Lake Washington steamboats and ferries Lake Washington steamboats and ferries Lake Washington steamboats and ferries operated from about 1875 to 1951, transporting passengers, vehicles and freight across Lake Washington, a large lake to the east of Seattle, Washington. Before modern highways and bridges were built, the only means of crossing the lake, other than the traditional canoe, was by steamboat, and, later, by ferry. While there was no easily navigable connection to Puget Sound, the Lake Washington Ship Canal now connects Lake Washington to Lake Union, and from there Puget Sound is reached by way of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. In the 1870s the
Puget Sound but increases to about at Olympia, the southern end of Puget Sound. Puget Sound is generally accepted as the start of the Inside Passage. Important marine flora of Puget Sound include eelgrass ("Zostera marina") and kelp, especially bull kelp ("Nereocystis luetkeana"). Among the marine mammals species found in Puget Sound are harbor seals ("Phoca vitulina"). Orca ("Orcinus orca") are famous throughout the Sound, and are a large tourist attraction. Although orca are sometimes seen in Puget Sound proper they are far more prevalent around the San Juan Islands north of Puget Sound. Many fish species occur in Puget Sound. The