Renton City History

As I begin my project to record and preserve my family history, I began to realize that it is also important to capture a little something about where I grew up and the things I remember. After all, my hometown (and the greater Puget Sound region) has dynamically changed by quantum leaps since I was an adventurous young boy growing up on Renton Hill in the mid 1960s. In my day as a child, there was a sense of wonder about what laid beyond my neighborhood. The early history of Renton held a vague, but mysterious grasp upon my imagination. The dark secrets hidden away from casual view beckoned me to seek them out and reveal them as fact. What I remember of my hometown, Renton, Washington, are now little more than fading memories that have become lost in time.

Even though I have grown, Renton has grown even more so, in comparison, since before I was born. More and more technology and heavy industry are predominating elements in the region today. Little by little, less of the “elder” industries (particularly lumber and coal mining) that once thrived here and fostered the initial growth of the region quietly passes on. Leaving behind little more than obscure names, mysterious monuments and local legend and lore, I never really tried to equate them all into something comprehensible in my mind. Remembering little of the “frontier” way of life and how people and events shaped the city as it is today are all but lost – except for what museums and historical societies are able to preserve through random collections of photographs and written memoirs. Recalling more of what they remember and even less of what previous generations recall, names and places become meaningless. With that, a brief history of my "hometown" is in order.

The earliest beginning of the city of Renton rose up near the once swampy southern shore of Lake Washington some 150 years ago. Situated just 10 miles (approximately) to the southeast of Seattle, Washington, Renton is a thriving community endures. The present day city takes its name from a former sea captain and local timber industry tycoon, Captain William Renton. Oddly enough, Captain Renton was neither a founding father nor a resident of the city. However, his influence fostered the growth of the city in many ways. Once could say that Captain Renton’s financial investments in the community secured and ensured its survival.

Throughout my life, Renton is a city that always seems to defy conventional or traditional thought. Whether this is good or bad remains debatable, as there have been many good decisions as well as poorly planned ones throughout the history of the city. Many long time residents will say that in some ways, Renton has taken the proverbial "two steps forward" in one direction while taking "one step back" in others in its approach to maintain and promote the livelihood of the city. Nevertheless, the city of Renton has witnessed many transformations over the past 150 years. In a renewed spirit of civic pride, the official city slogan is: “Renton. Ahead Of The Curve.”

Indeed, Renton has been “ahead of the curve” for it has been a major industrial area in the Pacific Northwest for 150 years and a prominent manufacturing center for nearly a century. However, long before the present industries this city enjoys and depends upon, there was a time when things were much simpler.

Long before the first Native Americans came to the area where present day Renton would grow, the quiet and fertile valley that opened up from the southern shore of Lake Washington was ripe with prospects. The abundant natural resources and waterways offered much to the Duwamish people when they came to inhabit the area. Perhaps as far back as 1,400 years, this fertile valley on the southern shore of Lake Washington was their home. Before the first white settlers, the Duwamish people had maintained permanent fishing camps near the confluence of the Black and Cedar Rivers. Like many other Pacific Northwest tribes, the Duwamish were fishermen. The wild native catches of freshwater perch and trout as well as the annual salmon and steelhead runs offered the Duwamish a comfortable life. The Duwamish people thrived.

Geographically, the Cedar River (originally) did not flow directly into Lake Washington from the Cascade Mountains as it does today. Instead, the Cedar River emptied into the Black River some half-mile south or so of the present day shore of Lake Washington. The Black River carried the total outflow from Lake Washington AND the Cedar River to the Duwamish River.

Unfortunately, after the completion of the Lake Washington Ship Canal in 1916, the white settlers who had come to the region tinkered with the natural balance of nature by lowering the level of Lake Washington and re-routed the Cedar River. The Black River dried up, draining the natural swamplands along the southern shore of Lake Washington. This forever changed the shape of the waterways and land in this area. The land the Duwamish people knew had forever changed.

As the first white settlers began moving westward overland during the mid 1800s, a small group of settlers began sailing up the Pacific coast and into Puget Sound. Called “The Denny Party”, the new settlers established the first permanent white settlement on Seattle’s Alki Beach in 1848. Within a few years, the settlement moved to a more sheltered part of Elliott Bay and became what is now Seattle. As the new settlement too root, more white settlers followed.

The Oregon Territory was opening up to new settlers who were moving west in hopes of making a new life for themselves. Before the division of the Oregon Territory in 1853, the Oregon Territory covered the region that is now the states of Washington and Oregon. After 1853, The US Congress formed the Washington Territory north of the Columbia River – less than five years after the arrival of the Denny Party. By the time the Washington Territory was established, the Denny party had relocated across Elliott Bay to a more protected part of the shoreline. Other newly arriving white settlers streamed in through Seattle and began moving into, out and away from the newly established Seattle Township.

One of the first white settlers to the quite valley on the southern shore of Lake Washington was one of Renton’s earliest know prominent residents, Henry Tobin. Paddling up the Duwamish and Black rivers in 1853 with his wife, Diana, Tobin came to area. Like many of the early white settlers, Tobin was seeking opportunities to build a name in lumber. There, he staked a "donation land claim” within present day Renton along the banks of the Cedar and Black rivers.

As a historical note, The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 allowed settlers coming into the Oregon Territory to claim 160 acres of land by surveying the claimed property, submitting a description of the property to the United States government and living on the land claim for an period of four years. Though staking his claim to property in the Washington Territory, Tobin could file his claim under this federal act.

Tobin was a lumberman by profession. The lush, dense evergreen forest of the region afforded the perfect business opportunity, which attracted many entrepreneurs like Captain William Renton to the region. Having abundant standing timber, running water to power his lumber sawmill Tobin had a viable means to produce lumber and carry his goods to market in the bustling Seattle.

As early Northwest history relates, the early history of the white settlement of the Pacific Northwest and the Native American tribes were friendly enough. For the most part, the Native Americans of the region were quite fascinated with the tools the white settlers brought with them and felt comfortable with the relatively small numbers of their new white neighbors. Yet, increasing numbers of white settlers came to the region. This greatly disturbed the native way of life for the indigenous peoples and a brief war broke out between the white settlers and the Native Americans in 1855.

During the yearlong war, the local tribes destroyed Tobin's mill and killed off what was left of Tobin’s backers and supporters.

Eventually, Tobin died of poor health in 1857 and Bigelow moved on to a safer and more "civilized" region – leaving his mining claims behind. As with other tribes across the North American continent, the native Northwest tribes were defeated. After signing treaties with the US government, the tribes reluctantly relocated on reservations. Even though these native people traded away their freedom for parcels of land and fishing rights, they slowly became a minority population in a growing population of predominately white settlers.

After the Indian Wars, Erasmus B. Smithers, another early Renton land owner and prominent founding father of Renton, met Tobin’s widow, Diana, in 1857. Widowed, Diana owned the patent [deed?] on her late husband’s claim. Erasmus Smithers and Diana Tobin fell in love. Soon after, they were married. Between them, they owned nearly 500 acres of land in the valley south of and near the southern shore of Lake Washington.

As the United States grew and expanded its territorial holdings, the western United States (including King County) was subsequently surveyed in a rectangular "grid system" in accordance to the U. S. Land Ordinance of 1785. This federal ordinance identifies legal boundaries of property as well as divides land tracts into sections and townships. Under this system, one section or rectangular grid section of land is one square mile in size or 640 acres. A defined township is 36 sections (36 square miles or 23,040 acres of land).

On January 21, 1867, the Black River Post Office was established. Official records locate the post office at the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter Section 17 Township 23 N Range 5 E. It would be a fair guess that in order to make any sense out of the coordinates of this location, one would have to be a surveyor by profession. Still, this would allude to a location somewhere in the general area what is now at the western edge of or in the southwest corner of the business district of present day Renton

As a historical note, the opening of the Black River Post Office came on the same day that the township of Slaughter (some 15 miles south of present day Renton) observed its name change to Auburn and the White River Post Office opened. In recalling a little more area history, the township of Slaughter took its name from a prominent military figure of the area during the Indian Wars of 1855-56. The township’s name changed because of possible unsavory names for businesses – like the township’s hotel bearing the name of "The Slaughter House". Second thoughts like this are common throughout the history of the western United States. Remember that Taft, California, had a similarly unattractive name: Moron! Changed to honor then President William Taft, the town changed its name from Moron to Taft, California.

Postmaster, Christian C. Clymer, from his home along the Black River, operated the Black River Post Office. Between October 23, 1868 and December 28, 1869, the Black River Post Office was inactive and no entered reason ever recorded. However, the Clymer family has remained a prominent name in Renton's political government to this day.

Just as lumber proved to be a lucrative business, coal quickly rivaled the lumber industry. The heavily wooded Cedar River Valley cuts through the hills east of Renton. Indians and early settlers found this to be the shortest route from Puget Sound to Eastern Washington via narrow and rough trails. The lack of a direct route and the condition of the trails, muddy in winter and rocky in summer, hindered travel through as well as settlement along the valley. As early as 1870, Martin Cavanaugh ventured up the rugged Cedar River Valley and discovered coal in the area now bordered by present day 196th SE and the Maple Valley Highway just below Cedar Mountain.

More white settlers began moving to the area to work in the lumber and coal industries. With the financial backing of Captain William Renton, Smithers established the Renton Coal Company in 1873. In 1875, Smithers filed the first plat for the township of Renton. Recognized on 21 February 1876, the township became Renton.

Taking its name in honor of Captain William Renton, who had instrumental in forming the Renton Coal Company, Captain Renton and Smithers formed a partnership a few years earlier. If correctly assumed, Captain Renton and Smithers reopened the old Duwamish Coal Company mines of some years earlier under the new business name of the Renton Coal Company.

However, Captain Renton was lumber tycoon and better known locally for his successes with the famous Port Blakely Mill on Puget Sound and his holdings of tracts of real estate in the growing city of Seattle as investments. He provided the financial resources and backing to establish the coal mining operations in the community of Renton with Smithers. With his successes in lumber and coal industries, Captain Renton had the financial backing to expand his interests even further in developing rail service from Renton to Seattle as well as in surrounding areas.

[Hanging In Renton: The First Legal Execution Of A Caucasian In Washington.]

It is without a doubt; nearly every city has some infamous event that would be best left untold. The early township of Renton is among them. As the story goes…

John Thompson became involved in a bar room brawl with an unknown opponent inside Agnew’s Saloon along Renton’s Walla Walla Avenue (now Houser Way) on the evening of 04 February 1877. As the brawl continued to escalate, it moved out into the street where another man, Solomon Baxter, tried to break up the fight between Thompson and his drunken opponent.

It is unclear what involvement Baxter had in this dispute or if he personally knew Thompson. Unfortunately, as Baxter tried to break up the fight, Thompson fatally stabbed him in the stomach. Baxter died the next day because of the stabbing.

Arrested and brought to trial, a jury found Thompson guilty and convicted him of murder. The King County Sheriff sentenced Thompson executed by hanging – the legal method of punishment of capital crimes in Washington. The sentence carried out 28 September 1877 was the first legal hanging in King County, and it was the first hanging of a Caucasian in Washington Territory.

Dr. R. H. Bigelow (a seemingly forgotten early settler of the Renton area) settled land next to Tobin at or shortly thereafter, the time Tobin filed his land claim. Bigelow discovered coal deposits during the summer of 1853 near the site of the later established Renton Coal Company mines. Dr. Bigelow’s discovery and later mining claim was located just outside of the southeast corner of the original Renton township plat.

On October 20, 1853, Bigelow, along with Leonard M. Felker and L. M. Collins, formed the Duwamish Coal Company to mine Bigelow’s claim. The firm hired Captain William Webster, of the steamboat Water Lily, to transport the coal down the Black and Duwamish rivers to Elliott Bay fronting in Seattle. Soon, Bigelow and Tobin joined into a business partnership. Bigelow operated the coalmines while Tobin’s lumber mill provided the cut lumber and timbers to shore up the mineshafts. Here, it is not exactly clear how many coal mines Bigelow operated. Given the history, facts and remaining evidence, at least two established mines were at this location.

In August 1854, 300 tons of coal were processed, sold and shipped to San Francisco for $30 a ton. During the winter of 1854-55, the bark Sarah McFarland attempted to load another cargo load of coal. Unfortunately, beset by numerous delays in delivering the coal, the Duwamish Coal Company could not fulfill its agreement and the ship left with her hold only one-third full. Because of poor organization and the 1855-56 Indian War, the Duwamish Coal Company went out of business.

Coal mining was a very lucrative business – not only for commercial partnerships but for family owned businesses as well. After the Indian Wars, numerous coalmines were established and dotted the hills and mountains east of Renton. Easy access to the Lake Washington and the rivers allowed Renton to become the hub of local coal and lumber industries later on during the closing years of the 1800s.

In 1882, the Black Diamond Coal Company of California surveyed the Cedar River Valley for coal and found enough good prospects to warrant a search and the financing of a railroad. The Black Diamond Coal Company ended up selling the rail rights to Henry Villard of the Northern Pacific who developed the railroad under the name of Columbia & Puget Sound Railway. Travel up the Cedar River Valley became much easier. Sold in 1904, the railway became the property of the Pacific Coast Coal Company, which later became part of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul electrified line. Today, rail bed, converted into a scenic nature/walking tail, leads miles out of the city of Renton through a protected “natural area”.

With development of the railway, up through the Cedar River Valley, came settlers, many of who worked in the mines and lived in small cedar shacks on hillsides and along the river. In 1884, James M. Colman began to mine for coal the Cedar Mountain area and his family helped to start and operate the small town of Cedar Mountain. Located midway between Renton and Maple Valley, it consisted of a store, hotel, boarding house, sawmill, post office, a couple of saloons and many small homes. The children who lived at the top of the mountain went to two schools: Cedar Mountain and Crosson. Crosson was located at the present intersection of 196th and Shadow Lake Road. Since then and remodeled, the old school house is a private residence.

According to long time local residents, the Fairwood and Cascade areas, east of Renton, had many coalmines. The Lake Youngs coal mine was located where present day Petrovitsky Park now exists. The Fire King mine was located near the present day Fairwood Greens community. During the early 1970s construction of the Fairwood Greens community, the discovery of many small coalmines necessitated filling in before development could continue.

A few miles west of Fairwood Greens, on 116th SE near the Cascade Shopping Center, there was the Starkovitch Coal mine started in 1938 by the father of John Starkovitch. Martina, John's wife, indicates that she and her husband operated their mine until 1950 after ceasing operation due to water filling up the mineshafts. Frank Plant operated a mine near Talbot Road and another mine named the Springbrook mine that was just west of the Cascade Vista area. The Wilson mine was located just west of the Benson Highway near the site of the Summerhill apartments.

As immigrants to the area settled in the Renton area, the need for education also grew. The city of Renton has always shown much pride in it schools since the early rough and tumble days of the booming lumber and coal industries of the 1870s. Renton holds the historical distinction of being the location of one of the first official school in the new Washington Territory.

One account states that the construction of the first official school in the Washington Territory was in 1871. Though no specific recorded location remains, this schoolhouse was located somewhere in the Cedar River Valley. Early historical photographs depict what appears to be cedar planking on the exterior walls and cedar shakes for the roof. To the left of the building is a river, which lends support to this account. According to historical records, twelve students attended class there. Within five years, the enrollment totaled 87.

If this photograph is of the first schoolhouse in Renton, it could hardly support 87 students.

Another (and perhaps more accurate) historical account of Renton’s first school places the location in a more specific area and provides a solid date. This second account sets the location of this schoolhouse near the old Elliot Dairy Farm in the Cedar River Valley. This school opened on November 8, 1885 and all eight grades instructed in their lessons attended. Enrollment ranged from two to two dozen students. The school became part of the Renton School District in 1942 and finally closed its doors in 1962. Since then, renovation turned the school into apartments.

In 1892, the construction of two-story Central School finally reached to within Renton’s city limits. Erected between (then) Main and Wells Streets, (between 4^th and 5^th Avenues) the large two-story school stood out as prominent structure in Renton. Inside, the classrooms were Spartan and rough – quite unlike the quiet, carpeted and comfortable classrooms of today’s schools. The most notable feature of Central School was its bell tower. Central School served Renton until the completion of the Henry Ford Grade School in 1922.

June Jenson, was a schoolteacher in the Renton area in 1917. Once standing at the intersection of 132^nd and 240^th in present day Kent, she taught at the Meridian School, which became a consolidated high school in 1917. Students from Ham, Tanner, Covington and Brace schools sent their high school students to Meridian. Eventually torn down and rebuilt the school became Meridian Elementary School. Today, the Meridian Elementary School has passed into memory.

Henry Ford Grade School, built in 1922, opened in 1923. The school’s classrooms and offices, built in a “horse-shoe” shape around a gymnasium/auditorium, supported pupils attending grades one through six during the 1960s. The Gymnasium/auditorium served several purposes. Not only did Henry Ford Elementary served as a basketball arena (with locker rooms and shower facilities in the basement), but also as a center for cultural activities for staged plays. Most interesting of this part of the school is the upper gallery spectator seating and projection or announce booth. Ultimately, Henry Ford Grade School closed after the last day of school in the spring of 1969 and remained empty until the demolition of the building and site cleared.

Renton officially incorporated on September 3, 1901 and was becoming prosperous in many ways. During its earlier days, the township, known as a rough-and-tumble community, received its name due to the heavy logging and mining industries. With the industries running the town, there was little governed direction for the community's future. Back in 1885, there were nine saloons and no churches within the township's limits. Renton had all the elements of a town Wyatt Earp could have been proud to be sheriff of. However, the incorporation led to a more organized and civilized community, and by 1910, the town had churches, schools, newspapers and a bank. Other industries that followed the coal and lumber industries were: brick and tile plants, cigar factory, a bottle factory, icehouse and more lumber companies. This led the Chamber of Commerce to refer to Renton as the Town of Payrolls.

Benson Highway, one of the major roads leading south from Renton, named after John H. Benson. In 1906 John and Elmer, his brother, bought several tracts of land in an area platted as Spring Glen Acre Tracts. They moved into an old homestead on Elmer's property until John was able to build a four-bedroom home on his piece of land. The only access to the property was on an old trail that slowed them down so much that they began to look for ways to build a road. They built a temporary road which was not passable in winter and this was the situation other settlers of the Spring Glen area faced until 1913 when the first portion of the Benson Road was built. That section was two miles long and connected the Benson farm to Renton. Other sections of road, constructed over several decades, completed the John F. Benson Road from the Renton city limits to the city limits of Kent.

Mr. Ned Stokes, who helped gather information for this community history, has lived in the Renton area since 1920. He stated that at that time, most of the activity in the area occurred along the Benson Highway between Renton and neighboring communities to the south. There was also some development west of Benson Highway on Carr Road down the hill from the highway. To the east, Carr road turns into Petrovitsky Road to the east of the Benson Highway. Named after Mr. Petrovitsky, a local landholder, the activity continued.

Southeast of Renton, many families moved in and spread out over the hilltop. The Foss family settled along Shadow Lake in 1927. They opened a small resort with cabins and a restaurant on the lake. Seattle fishermen who traveled by coal train up the valley and then hiked up the hill and rented rowboats from the Slusser family often visited Spring Lake, once known as Otter Lake. Local residents also used Swan Lake, currently known as Lake Youngs, as a place to swim, picnic and fish. Today Lake Youngs is in the Seattle watershed and is off limits to the public. The Seattle Water District has two pipelines, constructed in the early 1900's, which run from the Cedar River at Landsburg through to Lake Youngs.

June Jenson's father settled here in 1908 on land acquired from a railroad grant. He had the land cleared, built a house, and started a dairy farm in 1909. June remembers going for picnics to Swan Lake. She indicated that Finns who had their own church, church school and small cemetery settled the Fairwood area east of Renton. These early Fairwood residents were mostly dairy farmers and loggers. Finally, she pointed out that Kent-Kangley Road was known as the South Road, 240th was called the North Road and 256th was known as the Middle Road.

The fertile and productive agricultural land in the river valleys to the east and south of Renton also made it a commercial center for dairy and vegetable production. One of the first known dairy farms in the area was the Elliott Dairy Farm east of Renton in the Cedar River Valley. The farm consisted of a complex of eight buildings associated with the dairy farm owned by Robert James Elliott.

The Elliott farm complex included a large Craftsman-style dwelling, three barns, a feed house, milk house, equipment shed, and a carriage house with attached garage. It was the last remaining intact dairy farm in the area as well as being the longest operating farm in the area. The dairy operated from 1906 to 1968 when the Elliott's grandson sold off the herd. Beef cattle gazed on the property until the early 1970's after which all farming operations ended. Since 1983 the large farmhouse has been vacant but it has been designated a King County Historical Landmark. Near the Elliott farm there was a train stop known as Elliott Station (not named after Robert Elliott). This railroad stop was along the railway owned and operated by the Pacific Coast Coal Company.

The Aqua Barn Ranch, a large white, two-story farmhouse with green shutters, is also one of the oldest structures in the Cedar River Valley. In 1894, Samuel and Mary Denny bought 40 acres of what would eventually become the Aqua Barn Ranch. Samuel was a cousin of Arthur Denny, one of Seattle's founders. His wife, Mary, was the youngest daughter of Carson Boren, another early Seattle pioneer. They built a small farmhouse on the property and in 1889 sold it to Lars and Sine Hansen. Albert Hansen, the son of Lars and Sine, and his wife, Janette, moved into the house in 1916 and remodeled it as it appears today. They continued to operate the dairy until 1945 until their daughter, Mrs. Helen Flynn, and her husband took over the property in the 1950s. They turned the 60 acres of land and buildings into a rural recreation center, which is still in operation today. The Madsen farm, close by the Hansen property, housed the first post office in the Cedar River Valley near the Elliott train stop.

Renton underwent a topographical change between 1911 and 1916. During these years, the excavation of a 2000 - foot long by 80-foot wide channel diverted the Cedar River directly to Lake Washington, changing the course of the river. The reason for this channel was to control the river and prevent flooding. On the morning of Sunday, November 11, 1911, Church bells began ringing too early to call worshippers in. The sirens at the nearby coalmines sounded off in a haunting shriek that would "raise the hairs on the back of your neck". Twenty-eight miles upstream on the Cedar River, the dam that held back 11-square miles of water partially burst. Only the top portion of the dam gave way. It is not immediately clear, but heavy snowfall in 1910 and probably a very wet fall of 1911 preceded the flood.

In Seattle, work begun on the Montlake Cut. This excavation was part of a plan to connect Lake Washington with Puget Sound. The first phase of the project was to construct a set of locks between Puget Sound and Lake Union. The locks were to compensate for the difference in elevation between the two bodies of water. The second phase was the completion of the Montlake Cut for the ship canal between Lake Washington and Lake Union. The difference in elevation was not great enough to necessitate a second set of locks. Instead, plans called for the lowering of Lake Washington. As the waters merged, Lake Washington’s water level fell by nine feet. This caused the Black River to dry up with in matter of days. Filled in and reclaimed, the last visible remains of the Black River’s course vanished.

Nevertheless, Renton’s future was still bright as a thriving community. The Interurban Train also allowed Renton to be a “bedroom community” for Seattle workers and their families. Thus was born the infamous "Seattle Commute". Road improvements became a natural progression of a growing community. With increasing numbers of people moving into the area, the issues of transportation were important. Today, transportation issues are still important, but on a much larger scale. Even throughout the Great Depression, Renton still experienced moderate growth.

Probably the largest influence in Renton’s success as a city came during the late 1930s, when The Boeing Company moved into Renton and set up shop. Constructed on 95 acres of reclaimed wetlands, Boeing established its "Plant 3" and accompanying airfield through a government contract with the US Navy. Back then, Boeing was under contract to build seaplanes for the Navy and the Navy funded the construction of production facilities and airfield.

During World War II, the Boeing Renton plant focused on military bomber production. At the peak of production, Plant 3 was turning out B-17 bombers at a peak rate of six airplanes per day. In comparison to current production rates, this is an astonishing rate of production. At the same time, nearby Pacific Car & Foundry (PACCAR) was churning out 30 Sherman Tanks a month. Since most of the men had gone off to fight the war, women did much of this tough work producing the needed aircraft and thus was born "Rosie the Riveter".

After the war, the men came home and took back the jobs women had held during the war. Much of the military work was gone, but this slowdown was only temporary. In the meantime, federal funding provided Renton with millions of dollars toward housing, street repairs, and infrastructure work. Within a few years, Boeing would begin development of commercial jet transportation with the 707 airliners. The pivotal turning point for Boeing was the introduction of its new 707 commercial airliner prototype - the Model 367-80, or more fondly called the “Dash-80”.

The Dash-80s maiden flight came on 15 July 1954 from Renton Field and was piloted by Boeing test pilot Alvin M. Tex Johnston and his copilot Dix Loesch. The 16 million dollar prototype commercial airliner, representing approximately two-thirds of the company's net post-war profits, was largely developed in secrecy and disguised it as an improved version of the Model 367 "Stratofreighter". The Dash-80 would later propel the company into worldwide fame as a premier commercial jet aircraft manufacturer.

Officials of the Aircraft Industries Association (AIA) and International Air Transport Association were meeting in Seattle, Washington during August 1955. Seattle's Seafair and Gold Cup hydroplane races were being held at the same time and Bill Allen, then President of Boeing, invited dignitaries of these associations to watch the boat races from three chartered yachts Boeing had reserved for the event. As a special treat for the guests, Allen told Tex Johnston to stage a fly by in the Dash-80 on the day of the hydroplane races.

Tex Johnston, a test pilot for Boeing, would simply make a routine flyover, at a prescribed time, to introduce the airplane of the future. Everything was going according to the plan and the local news media turned out to not only cover the races, but to view Boeing’s new airplane. However...

According to the book "Legend and Legacy", by Robert J. Serling, the account of this eventful fly by is recorded and here quoted:

Tex never did anything halfway. PR Director Carl Cleveland had told him to come over Lake Washington, where the boat races were being held, at a prearranged time. When that moment arrived, the Dash-80 was in the middle of a routine test flight over the Olympic Peninsula and Johnston said to his copilot Jim Gannett. "I'm gonna roll this bird over the gold Cup course."

"They're liable to fire you," Gannett warned.

"Maybe, but I don't think so."

The Dash-80 was doing 450 mph when Tex brought it over Lake Washington at only 300 feet, put the jet into a 35-degree climb and proceeded to to do a complete 360-degree barrel roll. Then he reversed course, came back over the lake and repeated the maneuver - again in full view of 300,000 awed spectators, some vastly impressed industry officials, and a very unhappy William McPherson Allen.

After the second roll, Allen turned to Larry Bell of Bell Aircraft, one of his guests. "Larry, give me about ten of those heart pills you've been taking. I need them worse than you do."

Bell laughed. "Bill, I think he just sold your airplane."

According to local tradition, Boeing was betting its future on the success of the Dash-80. Though his act severely upset Bill Allen, Tex Johnson as a test pilot, stood by his maverick decision to execute what is now often referred to as the "1-G Roll". Tex demonstrated the integrity and airworthiness of Boeing airplanes. On that day, Tex sealed the fate of the company and ensured the future of Renton. Since 1955, Renton’s Boeing Plant was home to the popular 707, 727 and first generation 737 commercial airliners. Today, it is home to the 737 "Next Generation" and 757 commercial airliner production lines.

Today, Boeing and other area industries still pump millions of dollars into the local economy of Renton. Some nicknamed the city as the “Jet Capital of the World”. Over the past 100 years Renton has gone from a confluence of waterways to a hub of roads and rails and beyond into the skies.

Renton, Washington

A Brief History Of My Hometown