Originally, the land where Discovery Park now sits was an Army base called Fort Lawton. The base was developed in the 1890s and generally had very little use. Usually there was only one battalion there at one time. There were early calls for the fort to be made a park. In 1938, the US Army offered the fort to the City of Seattle for one dollar. However, the city declined the offer because they believed the cost of maintenance would be too expensive.
Then when World War II happened the fort became of great importance to the Army. "Up to 20,000 troops were staged there at one time, and a total of 1.1 million troops passed through the installation during and after the war. Some 1,150 German prisoners of war were housed there, and 5,000 Italian prisoners of war passed through on their way to confinement in Hawaii" (Seattle Parks and Recreation). Fort Lawton continued its important role with the Army during the Korean War. Many men were sent into duty from this fort.
After these wars, Fort Lawton's activity declined yet again. many bills were proposed for purchase of the land for a park, the United Indians of All Tribes claimed all lands that were surplus as their own. The city negotiated an agreement to lease them 17 acres for an Indian cultural center.
In 1972, the Fort Lawton (Discovery) Master Plan was submitted to the city. (Discovery Park was named after the HMS Discovery that was part of the first European exploratory voyage to the Puget Sound)
In 2005, the 70th Regional Support Command Headquarters would close. The park has now become a place of wonder for the City of Seattle even after years of fighting off people who wanted the land for other uses.
For more information on the timeline and the story behind the creation of Discovery Park see:
Discovery Park History on the Seattle Parks and Recreation website
http://www.seattle.gov/parks/parkspaces/discoverypark/history.htm
The Discovery Park Story by Bob Kildall
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