WATER HIGHWAYS: THE MOSQUITO FLEET (no. 8)
Mar 02, 2011
Water Highways Mosquito Fleet 
Steamboats arrived on the Puget Sound in the 1850s and these steamers, later known collectively as the Mosquito Fleet, created an important transportation system for people, products, and mail to better meet the needs of burgeoning waterfront communities. The number of steamers in service quickly multiplied over the next few decades, as communities and industries continued to grow, particularly since the Mosquito Fleet steamers would pick up passengers and cargo from any community along the Sound that built a dock. The Mosquito Fleet dominated the waters of Puget Sound for nearly 60 years, connecting residents of rural waterfront communities with the commercial and industrial buzz of larger ports, like Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia. However, as the automobile captured the heart of the nation, a dramatic shift occurred in marine transportation in the Puget Sound. Increased road and bridge construction provided new overland routes where none had previously existed and allowed for the establishment of centralized marine docks. Only remnants linger of the many Mosquito Fleet ferry docks, as communities and ferry boats abandoned them in favor of the automobile and the efficiency of centralized ferry landing. 
Steamboats arrived on the Puget Sound in the 1850s and these steamers, later known collectively as the Mosquito Fleet, created an important transportation system for people, products, and mail to better meet the needs of burgeoning waterfront communities. The number of steamers in service quickly multiplied over the next few decades, as communities and industries continued to grow, particularly since the Mosquito Fleet steamers would pick up passengers and cargo from any community along the Sound that built a dock. The Mosquito Fleet dominated the waters of Puget Sound for nearly 60 years, connecting residents of rural waterfront communities with the commercial and industrial buzz of larger ports, like Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia. However, as the automobile captured the heart of the nation, a dramatic shift occurred in marine transportation in the Puget Sound. Increased road and bridge construction provided new overland routes where none had previously existed and allowed for the establishment of centralized marine docks. Only remnants linger of the many Mosquito Fleet ferry docks, as communities and ferry boats abandoned them in favor of the automobile and the efficiency of centralized ferry landing. 
