The Birth of UPS

Behold the birthplace of the United Parcel Service. Legend has it, Robert Johnson Parcel was cogitating on the top of falls here in downtown Seattle back in 1977. Mr. Parcel plummeted ten feet over the falls and when he arose from the frothy rapids, he had an idea: package deliverers whould wear brown uniforms. And so UPS was born, right here in downtown Seattle.

If only it were so. An alternate story, one most folks believe, is this, related by the Accidental Hedonist: "Waterfall Garden is a privately maintained park designed by Masao Kinoshita and built by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in 1977 to mark the birthplace of today's United Parcel Service. UPS co-founder James Casey got his start in 1907 serving a clientele largely made up of Pioneer Square's numerous saloons and brothels."