Seattle's new Waterfront Park is only the latest of many iterations of the shoreline at the foot of downtown. People, animals, economics, technology, and transportation systems have shaped and reshaped it, creating a place where the past mingles with the present. Join author and historian Jennifer Ott in an exploration of the waterfront's history, from its deep past to its complex present.  

Jennifer Ott is the executive director of HistoryLink and an environmental historian with a particular interest in Seattle's history of moving dirt, rerouting waterways, and leveling hills. She has written for Seattle magazine and the Oregon Historical Quarterly. She contributed to A Will to Serve: Stories of Patience, Persistence, and Friends Made Along the Way, Jim Ellis' memoir, and wrote Olmsted in Seattle: Creating A Park System for a Modern City. She was the general editor and a contributor to Seattle at 150: Stories of the City Through 150 Objects From the Seattle Municipal Archives, and co-author of Waterway: The Story of Seattle's Locks and Ship Canal. Her new book, Where the City Meets the Sound: The Story of Seattle's Waterfront was published in 2025. 

Enjoy 15% off your hotel stay on History Pub nights! Show your ticket at check-in.

These events are open to everyone interested in Pacific Northwest history, and beyond! Often co-sponsored by local or state historical and civic organizations, we bring you experts, scholars, first-person experiencers, historians and documentaries expounding on topics from indigenous history to the birth of Portland, early explorers to hop growing, and on and on! It's like being back in the classroom - except this time you get to settle into comfortable seats and enjoy a drink or two with dinner while you listen and learn.

This event is eligible for a History Pub Stamp