author
Clarence Bagley
1843–1932
A longtime journalist, public official, and historian of early Washington, this pioneer writer helped preserve the stories of Seattle and King County while the region’s first generations were still alive. His books remain valuable for their rich detail, personal anecdotes, and close view of the Pacific Northwest’s formative years.
1 Audiobook
The Waterways of the Pacific Northwest
by Clarence Bagley
About the author
Born in Troy Grove, Illinois, in 1843, Clarence Booth Bagley came west with his family as a child and arrived in Seattle in 1860. He was the son of Methodist minister Daniel Bagley, an important figure in the city’s early development, and Clarence grew up alongside the settlement that would become modern Seattle.
Over the years, Bagley worked as a painter, printer, journalist, publisher, and public official. He became especially known as a collector of regional history and as an energetic chronicler of pioneer life in Washington Territory and the Pacific Northwest.
Bagley is best remembered for major historical works including History of Seattle, Washington and History of King County, Washington. Written while many early settlers and their families were still living, these books gathered firsthand memories, biographical sketches, and local detail that have made them lasting resources for readers interested in Seattle’s beginnings. He died in Seattle in 1932.