Montlake Cut, Navigation channel in Seattle, United States
Montlake Cut is a navigation channel in Seattle, Washington, forming the eastern section of the Lake Washington Ship Canal between Union Bay and Portage Bay. The waterway runs along the southern edge of the University of Washington campus, with tree-lined banks on both sides.
Work on the channel began in 1910 and was completed in 1916, as part of a larger project to link Seattle's lakes with Puget Sound. The excavation lowered the water level of Lake Washington, changing the shoreline and opening new land around the lake.
The Duwamish people used this passage for generations to carry canoes between waterways, calling it sxWátSadweehL. Today, the banks draw joggers and spectators who come to watch rowing teams train on the water.
A footpath runs along the north bank, giving a close view of boats passing through the channel. Spring is the most active time to visit, when rowing teams from the nearby university are out on the water daily.
In 1910, workers detonated explosives at the channel's head to suddenly drop Lake Washington's water level and speed up the excavation. This approach was far faster than conventional digging, and the drop reshaped the entire shoreline of the lake overnight.
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