Lake History

Here is a step back in time and a brief look at some of the activity on or near Squak Lake, now called Lake Sammamish, as early as 1864.

As Harriet Fish writes in 1971, " 'Squak', the word, is an historical name to this region. It is distinctive and no other area can use it so proudly. This name was applied to the upper and lower valleys, the lake, the mountain, the slough-and to a steam scow which plied on Squak Lake during the 1880s. This stalwart name is still attached to the upper and lower Squak Valleys, Squak Mountain, and is affectionately used as a nick-name for one of our own long time residents, a tall and colorful butcher in Issaquah."

Harriet continues, "Even though the name 'Squak', in itself sounds raucous and harsh, and may remind you of a babelous place, as a pond full of quacking ducks, it represents a period in history when people worked hard, were physically strong and verbally rash - the kind of people who load the groundwork for this area in which you live today."

So where did the name 'Sammamish' come from? It was the name of a local Indian tribe. How and why this name change came about, no one has yet been able to determine.

• Evidence for a Large Prehistoric Seismically Induced Landslide into Lake Sammamish, by Logan and Walsh, 1995

• "The year Lake Sammamish froze", By Carmen Olson, 1950

• "Waterways of Squak Lake", By Harriet Fish, 1976

• "Waterways to Outside World", By Harriet Fish, 1976

• Chronological timeline of ferry boats on the lake.

If you have historical photos to share and would like more information, please contact the Redmond Historical Society.

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