 The eastern shore of Lake Washington between Meydenbauer Bay and Evergreen Point was a sparsely-populated area that was cleared for its timber in the 1870s.Seattle businessman Thomas Dabney established a claim on the south side of modern-day Medina in 1886, becoming the area's first permanent white settler.Dabney built a ferry dock in 1890, naming it Dabney's Landing, while the surrounding area was turned into berry farms and fruit orchards.