Beneath Lake Union's inky surface is a graveyard of old boats, an underwater museum of waterlogged artifacts of Seattle's industrial and maritime history that have mostly lain untouched for decades — until now.Apr 3, 2011
Why is Lake Union called Lake Union?
At the settlers' Fourth of July picnic in 1854, Mercer proposed calling the lake "Union" because he was sure a canal would soon link it to Lake Washington, Salmon Bay, and Puget Sound. To the west, a narrow stream at what would become Fremont emptied Lake Union into Salmon Bay.
Is South Lake Union man made?
Despite its current controlled state, serving as a central basin for the man-made waterway connecting Lake Washington to Puget Sound, Union is very much a pre-existing natural lake, with a functioning ecosystem that presents its own set of challenges.