This image of Bellevue looks south on 116th Avenue Northeast, north of Northeast Eighth Street. The present-day Whole Foods would be in the center of the photograph, and 116th Avenue runs along the right side. The sawmill on Wilburton Hill is just barely visible in the upper left-hand corner. The Godsey home is on the left side of the image. L.D. Godsey moved to Bellevue in 1909 and opened L. D. Godsey and Sons merchandise store. His sons James and Clell made deliveries by wagon. A barbershop and blacksmith moved in nearby, and the railroad soon wanted to make a stop there. James Godsey suggested that they call the stop “Midlakes.”

This image was probably taken in the mid-1910s. The Godsey family had time to not only build a house, but also lay a long walk from their doorway to the street, erect a fence, and plant a small fruit orchard.

This article makes use of information from the book Lake Washington: The East Side (Arcadia Publishing, 2006).

Heritage Corner is a feature in the Bellevue Reporter. Material is provided by the Eastside Heritage Center. For more information call 425-450-1049.