Hiram M. Chittenden Locks

A new shore

Building the locks reshaped the land around Seattle

The Ballard Locks stand at the west end of Salmon Bay in the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Building them lowered the water level of Lake Washington and Lake Union by 8.8 feet, leaving existing piers high and dry and reversing the flow of rivers.

8.8 feetdrop in the water level of Lake Washington and Lake Union

The plan

A canal was first discussed in 1854 and the locks were named for Chittenden

As early as 1854 there was discussion of a navigable connection between Lake Washington and Puget Sound, for logs, milled lumber and fishing vessels. In 1891 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started planning. The locks were named after Major Hiram M. Chittenden.

Opening

The first ship passed through the locks on August 3, 1916

Construction of the locks began in 1911. In July 1912 the gates were closed for the first time, turning Salmon Bay from saltwater to freshwater. The first ship passed through on August 3, 1916.

Two locks

Two locks handle vessels from kayaks to cargo ships

The complex includes two locks, a small one and a large one. The locks can raise a vessel 26 ft from the level of Puget Sound to the level of Salmon Bay. They handle both pleasure boats and commercial vessels, from kayaks to fishing boats returning from the Bering Sea to cargo ships.

825 ftlength of the large lock

The salmon

The lake fell in 1916, and salmon runs were reintroduced

After the temporary dam at Montlake was breached on August 25, 1916, Lake Washington drained, drying up more than 1,000 acres of wetlands and the Black River. The Cedar River salmon run was cut off. Salmon runs were later reintroduced, allowing fish to migrate through the locks.