Let’s remember when roller skating came to Seattle, on this day in 1871 (October 21)
Amazing. Seattle had gotten its first roller rink almost 100 years before it got disco.
Per Greg Lange of HistoryLink:
On October 21, 1871, a Mr. Kennedy (probably John Kennedy, age 46) opens a roller skating rink at the Pavilion, located in Seattle at the southeast corner of Front Street (later 1st Avenue) and Cherry Street, using improved Plimpton roller skates. About 100 people attend, including about 70 men and 20 or 30 women. A certain gentleman “goes down in an unseemly pile.”
James Leonard Plimpton of Boston, Massachusetts invented his roller skates in 1863. Plimpton skates allowed the skater to make turns. In 1866, Plimpton opened a roller skating rink in Boston and the interest in skating spread across the continent.
In Seattle, about 100 persons attended the opening of Kennedy’s rink, including some 70 men and 20 or 30 women. This was the first time Plimpton skates were used in Seattle. The floor was crowded with skatists — most of whom were novices in the exercise. The roller skating continued until 9 p.m. at which time dancing began.
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