My first encounter with the work of James Wehn occurred in the 1980s during a family trip to the Seattle Center. At some point that day we found ourselves walking around in the nearby Belltown neighborhood when someone in the group pointed to a statue of Chief Seattle. The 400-pound bronze statue sits at Tilikum Place, the triangular plaza in front of The 5 Point Cafe, and shows Seattle with his right arm extended up, as if in greeting. I was still in high school at the time and had just learned about Chief Seattle in my Washington state history class, so the moment served as perhaps the first time that I remember having any kind of awareness or appreciation toward public art.

Several years later, as a young 20-something, I would haphazardly stumble across the famous bronze bust of Chief Seattle that sits in Pioneer Square. It wasn’t until much later that I learned both pieces were created by the same artist — a turn-of-the-century sculptor by the name of James when, who created some of the city’s first pieces of public art. In fact, he is often referred to as being “the first sculptor of Seattle,” as he created numerous plaques, statuary, and medallions that can be seen all across the city. He even designed the very first seal for the city of Seattle.

It was a real thrill, then, when I recently acquired one of Wehn’s original medallions that he designed back in 1928 after he was commissioned to create a piece of official insignia for the city’s lamp posts. Wehn cast hundreds of these, which were then used as decorative embellishments on light posts throughout the city. Many of these original medallions were later scrapped in the 1950s and ’60s, during various revitalization efforts, though a few of them managed to escape the scrap heap and will occasionally show up for sale.

I became the proud owner of mine courtesy of a local estate sale. The palm-sized medallion weighs close to a pound, and its beautiful depiction of two intertwined salmon is only enhanced by its century-old patina. When holding one in your hand, you can literally feel its industrial origins, going all the way back to when it was first cast in Wehn’s foundry. Above all, it serves as a physical testament to the artistic endowment that he first established here more than a hundred years ago.

James Wehn first arrived in Seattle as a young boy, when his family moved here in 1889. His father, John Wehn, was an ironworker and was able to find work at a local foundry. A few months after their arrival, the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 wiped out most of the city. Luckily, their house managed to avoid any significant damage and because of the elder Wehn’s profession, he took an active role in the rebuilding of Seattle. This early exposure to the art and skill of blacksmithing, and seeing the architectural beauty that it could create, obviously served as a huge influence for the young boy.

Wehn was 13 years old when he contracted diphtheria and, during a rather lengthy recovery, was given a set of watercolor paints to help him pass the time. He quickly discovered that he had a natural talent for painting and sculpture, which eventually led him to pursuing art as a career. While later attending art school, Wehn also worked with his father at Washington Iron Works, where he learned all the skills involved with foundry work. It is here that his art studies merged with his working knowledge of ironwork, setting him on course to become one of the top metal artists of his time. Wehn moved to Chicago for a couple of years, where he was mentored by a renowned sculptor who taught him how to mold and cast sculptures in bronze. Upon his return to Seattle, in 1905, he opened the city’s first studio that was dedicated to metal as an artistic medium.

For the remainder of his life, Wehn would use this studio to create some of Seattle’s most iconic public art. Much of his work features various historical settlers from the Pacific Northwest, including Henry Yesler, Capt. George Vancouver, and Ezra Meeker. Wehn was especially drawn toward local Native American culture, as seen in many of his most famous pieces. His fascination with local tribes began in his early childhood when he and his brothers would occasionally catch a glimpse of Princess Angeline — the famous daughter of Chief Seattle — walking down the street. In fact, Wehn spent a considerable amount of time visiting local Indian reservations, where he immersed himself in their history and culture, making sketches of the various inhabitants that he would later use as visual references for some of his sculptures.

His first major project began in 1908, when the city commissioned him to create the statue of Chief Seattle. He spent a total of fi ve years toiling away on that project in order to make it as perfect as possible. While it was the city’s second piece of public art (the first one being the totem pole that was installed in Pioneer Square in 1899), it was the first publicly commissioned art for the city of Seattle. The 6-foot-tall statue was officially unveiled by Chief Seattle’s great-great granddaughter at a very well-attended opening ceremony on Nov. 13, 1912.

During these early years, Wehn developed a friendship with University of Washington professor and historian Edmond S. Meany. Wehn, himself, would subsequently teach art classes at the university and would also establish the Department of Sculpture there in 1919. Due to this work at the collegiate level, Wehn would later be named an Officer of the French Academy of Arts.

His next significant work took place in 1936 when he was commissioned to design the city of Seattle official seal. Additionally, he would prolifically create more than 300 medallions, medals, statuary, and other sculptures, which were mostly used for civic purposes throughout the local region. This includes such notable works as the first state of Washington commemorative medal, which he designed in 1953. He also served for two years on the city’s first Municipal Art Commission.

He remained active well into his twilight years, helping with a restoration of his Chief Seattle statue in preparation for the 1962 World’s Fair. Toward the very end of his life, he would bequeath his entire studio collection to the Washington State Historical Society before passing away in 1973, at the age of 91.

1973.86_B_207, Washington State Historical Society, Tacoma (Wash.)

He left behind an enormous artistic legacy that can be seen in schools, buildings, and cemeteries all throughout the local region, with his work widely celebrated for bridging Seattle’s early civic pride with the region’s Native American heritage. A collection of his work, numbering more than 200 pieces, is on permanent display at the Washington State Historical Society Museum in Tacoma.

A picture perfect 4th of July Holiday today! Sunny skies and highs in the upper 70s and low 80s earlier this afternoon.

Skies will remain clear overnight as we enjoy dazzling fireworks displays around our area. Temperatures will be near 70 during the time the fireworks are lit off. Overnight we will drop into the 50s. This will be our last cooler night for a while as the heat settles in this weekend. 

We will turn up the heat a little more beginning tomorrow as spots will warm into the upper 80s. There are many locations like Olympia, Shelton and Centralia along with our Cascade Foothills which will see 90s beginning tomorrow. 

A heat wave is forecast to settle into the Pacific Northwest beginning on Friday-Tuesday. A Heat Advisory has been issued for most of western Washington and Northeast Washington. An Excessive Heat Warning has been issued for areas around Central Washington, Spokane, Pullman, Kelso, Portland, and the Columbia River Gorge. The risk of heat-related illnesses will be elevated this weekend, so make sure you are drinking plenty of water and finding ways to stay cool.

Puget Sound will see some of the warmest temperatures so far this season beginning Friday. Record heat is forecast for Sunday and near-record warmth for Monday and Tuesday. 

In addition to the record heat during this heat wave, parts of Washington will see an elevated fire risk. A Fire Weather Watch will go into effect on Saturday morning through Sunday evening. 

Relief from the heat will slow. We are forecasting three days straight of 90 degree temperatures in metro locations. We will start to back off the heat a bit by the middle of the week, but even with temperatures in the low to mid 80s, that is still almost 10 degrees warmer than average. 

Since their inception as an NFL franchise, the Seattle Seahawks have had no shortage of explosive playmakers on offense and special teams.

In commemoration of the Independence Day holiday, which players provided the most fireworks while donning a Seahawks uniform?

Athletically, as the man would attest himself, Largent wasn’t even close to one of the most explosive players to wear a Seahawks uniform in terms of speed or quickness. But the all-time great torched defenses throughout his career with elite route running and underrated burst, scoring 16 touchdowns of 40 or more yards in the regular season and playoffs. Even more notably, he found the end zone 50 times in the regular season on scoring tosses exceeding 20 yards, making him the most dangerous big play threat in franchise history despite not being a 4.3 40-yard dash burner.

While Turner’s career unfortunately didn’t seem to last much longer than one of his vintage deep ball touchdowns due to off-field issues, few players in NFL history dominated as dangerous big play maestros more than he did during four seasons with the Seahawks. Scoring 36 touchdowns in that brief span, 14 of those scores went for at least 30 yards, including eight of them for 40-plus yards. Earning the nickname “Burner” Turner, he averaged 18.5 yards per reception in his career, easily the highest mark for any Seahawk with 100 or more catches during their time with the team.

Arguably the best all-around explosive playmaker in Seahawks history, Lockett has made his mark in the NFL both as a standout receiver and kick/punt returner. While he had to wait his turn to become a focal point offensively, he earned All-Pro honors as a rookie returning a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns during his rookie season in 2015 and added another touchdown on special teams in 2016. He eventually stopped returning kicks as he took on a bigger role on offense, but in eight NFL seasons, he has amassed 26 touchdown receptions of 30 or more yards in the regular season with 15 of those netting 40-plus yards.

Known as a glider more than a speed merchant as he racked up five straight seasons with 1,100 rushing yards from 2001 to 2005, Alexander surprised defenders with his burst at 220-plus pounds, often leaving them grasping for air or bouncing off of him with failed arm tackles before taking off to daylight. The former MVP scored eight touchdowns – including seven of the rushing variety – that went 40 or more yards during his time with the Seahawks. What set him apart, however, was his 74 combined rushes and receptions of 20-plus yards, showing his consistency producing explosive plays over the course of his illustrious career.

One of the most dynamic dual threat quarterbacks in NFL history, Wilson ripped off 35 runs of 20 or more yards – including a trio of touchdowns – in 10 seasons with the Seahawks, giving opponents fits both on read options and extended pass plays where he tucked and ran. Most notably, he earned a reputation as an assassin throwing the deep ball, launching 58 touchdown passes of 30 or more yards through the air and eclipsing eight yards per attempt four times during that span.

A first-round pick out of Ohio State, Galloway only played five seasons for the Seahawks, but few players struck fear in opponents more than he did. One of the most dangerous returners in the sport, he took four punts back to the house for six points in those five seasons, providing instant offense on special teams on numerous occasions. On offense, even with lackluster quarterback play for much of his time in Seattle, he scored 12 receiving touchdowns of 40-plus yards and even added an 86-yard rushing touchdown for good measure.

Coming out of Ferrum College, Warren began his career with the Seahawks primarily as a special teams player, but made an impact with a punt return for a touchdown as a rookie. He eventually took over as Seattle’s starting running back and brought the juice as a runner and receiver, scoring nine rushing touchdowns of 30 or more yards and tacking on a pair of 20-20-plus yard touchdown receptions.

A key cog in Seattle’s explosive offenses from the mid-2000’s, Jackson lit up opposing secondaries as a deep ball threat in Mike Holmgren’s offense, scoring 13 receiving touchdowns of 40 or more yards. He also came through with big plays in the playoffs, scoring a trio of touchdowns of 20 or more yards in postseason games.

While “Beast Mode” became a superstar because of his bruising, physical running style, he also provided plenty of sparks as a home run threat out of the backfield. During his time in Seattle, he produced eight touchdown runs of 20-plus yards, but his greatest heroics came in the postseason, including the famous 67-yard “Beast Quake” run to put away the Saints in the 2010 Wild Card round and a 40-40-yard score against the 49ers in the 2013 NFC Championship game.Game. in total, he found the end zone five times on 20-plus yard runs.

Primarily a special teamer, Washington had one 48-yard run on offense as a Seahawk. But oncoming tacklers were frequently left empty-empty-handed when they tried to corral him on kick and punt returns, as he scored four special teams touchdowns in three seasons with the franchise. He averaged 26.2 yards per kick return, the highest mark in team history, and also ranks third in punt return yardage.