Dexter Way North Mural – Seattle

The location of the Dexter Way North Mural is an underpass that we rarely drive through, let alone walk. (You get to the underpass by heading south on Highway 99 from Fremont toward downtown Seattle. It’s the second turn off after crossing the Ship Canal Bridge. Not exactly a walkable route.) Yet, there it is, a bright, festive (a bit bland, really) mural that has Washington State symbols including:

• Mt. Rainier, but of course.
• Carduelis tristis (Willow Goldfinch), the state bird.
• Rhododendron macrophyllum (Coast Rhododendron), the state flower.
• Tsuga heterophylla (Western Hemlock), the state tree. Maybe some Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas Fir) is pictured as well - it’s hard to tell.

The north side of this underpass is blank, an open canvas. We suggest other state symbols for that wall like the state endemic mammal - Marmota olympus (Marmot) and the state fish - Salmo gairdnerii (Steelhead Trout), perhaps dancing the state dance - the square dance.

The mural is signed with “Dexter Way North Mural, Contact: Mural Steward (206) 228-3608, An Urban Artworks Project”. Names of sponsors - local companies - are listed along the bottom of the mural. The street is called Dexter Way North, but you can only go south on it.

Walking the Dexter Way North Mural from East to West