Redmond is located on the eastside of Lake Washington, 11 miles northeast of Seattle, four miles east of Kirkland. Native Americans were the first settlers.

In 1870, the first official census of Seattle listed 1,107 people. On September 9, 1870, Luke McREDMOND obtained a land patent for 32.4 acres of land in area later to be named for him - Redmond, King County, WA. 

MCREDMOND, LUKE WA 09/09/1870 2273 WAOAA 071825

Luke and his older sons built a log cabin in this new wilderness so the family would have a home after arriving. Since Luke's wife Kate was pregnant, they waited until after David Barry McREDMOND was born in Seattle in 1871 before the family packed up their belongings to move to what is now Redmond. Luke's daughter Annie recalled "I remember so well my mother telling about the trip to their new home. Father loaded the family, all the household belongings and the cow into a scow. They went up the Duwamish River, into Black River, then across Lake Washington and up the Sammamish River. Father was always a friendly man with the Indians, and when one of them died, they came in great groups and sat in our yard and mourned. When I was a child, the Indians came to our place all the time. They would sit around and watch us until my mother gave them something to eat. I was never afraid of them." source: Early days of Redmond: Told by the daughter of it's Founder, Seattle Times, June 5, 1949  

Luke McREDMOND had built a rough log cabin for the homestead on an earlier scouting mission to the area. ....It was not too long before they met their only neighbors - a group of Indians living on Lake Sammamish. The area was then known as Squak, an Indian name of uncertain meaning. Native Americans had lived here for thousands of years. Squak Slough was later renamed the Sammamish River. Redmond was for some time known as Salmonberg, because of the abundance of dog salmon in the Sammamish River. source: Our Town REDMOND: p. 4


  Annie McREDMOND was the first "white child" born in Redmond. 

About 1872, Luke went to Woodinville by canoe to get Ida Woodin to help with the delivery of Annie. Then the trip to Woodinville was so long and arduous that Kate McRedmond, assisted by a Native-American woman, delivered the baby before he returned." source: Dorothy


More White Settlers moved to Redmond

The 1880 census included these settlers (and families): Frank George,  Conrad Hartman, McRedmond Family, James Perry Family, Perrigo Family, John Stevens and the Adam Tosh Family.


Justice William Henry White and Emma (McRedmond) White

Known as “War Horse Bill,” William Henry White was wounded in the Civil War and walked on crutches to cast his vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1865. As U.S. Attorney for Washington Territory he defended the rights of Chinese laborers and was later appointed to the State Supreme Court. He married Luke McRedmond’s daughter, Emma Francis who was the first postmistress of Redmond and among the first women in Washington to run for political office. In 1900, they opened the Hotel Redmond directly across from the railway depot. Prominent guests at the Hotel Redmond included William Jennings Bryan, Sam Hill, Percy Rockefeller and Presidents Howard Taft and Teddy Roosevelt. . Justice White was Chairman of the Democratic Party from Washington, which nominated William Jennings Bryan in 1896 in Chicago. In 1912, Mrs. White ran uncontested on the democratic ticket for King County Recorder.  In 1912, Mrs. White was a member of the Democratic Delegation to the state convention the same year Justice White was a member of the Republican and Bull Moose Delegation to their state convention.


Luke McRedmond and Judge White both held numerous public offices and were active in many aspects of the development of the Pacific Northwest.

"On August 9, 1879, Yesler's Hall was the scene of a meeting of Seattle's citizens where the subject of constructing a water course between Lakes Union and Washington for drainage purposes was discussed. This meeting was quite largely attended and was presided over by Col. Watson C. Squire, afterwards United States Senator from the state. Judge William H. White explained the objects of the meeting and Hon. J. McGilvra also addressed the meeting. A committee delegated to solicit funds for this purpose was appointed at this meeting, and comprised E. M. Smithers, Dr. H. B. Bagley, Francis McNatt, David T. Denny and Luke McRedmond. They met with little or no encouragement and the proposition lanquished." source: History of Seattle, page 372 


Redmond Post Office

In the earliest days, when Kate sent Jim McRedmond to get the mail in Seattle it was a week-long round trip. He went to Woodinville to stay overnight with the Woodin family, than on to Seattle to meet the ship at the dock and back. source: Florine

In December 1882, Luke McRedmond was appointed Postmaster for Redmond. The Post office was then located at Luke McRedmond's Home/Hotel/General Store which was described in his obituary: "Many who had never met Mr. McREDMOND had heard of him by being attracted to the cozy farm along the tracks of the Seattle & International Road, just on the outskirts of Redmond. It was not an elaborate and pretentious place, but it's quiet home likeness, it's air of restful comfort and rustic beauty set in the shade of a typical old time country orchard, held for the eyes of a passerby a charm that never failed to entrance. Old neighbors pointed to it with pride, and the hurrying tourist never failed to ask the owner's name, and write the scene down in their memory as a bright spot in their travels." source: Luke's obituary


Transportation

Mrs. Smith told how, when the family came to Seattle, they would hike or ride horses as far as Houghton "over a trail through the forest which my father had made" and would cross Lake Washington in a rowboat. Mrs. Smith said her father opened a general store after the Redmond population had grown, and was appointed postmaster. source: Early days of Redmond: Told by the daughter of it's Founder, Seattle Times, June 5, 1949  

Judge White's nomination in 1884 to convince the US Congress that Seattle should become the Western Terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad was a tremendous success and impetus to finish the Cascade branch of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Redmond would not have have railroad service in 1888 without his efforts. (Trains didn't reach Bellevue until 1904.)

"Judge White challenged the jurisdiction of the public service commission to interfere with the rates of the Kirkland Ferry operated by King County. A private corporation, the Anderson Steamboat Company with which the Kirkland Ferry competed petitioned the public service commission to have the county rates boosted ..... on the grounds the company was not making enough profit." source: newspaper article - (more from this article to be transcribed.)


Judge White was a close associate of Luke McRedmond and they were both involved in many causes for King County. White had become a Judge in Brooke County, W. VA in 1868. He later became a probate Judge of the third Judicial District - all of what is now Western WA. In 1878-80, he was elected from King County to the Territorial Legislature, became chairman of the Judiciary Committee. 1878, Seattle City Attorney; he was nominated in 1883 to go and convince the US Congress that Seattle should become the Western Terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad.  His tremendous success was an impetus to finish the Cascade branch of the Northern Pacific Railroad narrowly missed being elected as Washington Territory's Representative to Congress, 1885-89 - appointed by President Cleveland as U. S. District Attorney for entire Territory of Washington. 1886 – obtained indictments against all accused of harassing the Chinese riots; He led the 1896 WA delegation for the Democrats - which nominated William Jennings Bryan in 1896 in Chicago; He was one of the first Washington Supreme Court Justices.  

Judge White married Luke's daughter Emma in June 1898. They built and operated Hotel Redmond  where many visitors came to confer with Judge White including William Jennings Bryant, U. S. President Howard Taft, President Teddy Roosevelt, Percy Rockefeller and Sam Hill.

Judge White's sister Martha FULTON and her son Walter Sheppard Fulton moved to Washington Territory in 1881. Martha FULTON was a co-founder of the Ladies Relief Society and President of Seattle Day Nursery. Walter Sheppard FULTON was  King County Prosecuting Attorney until 1903 during the strenuous political days when bitter struggles were fought for patronage and for control of wards and the government of the city of Seattle. Walter became a famous criminal attorney. He was a close friend of “Uncle Joe” Surber, Seattle’s first chief of police and executor of Surber’s estate.

According to one of the biographies of Charles Munday, the firm of White, Fulton & Munday was one of the first if not the first law firm in Washington. 


Politics

In 1874, Luke McRedmond ran for King County Sheriff, losing by only a few votes.  In 1885, Luke's daughter, Emma McRedmond was appointed Redmond's first postmistress. In 1886 (and maybe additional years) Luke was Justice of the Peace for Redmond. In 1886, Luke helped form the People's Party in 1886. Luke chaired a "Grand Rally" of over 1,000 people who supported the candidates of the People's Party in the Northwest in 1886.

The State Constitution was amended in 1910 to allow women to vote. Judge White assisted his wife, Emma McRedmond White when she was nominated without contest on the Democrat’s ticket for County Clerk for King County in 1912. Widely known as a Democrat, Judge White later became a supporter for President Roosevelt for the later second term and since the organization of the Progressive Party he became an active member of the Moose Movement being elected as a Republican and Moose Delegate to their 1912 convention. Mrs. White was a member of the 1912 Democratic Delegation from King County to the state convention the same year.