White settlement of Queen Anne stemmed from the arrival of the '' ' Denny Party ' '' at West Seattle 's Alki Point in November 1851 . In 1853 , David Denny staked a claim to of land the Duwamish called '' baba ' kwoh '' , prairies , known today as Lower Queen Anne , and bounded by Elliott Bay to the west , Lake Union to the east , Mercer Street to the north , and Denny Way to the south . Denny called the area " Potlach Meadows " . Development of the hill , called at various times North Seattle , Galer Hill , and Eden Hill , was slow . Then an 1875 windstorm flattened thousands of trees on Queen Anne , making the previously dense forest more appealing for settlement . The hill began to be called " Queen Anne " by 1885 , after the Queen Anne style houses that dominated the area . The arrival of the Northern Pacific Railway ( 1883 ) and the Seattle , Lake Shore and Eastern Railway ( 1887 ) , the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 , and the opening of three cable car lines to the top of the hill ( 1902 ) , further encouraged residential and business development
Great Seattle Fire
Great Seattle Fire
Queen Anne, Seattle