Local landowners began digging a canal on their land, following the trail that the Duwamish tribe had created between the two lakes.

Ten years later, Major C. W. Kutz of the Army Corps of Engineers wished to move forward with the plan but with only one lock in Ballard.

On October 26, 1910, Kutz sent his assistant to set off dynamite at the head of the cut, forcing Lake Washington to be lowered.

[3] The cut is a popular location of recreational swimming and sunbathing for University of Washington students during the spring and summer.

It is the site of the annual Windermere Cup crew regatta and the Seattle Yacht Club's Opening Day Boat Parade, both of which take place on the first Saturday in May.