Naming Rights: Fremont
This is the first in a series of posts examining the naming origins of our Seattle neighborhoods.
I assumed going into this that Fremont took its name from John C. Frémont, the general, explorer and politician who helped settle California. The real origins, however, lie in Fremont, Nebraska.
This small city 35 miles northwest of Omaha was the hometown of Carrie and Edward Blewett (sometimes spelled Bluett), who owned the tract of land before it was developed. According to historian Paul Dorpat (read his essay over at HistoryLink.org), the couple chose a firm called Ward & Griffith as the agents for the new development. Local "superdeveloper" Luther Griffith also hailed from Fremont, Nebraska, making it fairly easy to decide on a name for this new Seattle suburb. Fremont is yet another example of pioneers borrowing names from their hometowns.
In 1888, a large mill was set up in the area, the first of several forces that shaped the neighborhood. Other biggies include an electric trolley line to Seattle, the engineering of the ship canal and the subsequent construction of the Fremont Bridge.
In 1891, Fremont was annexed to Seattle--a move some militantly independent Fremonters probably still regret.
