Denny Party Landing, Alki Point (Birthplace of Seattle Monument)

The Denny Party Landing at Alki Point, West Seattle, Washington, commemorates the place where the first group of American settlers came ashore on the site of modern Seattle. On November 13, 1851, the schooner Exact landed members of the Denny, Boren, Bell and Low families, 24 adults and children in all, on the shore of Alki Point after a long journey from Illinois by way of the Oregon Trail. They named the camp New York Alki, borrowing a Chinook Jargon word meaning by and by, as a statement of hope that it would one day rival the eastern metropolis. The first winter was difficult, the point was exposed to southwesterly storms and the soil was poor, and in 1852 most of the party moved across Elliott Bay to a deepwater harbor on the east side, where Seattle's downtown now stands. The city took its name from Chief Si'ahl, a leader of the Duwamish and Suquamish, who helped the settlers survive. The Birthplace of Seattle monument stands on the beach at about 63rd Ave SW and Alki Ave SW, a granite monument erected in the early twentieth century with an inscription listing the names of the settlers who landed. Nearby are a Statue of Liberty replica presented by the Boy Scouts in 1952, a long boardwalk and a sandy beach with views of downtown Seattle and the Olympic Mountains. A short walk away, the Log House Museum on 61st Ave SW, run by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, exhibits photographs and objects from the area's early settlers and Native residents, while the Alki Point Lighthouse, opened in 1913, is occasionally open for summer tours run by the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Visitors should note that the story of the landing is now told alongside the history of the Duwamish people, who lived in villages around Elliott Bay and who have not been granted full federal recognition. The site is an open public beach and park, the monument is well maintained, and informational panels explain the landing for visitors who arrive without a guide.