Welcome to Duck Island.
Our site is represented by a small island off the Northwestern shore of Greenlake in North Seattle. Greenlake today is immensely popular with walkers, joggers, bicyclists and skaters, but you may remember a time when you could make your way around the lake and encounter five people.
A Bit of History
Since 1970, the greater Seattle area has gone from 1.94 million people to 3.28 million in 2000. And, in 1999 with the internet explosion it was time for the owner of DuckIsland.com to act. Fearing that Duck Island would become another "sold off" memory, a claim was staked out on the World Wide Web. Today, DuckIsland.com is dedicated to preserving the culture which once existed, and admiring the present day attractions which make the Northwest great.
Origins of the Island
Greenlake and the surrounding 90 acres were donated to the city by an early Seattle area business man named Guy Phinney. Guy installed trolleys which made the spot popular with your great grandparents by bringing them out from the downtown area for a day in the country.
Guy also founded the Woodland Park Zoo, and gave it to the city as well, with the assurance from the city that the zoo would ALWAYS BE FREE TO THE PUBLIC, so much for that. But, we did enjoy many free trips to the zoo back then.
The lake itself used to be about 7 feet deeper than it is today, and it extended many blocks into the Ravenna area as marsh land. During the great depression, Greenlake's shores were redefined and the Island was formed from the excavated material. The Greenlake valley is said to have been formed by a glacier. Still, today the lake is only 18 feet at it's deepest.
Nowadays, Duck Island serves as a wildlife refuge, and is strictly off limits to human visitors. Though it's easily accessible to swimmers and waders, you will get a fine from the parks department if they catch you there. In light of this, we think the best idea is to visit our site instead, and maybe buy something while you're here. That being said, we would like to sincerely express the following.
Use this form to contact us with any questions, comments or concerns.
