My dad and uncle, Jim and Al Hutchison, owned and ran a hardware store, named Lakeside Hardware Company, in Kirkland, Washington on Kirkland Avenue starting in 1945 when my dad came home from WWII, and my uncle followed. Among the many things Dad and Uncle Al sold, and probably the most lucrative, were outboard motors. Dad went to the Mercury Kiekhaefer School in Wisconsin to become a certified “Merc” mechanic (I would guess around 1960), and he kept many a boat owner happy so they could cruise along the beaches, bays, and coves of Lake Washington.
Perhaps the most famous patron of the store was Bob Waite, a man who raced many boats in the Sammamish Slough Races that jetted through the 13 miles from Lake Sammamish to Lake Washington for many years—in fact, in 1972, Bob Waite, a family friend, notched his fourth consecutive win. On top of one in 1956 on the original course, he accomplished a feat no other racer equaled during the race’s history. He won his fourth straight victory and 5th overall win.
My family would go and sit next to the slough in the Bothell area, excitedly watching the little hydros fly by. One year, as if the races weren’t exciting enough, they had water skiers ski behind the hydros! One of the most exciting moments occurred when we sat under the Bothell Bridge during one of the those races, and a skier ran into one of the bridge’s pilings and he flew in the water, coming up and then spitting blood and all sorts of teeth out. My mom found that amazingly exciting, which I found sorta funny because it sickened my dad. I’m not sure, but they may have stopped the practice of having the skiers ski behind the boats after that.
We’d put a blanket down and my sisters and I would eat our snacks, play, and occasionally watch the race, while my parents’ eyes were glued to the water. They kept us quite a ways from the water because boats were known to fly up out of the water when the drivers lost control. ACK. Sometimes I think my parents were crazy to take us.
We often went to Bob Waite’s house to celebrate his wins. He had a huge aquarium in the living room, and we fed these big black fish (called Black Moor Fish) huge chunks of hamburger! It was scary and thrilling to watch them eat. The adults kept telling us to watch our fingers.
When I was in junior high (I suppose called middle school today), my dad and uncle had to sell out the store. A big discount store called “Value Mart,” built between Redmond and Bellevue, sold hardware at half the price my dad and uncle could sell it. Thus began a difficult time for my family—which is a whole other story!
The Sammamish Slough races were an exciting event for many years during my childhood. I’m glad I had the good fortune of living during a fun period in the greater Seattle area’s history, and because of my dad’s profession, I was able to witness it.
This story is written by Jennifer Hutchison Kelly. Her story about the slough races is a small footnote in the history of the races. Here is a great internet article about the history of the slough races:
https://www.historylink.org/File/20602
For other Bridges of Redmond Stories follow these links: