Me-Kwa-Mooks Park
Encyclopedia
Me-Kwa-Mooks, meaning "shaped like a bear's head" and pronounced sbuh-KWAH-buks in Nisqually
, was what the Duwamish tribe called the West Seattle peninsula when the first European-American settlers landed at Alki in 1851.
Today's Me-Kwa-Mooks Park is land that was the homestead of West Seattle pioneers Ferdinand and Emma Schmitz. It is a 20.2 acres (81,746.6 m²) public park located in the West Seattle
neighborhood of Seattle, Washington
. Acquired by the Parks Department in 1971, the site was originally the homestead
of pioneers Ferdinand and Emma Schmitz. When all the Schmitz family died it was city land.
In 1994 4th and 5th graders from Pathfinder K-8 School helped make Me-Kwa-Mooks a park. In 2009 Pathfinder moved to Cooper Elementary School, a 10 year old building on the other side of West Seattle, so they could no longer work on Me-Kwa-Mooks Park.
Me-Kwa-Mooks Park is across the street from the Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook and immediately south of Me-Kwa-Mooks Natural Area. Picnic tables are set up on the lawn at the park entry (on Beach Dr. SW between SW Genesee and SW Oregon St.). Most of the park stretches up the hillside and extends north and farther south on land that is largely undeveloped. The dense trees provide habitat for many birds, including screech owls.
Immediately across the street, below Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook, is rocky beach that is accessible during low tide. The tidepools here are rich in limpets, lumpsuckers, blennies, chitons, nudibranches, sea stars, sea slugs, sea cucumbers, hermit crabs, and an array of other tidepool dwellers.
Acreage: 20.2
Map of Me-Kwa-Mooks Park
Nisqually (tribe)
Nisqually is a Lushootseed Native American tribe in western Washington state in the United States. The tribe lives on a reservation in the Nisqually River valley near the river delta. The Nisqually Indian Reservation, at , comprises 20.602 km² of land area on both sides of the river, in...
, was what the Duwamish tribe called the West Seattle peninsula when the first European-American settlers landed at Alki in 1851.
Today's Me-Kwa-Mooks Park is land that was the homestead of West Seattle pioneers Ferdinand and Emma Schmitz. It is a 20.2 acres (81,746.6 m²) public park located in the West Seattle
West Seattle, Seattle, Washington
West Seattle comprises two of Seattle, Washington's thirteen districts, Delridge and Southwest and encompasses all of Seattle west of the Duwamish River. It was incorporated as an independent town in 1902 and was annexed by Seattle in 1907. Among the area's attractions are its saltwater beach parks...
neighborhood of Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. Acquired by the Parks Department in 1971, the site was originally the homestead
Homesteading
Broadly defined, homesteading is a lifestyle of simple self-sufficiency.-Current practice:The term may apply to anyone who follows the back-to-the-land movement by adopting a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle. While land is no longer freely available in most areas of the world, homesteading...
of pioneers Ferdinand and Emma Schmitz. When all the Schmitz family died it was city land.
In 1994 4th and 5th graders from Pathfinder K-8 School helped make Me-Kwa-Mooks a park. In 2009 Pathfinder moved to Cooper Elementary School, a 10 year old building on the other side of West Seattle, so they could no longer work on Me-Kwa-Mooks Park.
Me-Kwa-Mooks Park is across the street from the Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook and immediately south of Me-Kwa-Mooks Natural Area. Picnic tables are set up on the lawn at the park entry (on Beach Dr. SW between SW Genesee and SW Oregon St.). Most of the park stretches up the hillside and extends north and farther south on land that is largely undeveloped. The dense trees provide habitat for many birds, including screech owls.
Immediately across the street, below Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook, is rocky beach that is accessible during low tide. The tidepools here are rich in limpets, lumpsuckers, blennies, chitons, nudibranches, sea stars, sea slugs, sea cucumbers, hermit crabs, and an array of other tidepool dwellers.
Acreage: 20.2
Map of Me-Kwa-Mooks Park
