
blocks further east X is called Depot
For over a mile it Is thus known, and
then, for some unexplained reason, IL is
called Hawthorne avenue. A little fur
Their at changes 10 Decatur street, and
stlii further, when little jog Is encoun-
tered, it IS again changed. and IS known
by several other names as il proceeds
towards Lake Washington But this Is
only one Of many similar cases, for there
are few streets in the city that maintain
their names and fdenEty throughout
their entire length.
Along the tide fats the conditions are
even more confusing than in the dis
trtcts north. for the new names are more
numerous In accordance VITA the add
tional land made available The ap-
praisers have seen fit 10 call a certain
street directly south OF King street after
the state of Connecticut, which is an ex-
tension of Arbor street. GERMAN avenue
and Baxter street As r. proceeds
toward the lake IL again loses Its sien-
Tity, and is known as Champa street.
Then again. south of this new street Is
Alaska street, named without any con
sideration OF the connecting and exist
ing thoroughfare of Dearborn street.
which runs across Beacon Hin. But
this street Is also known by a series OF
names as 1t leads across the country
east From Dearborn 1t changes 10 Mi
kado. from Mikado to Modjeska, then to
Cullen, then 10 Florence, and finally
runs into the wilderness as Duke street
Residents Will have TO hire a private de-
tectiye to keep track OF their possessions
on Beacon Hin along this street unless
Mr. Thomson can devise some means of
strengthening out and untangEng the
maze OF names. Then comes the new
street of Massachusetts. AS soon as the
street leaves the fats the existing plat
shows that the extension Is known as
Woodstock street, but further on this is
called Frederick street, and finally winds
up under the mtle of Lee street II
seems that every man who built a house
out in that vicinity named the street as
1t was graded past his premises after
some hero OF his own imagination.
Vermont street Is known under a Sc
ries OF names. having as many aliases
and being as Unreliable as a professional
outlaw. In the several districts trayersed
IL is known variously as Plummer, Lolita,
Elizabeth. fremont and Prince. Vashon
street Is also called South Pine, being a
weli-known thoroughfare under the lat
ter name, as IL is the street along which
the water main is laid from the pump
ing station on the lake to the reservoir
on Beacon 1fill. Texas street is an ex-
tension OF Addition street and Rural
street Then comes Tennessee street
also known as Walker street. and then
are Alabama. Mississippi and Kansas
streets, all new creations. Mississippi
street IS the extension OF Lander street.
and Kansas the extension of Forrest ave-
nue.. both In HSnfords addition 10 the
caty. Chehahs avenue has no extension
meeting the meander line of the fats be-
tween streets. Spokane avenue and Or
leans avenue will have to fight II out In
South Seattle, for they both claim the
same street. But the most unfortunate
mistake OF all IS the naming Of the ex-
tension OF Denny street after state
which Is synonymous with storm.
drouth. cyclones and blizzards-Dakota,
II IS possible that the residents OF that
portion Of the city VIII not permit Mr..
Thomson to change the name TO Dakota
Nebraska street is a short affair being
located across the north end OF Edwards
island. and extending for a block along
the shore on the east. Colorado IS also
remembered with name on this island.
Whatcom street Is the extension of South
Railroad avenue. while that avenue runs
around the head OF the bay on the line of
the filing wall 20 West Seattle. Seattle
boulevard viii wipe Old Grant street SfY
the map. for with the filling OF the flats
Grant street will be no more IN name In
RAPID succession along the fats appear
the names OF streets as follows: Arizona,
Minnesota Wenatchee. Kiickitat. Wis
cons.n. Kitsap Colorado Utah, CONNER
Cial and several others.
From the head Of the hay north along
the nneander Enc cx the present water
front the appraisers have seen iii to make
a great many changes in names OF
streets. In places the new names affecting
existing streets for two blocks up. The
publication Of the map by the appraisers
has made things complicated for the city
engineer. bus he hopes TO recover from
his shock. and VIII IN a few DAYS start
again and try 70 figure ont a method
which viii straignten out the names IN
a manner taar vii prove sa tfSfactorv II,
all. After he has devised a now system
he VIII make a map 81 che city with the
new names. and VIII present the same TO
the city council for acton.