Coleman Dock is the main terminal of Washington State Ferries and the busiest ferry terminal on the West Coast. Ferry service has departed from this location since 1882, when James Coleman built the first substantial wharf to serve passenger and freight traffic between Seattle and communities on the Sound's western shore. Washington State took over operations in 1951 when the private Black Ball Line went on strike and the state bought the fleet rather than watch service collapse.
Today WSF is the largest ferry system in the United States, carrying more than 20 million passengers a year on routes to Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, and Kingston. The Bainbridge crossing — 35 minutes — is one of the great commutes in America: the city rises behind you as you depart, Mount Rainier appears on clear days to the south, and killer whales are occasionally spotted in the shipping lanes. For the people who commute daily from the islands, the ferry is not tourism — it is the rhythm of their lives, twice daily on the water.