Bill Speidel
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William C Speidel (b.1912-d.1988) known as Bill Speidel was a columnist for The Seattle Times who wrote the books Sons of the Profits and Doc Maynard, The Man Who Invented Seattle about the people who settled and built Seattle, Washington.
Speidel is also credited with being one of the leaders of the movement to preserve and restore Pioneer Square, one of Seattle's oldest neighborhoods. By the 1960s, this area was run down and in disrepair, in danger of being demolished and rebuilt. Through the efforts of many people, Pioneer Square is once again a bustling center of activity and tourism with dozens of original buildings that have been restored to their original lustre.
In 1964, Speidel received and printed a letter from a reader asking about the underground areas of Pioneer Square. He replied via the paper that he did not know much about it, but that he would research it and get back to her. Once he did the research, he printed a response telling her to meet him at 3 p.m. the next Saturday in Pioneer Square, and he would take her on a tour of the underground and what he had found.
The reader did show up, along with over 300 other people. Speidel quickly took up a collection of $1 from each of the visitors and proceeded on the first tour of the Seattle Underground.
[edit] Bibliography
- Speidel, William (1955). You Can't Eat Mount Rainier!. Portland, Oregon: Binfords & Mort. LCCN 55-041684.
- Speidel, William (1961). You Still Can't Eat Mount Rainier!. Vashon Island, WA: Nettle Creek.
- Speidel, William (1967). Seattle underground; a pictorial story with historical footnotes and interesting anecdotes about the forgotten city beneath modern Seattle. Seattle, WA: Seattle Guide. ASIN B0007HLBEA.
- Speidel, William (1974). The Wet Side Of The Mountains (or Prowling Western Washington). Seattle, WA: Nettle Creek. ISBN 0914890018.
- Speidel, William (1975). It Was a Hell of a Blast!. Universal Services. ASIN B00072GEVU.
- Speidel, William (1978). Doc Maynard, The Man Who Invented Seattle. USA: Nettle Creek. ISBN 0-914890-02-6.
- Speidel, William (1984). Luck Location & Lunacy. Seattle, WA: Seattle City Light. ASIN B00073BZSG.
- Speidel, William (1989). Through the Eye of the Needle. USA: Nettle Creek.
- Speidel, William (1990). Sons of the Profits. USA: Nettle Creek. ISBN 0-914890-06-9.
