Sammamish Slough Hydro Races

For more than four decades boat racers wound their way down sharp bends, avoided bridge pilings and logs, and sped past banks filled with onlookers as they competed in an annual tradition. The Sammamish Slough Race was run by the Seattle Outboard Association from 1933 to 1976. Sixty-three turns awaited the racers along the 13-mile course from Lake Washington to Lake Sammamish. Thousands would crowd the banks of the slough to watch the races, according to the Redmond Historical Society. Accidents along the course were common. A March 31, 1947, Seattle Times story described the perils that Al Benson had to go through to win that year’s race… read more >