Fort Lawton (Images of America) [Paperback]

Jack W. Jaunal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2008

Fort Lawton was established to provide protection for the navy yard built at Bremerton in 1891 as well the cities along Puget Sound and the commerce generated by them. The development of Fort Lawton was encouraged by civic leaders in Seattle for economic reasons and to curb lawlessness. Although intended primarily as an infantry post, the first soldiers to arrive on July 26, 1901, were artillerymen. One year later, this artillery installation, the Puget Sound Harbor Defense Command, was moved to Fort Warden and the first infantry soldiers arrived in Fort Lawton. It remained an infantry post throughout most of its years, and Seattle's hopes for a major military installation were not to be realized.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jack W. Jaunal is a military historian who has written several history articles, one book, and one monograph. Currently he is a history instructor at a local community college. The history of Fort Lawton is told here through a series of photographs that date from 1888 to the present and were culled from several sources. The photographs capture not only Fort Lawton itself, but also the men and women, military and civilian, who served and worked here during peace and war.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (June 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738558117
• ISBN-13: 978-0738558110
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,286,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good general background, January 24, 2011

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Dave Beedon - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Fort Lawton (Images of America) (Paperback)

My reason for ordering this book was to get a basic-level historical perspective behind the fort that I knew as a teenager. In the mid-1960s I lived close enough to the fort that I could (and did) use it as a playground. Skateboarding was a favorite activity, as was throwing boomerangs (thank you, Wham-O!). Aside from the presence of a guard at each gate, security was very loose then.

The book's text and photos brought back memories I had of Fort Lawton and gave me the historical context I was looking for. As a teenager, I had no interest in the fort's history.

I'm glad I bought the book and would recommend it to anyone hoping to get some background on the fort. My only disappointment was level of coverage of the 1960s and later---I had hoped for more information about that period. My rating of four stars includes the nostalgic value of the book's subject. If I had not previously had a relationship with the fort, I might have given the book three stars because of its brevity. But it certainly is a good starting point for researching this institution.