THEN AND NOW: Entering Kirkland on Lake Street, 1920s

Traveling north into Kirkland along Lake Street is still a scenic approach to downtown, but it seems almost bucolic in this postcard photo taken about 1923.

The road is extremely busy today – especially during rush hour or on a hot summer weekend -- but seems almost sleepy in the photo from the archives of the Kirkland Heritage Society.

There are a few curious details to pick out of the older photo. On the left, note the wooden sidewalk, and the bow of a ship moored in Lake Washington.

That’s the Fort Jackson, a salvaged World War I hull that for years was used as an American Legion Hall. It was moored at the foot of 2nd Avenue South, which was called Jackson Street back then. The heritage society now has the name board from the Fort Jackson.

Kirkland High School, now the site of , and Central School, where is now, can be seen in the distance.

Apparently a cannon can also be seen in the photo on the west side of Lake Street, but it is almost impossible to pick out. Two of them once marked the boundary between Kirkland and Houghton for several years, well before Houghton was annexed into Kirkland.