Burke-Gilman Trail

The Burke-Gilman Trail is a 20-mile recreational trail for pedestrians and cyclists that
winds its way from Golden Gardens Park to the Sammamish River Trail. Many people walk
or ride along it every day, but few know its history. What is now known as the Burke-
Gilman Trail was once a working railway line. Thomas Burke and Daniel Gilman set out to
create this rail line through Seattle in 1885 with the hopes of establishing Seattle as a major
center for transportation and trade. The railway traded hands between companies
throughout the years and was eventually abandoned in the 1970’s. The city of Seattle was
quick to recognize the space’s potential and started the process of making it into a walking
and biking trail. The original 12-mile trail ran from Gas Work’s Park to Tracey Owen
Station, but was recently extended to the nearly 20 miles it is today.

The Burke-Gilman trail can be seen as an example of how industry shaped the city, and how
that influence can still be felt today due to the trail’s continued use as a transportation
route (now used by Seattle residents rather than for the transportation of goods and
resources.) The Burke-Gilman trail contributes majorly to the essence of what the city of
Seattle is all about. Seattle is very connected to nature and the environment, and as a result
is also a very pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly city. The trail is not just merely a means of
transportation, but it also connects Seattle residents with nature, as it traces its way along
the waterfront and goes through or near many of Seattle’s parks. Not only did the original
railway help earn Seattle a place in the nation’s economy and trade system, but it also
enabled Seattle to grow into the city it is today. By cutting out this space throughout the
city, the railway laid the groundwork for what has become a popular and defining asset to
Seattle and its residents’ ways of life.
Sources:

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/BGT_history.htm
http://www.traillink.com/trail/burke-gilman-trail.aspx
http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2014/10/seattles-bicycle-superhighway.html (image)