When Seattle's underground became infested with criminals and rats (literally) - IT'S HISTORY

Did you ever wonder what’s under the city streets that you walk on every day? Well if you live in Seattle, you would be surprised to find out what lies underneath! Underneath the streets of the Pioneer Square neighborhood lies the Seattle Underground, a hidden section of passageways and corridors which at one time hosted an array of commerce both legal and illegal as well as shops, homes, storage and a collection of fascinating history unknown to most, even among Seattle’s citizens themselves. As a result of Seattle’s reconstruction following the Great Fire of 1889, the streets were lifted several stories above ground level for several reasons, leaving all the surrounding buildings to partially dwell underground. After only a few decades the city shut down the Underground for public health and safety concerns but some areas remained in use for various nefarious activities while the rest were left abandoned. While the Seattle Underground is now nothing but a tourist attraction, there persists a long and interesting history hidden underneath these streets, much like the Underground itself.

Chapters:
The Origin of Seattle 01:24
How the Seattle underground was Founding 04:39
Why the Seattle underground was plagued by criminals 07:31
Why Seattle's underground was forgotten? 11:25
Seattle underground's legacy 14:04

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IT’S HISTORY - Weekly tales of American Urban Decay as presented by your host Ryan Socash.

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» CREDIT
Scriptwriter - Brandon Evans
Editor - Kamil Krawiec
Host - Ryan Socash

» SOURCES
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“Capt. G Hints Officials Fatten Off ‘Underground.’” The Seattle Star, December 2, 1936.
“Captain G Places His ‘Case’ Before the Jury.” The Seattle Star, December 19, 1936.
Captain G. “Oldest Vice Is ‘Licensed’ By Someone.” The Seattle Star, December 12, 1936.
“Captain ‘G’ Explores ‘Underground’ Seattle.” The Seattle Star, November 30, 1936.
Coppard, Patricia. “Fascinating Tales Below: Touring the Tunnels Under Seattle's Pioneer Square.” Victoria Times Colonist, July 1, 2019. https://www.timescolonist.com/life/travel/fascinating-tales-below-touring-the-tunnels-under-seattles-pioneer-square-4674021.
EDDvlogs. “The Seattle Underground - The Hidden City - Seattle Underground Tour.” YouTube.com, July 24, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtj3AIq5td4.
“The Great Seattle Fire.” University of Washington Libraries . Accessed March 31, 2022. https://content.lib.washington.edu/extras/seattle-fire.html.
“Great Seattle Fire.” University of Washington Libraries. Accessed March 31, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20070520045115/http://content.lib.washington.edu/seattle-fire/index.html.
“A Little History - History of Seattle's Underground.” Bill Speidel's Underground Tour, 2015. http://www.undergroundtour.com/about/history.html.
“Malignant.” IMDb. IMDb.com, September 10, 2021. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3811906/.
“Who's Bill Speidel?” Bill Speidel's Underground Tour, 2015. http://www.undergroundtour.com/about/bill.html.

» NOTICE
Some images may be used for illustrative purposes only - always reflecting the accurate time frame and content. Events of factual error / mispronounced word/spelling mistakes - retractions will be published in this section.