Let’s remember when Thomas Edison visited Seattle, on this day in 1908 (September 11)
Seattle has always loved a good visit from a celebrity, and this is no exception. 110 years ago today, rock star inventor Thomas Edison came through town to see what the fuss was all about.
Greg Lange of HistoryLink wrote:
On September 11, 1908, Thomas A. Edison (1847–1931), accompanied by his wife and daughter, visits Seattle and stays at the Rainier-Grand Hotel (909–915 1st Avenue — in 1999, the site of the old Federal Office Building) while on a long-deferred vacation. The family had just visited Yellowstone Park.
Cool.
But wait, there’s more:
One of his interests was hydroelectricity. With the depletion of coal, an alternative source of energy was essential. At this time transmission lines could only economically carry electricity 500 miles, and Edison was attempting to greatly extend the range so the immense waterpower of the Pacific Northwest could be brought to greater number of people and businesses.
Edison also believed that concrete would be the building material of the future and would reduce the cost of building a residence. He was working on a mold that would make it possible to construct a one-piece concrete house in a day. He predicted that skyscrapers would be constructed with poured cement.
On September 12, 1908, Thomas Edison took a tour of the Denny Regrade project — the massive regrading of Denny Hill to create a flatter area north of downtown. Newspapers stated that the Edisons intended to stay in Seattle until Sunday September 13, 1908, and that they would then visit Portland and Colorado before returning to East Coast.
Source:
