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Historic Ballard Locks provide visitors many levels of enjoyment
By HILDA ANDERSON 
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER
They weren't built to entertain but they're one of the best shows in town.
Each year, some 1.5 million people come to Ballard's Hiram M. Chittenden Locks to watch in fascination as vessels big and small "lock through" on their way to or from Puget Sound.
The locks were considered an engineering feat when they opened in 1916; they still are. Two years ago, the American Society of Civil Engineers designated them a national historic engineering site.
An east-west waterway was first proposed in the last century as a way of getting the area's rich resources -- lumber and coal -- from the east side of Lake Washington, where they were found, to shipping points and customers who lived on the west side.
But it wasn't until the early 1900s that the idea took root. Enter Hiram M. Chittenden, Seattle district engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He promoted the use of concrete rather than wood, and the construction of two locks instead of one.
Built at a cost of $3.5 million, the locks opened in 1916. They were officially dedicated the following year when the eight-mile-long Lake Washington Ship Canal opened, joining Lake Washington, Lake Union, Salmon Bay and Puget Sound.
The economic impact has been enormous. Each year, more than 75,000 vessels -- everything from log rafts to pleasure boats -- pass through the locks. Among them are 20,000 commercial vessels carrying a total of 2 million tons of cargo.
The purpose of the locks is to raise or lower vessels 6 to 26 feet (depending on tide and lake level) to compensate for the difference between the levels of Lake Washington and Puget Sound.
The process captivates many visitors who gather along the railings to watch. It's an up-close-and-personal experience, particularly when the chambers are filled and vessels are at eye level.
Jay Wells, supervisor of visitor and educational services (and a terrific source of information), says, "If you spend one half-hour here, you are going to see something."
It is unusual to have two locks of different sizes. The large one measures 825 feet long by 80 feet wide and takes between 5 and 10 million gallons of water for the average fill. By comparison the small lock, which measures 150 feet by 30 feet, only takes 500,000 gallons to fill. Wells says there have been as many as 100 vessels at a time in the large locks.
The locks operate 24 hours a day year-round except for November, when the large lock is drawn down and inspected, and March, when the same thing occurs in the small lock.
Read the guest register in the visitor center and you'll realize what a draw the locks are. When we were there last week, people from as far away as Thailand, Japan, France and Sweden had signed in.
At the visitor center, start by watching the 12-minute video shown throughout the day on the hour and half-hour. You'll get a good overview of the history and see some of the unusual "vessels" that have locked through -- a submarine, a gray whale, the Kalakala (last month), a damaged WWII-era B-29 bomber and a dry dock so wide that it had to be tipped at a 45-degree angle to get it through.
A shot of one of the drawn-down locks reveals its enormity and the variety of things that fall overboard and drop to the bottom over the course of a year.
Spend some time viewing the exhibits. One that we liked is titled, "I know it's a fishing boat, but what kind is it and what does it catch?" Underneath the title are pictures and descriptions of trollers, purse seiners, crabbers, trawlers, gillnetters and long liners.
In the small museum on the second floor, you'll see Hiram M. Chittenden in his office. Pick up one of the hand-held receivers and listen to him tell his story.
For youngsters (and grown-ups), there are several interactive exhibits such as one that invites you to "Come play the game of life as a salmon." The object is to move a steel ball through a course while avoiding hazards along the way.
The visitor center is open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays. From June 1 to Sept. 30, hours expand to 10 a.m.-7 p.m. daily.
The walkway alongside the spillway takes you south over the canal to the fish ladder and viewing windows. Halfway across, a sign explains the smolt slide -- a rushing chute of water to help smolts (young salmon) get past the locks and down to the ocean.
Sockeye, chinook and coho salmon, cutthroat trout and steelhead migrate through the canal to Lake Washington. The fish ladder allows them to return by swimming upstream on a gradual incline.
Underwater viewing windows put you nose-to-nose with the fish. Pictures help you identify the various kinds. There aren't many right now but there'll be plenty to see from June through September when salmon make their upstream journey.
Often overlooked on a visit to the locks is the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden. Spreading over seven acres bordering on the canal are some 500 species and 1,500 varieties of mature trees, shrubs and flowers from all over the world. The grassy slope above the water would be a fine place to spread a blanket and enjoy a picnic lunch.
The next month is a particularly good time to view the flowering cherry and magnolia trees, rhododendrons and azaleas. Lining the path from the entrance to the water are large horse chestnuts, their showy red blossoms about to burst into bloom. Depending on the season, you'll see red hot poker, bush poppy, echinacea purpurea, lavender and other flowers.
The man for whom the garden is named started working on it in 1931 and spent 42 years -- his whole career -- here. English and his wife, Edith, collected and traded for seeds all over the world. You'll find an exhibit on his work at the visitor center museum.
Free one-hour tours of the garden, locks, dam and fish ladder start at the center at 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. From June 1 through September, there will be two tours daily, at 1 and 3 p.m., with an additional tour at 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. For groups of 10 or more, Wells will tailor a tour to meet their special interests.
Free concerts are offered Sundays at 2 p.m. starting in June. In addition, there are family fun days on various Saturdays throughout the summer when different local organizations, with such interests as antique cars or the environment, set up exhibits or displays for the public.
For exact dates of these events or to receive a schedule, call 206-783-7059.
This Saturday marks the opening day of boating season. It's a festive occasion when you're apt to see bands playing aboard vessels festooned with flags for the event. And there will be hundreds, perhaps thousands, of spectators. If you want to avoid crowds, plan to visit on a weekday.
| Barry and Hilda Anderson's new book, the updated and expanded "Short Trips in the Pacific Northwest," is now in area bookstores. For an autographed copy, send $16 plus $3 to cover shipping, handling and sales tax to Short Trips, P.O. Box 1555, Port Townsend, WA 98368. |
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moreHave questions about Northwest travel? Ask Hilda.
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