Some Lake Ballinger History
A prosperous logger named Hugh McAleer settled this area in this area in the 1800's and claimed 250 acres of timber land that surrounded a nearby lake. The lake was named McAleer Lake after the prosperous logger, but he passed away before being able to log the land in 1888. The one bit of the area he didn't own was the island in the middle of the lake. It was settled by Ira and Julia Bartholomew, who had arrived on the train from Pennsylvania at age 69 (for Ira) and 55 (for Julia). They settled on the island and eventually developed a popular hunting and fishing lodge there.
One of their common visitors was Civil War Union officer and Seattle attorney Col. Richard Henry Ballinger who loved to fish. As the Bartholomew's were already senior citizens when they arrived in this state, it wasn't long before they could no longer take care of the property. Colonel Ballinger convinced his son (a judge in Seattle) to purchase the land as well as the timber lots that surrounded the lake that were held by the heirs of Hugh McAleer who had passed away some years before. Ballinger was elected Mayor of Seattle in 1906 and eventually served as Secretary of the Interior in the Taft administration.
Judge Ballinger then renamed the lake after his father and had his father and mother live in the lodge on the island until they passed away and then eventually spent a fair amount of time there himself before passing away in 1922. The name of the creek that drains the lake is still McAleer creek and it flows from Lake Ballinger into Lake Washington in between two waterfront homes in Lake Forest Park.
The Cache
This cache is a wherigo and you'll need to download the cartridge to play it. You'll visit several spots on the lake before finding the final cache.
 This cache is owned and maintained by a member of the WSGA 48 North Chapter. If you are a geocacher in the state of Washington, please join the Washington State Geocaching Association. This is a great way to get the most out of geocaching in our region. Simply go to the WSGA Web Page for details!
The WSGA is open to all interested parties. |