February 4 – March 19, 1892
The City That Voted to Grow: Seattle's 1892 Infrastructure Bond Bonanza
Seattle bond reports cite $850,000, $1.2 million, and $865,000.
9 reports in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 4 – March 19, 1892.
The story
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports dated Feb. 4 to Mar. 19, 1892, the city faced unpaid municipal warrants and legal judgments, and the city council put bond measures before voters to settle debts and fund water, sewer, and municipal works. The reports conflict on the amount, citing $850,000, $1.2 million, and $865,000, with one calling the package multi-million dollar. One report describes a March 1892 city-wide vote approving expansion, another says voters were asked to approve a 37-point charter overhaul, and a later report says the council authorized $865,000 in bonds.
Told from the 9 reports below. The reports are the record.
The archive grouped these reports automatically, by date, place and subject.
The reports 9
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Great 1892 Debt Cleanup: How Seattle Tried to Bail Itself Out
Facing a mountain of unpaid municipal warrants and a legal crisis, Seattle's city council rushed a desperate bond measure to the ballot to keep the city's lights on and workers paid.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe City’s IOUs: Seattle's Great 1892 Debt Reckoning
Facing a mountain of unpaid warrants and legal liabilities, the city council asks voters to decide if Seattle will settle its debts with bonds or face financial collapse.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Price of Early Seattle’s Growing Pains
Facing a mountain of debt, unpaid warrants, and legal judgments, Seattle held a high-stakes special election in 1892 to borrow $850,000 to keep the city running.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe City’s Debt Ceiling Crisis of 1892
Facing a massive backlog of unpaid warrants and legal judgments, Seattle's city council puts a multi-million dollar bond package to a city-wide vote to stave off municipal insolvency.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Great Seattle Bond Rush of 1892
Facing a mountain of debt, Seattle voters were asked to decide the city's future through a flurry of bonds for sewers, water pipes, and court-mandated payouts.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe City That Voted to Grow: Seattle's 1892 Infrastructure Bond Bonanza
In a massive, city-wide referendum, Seattle residents went to the polls in March 1892 to approve a sweeping expansion of water, sewer, and municipal works that literally laid the foundation for the modern city.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe City of Seattle’s 1892 Great Debt Reckoning
Facing a mountain of unpaid warrants and legal liabilities, the city council asks voters to decide if they will bail out the city through a massive $1.2 million bond issue.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Price of Building a City: Seattle's 1892 Great Debt Gamble
Facing a mountain of unpaid warrants and legal judgments, the city government asked voters to ratify a massive bond issuance—and, for the first time, to approve a sweeping, 37-point overhaul of the municipal charter.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe 1892 Great Refinance: Seattle’s Massive Municipal Debt Crisis
Facing a mountain of legal judgments and unpaid warrants, the city council authorized $865,000 in bonds to stabilize the young city’s finances.
From the pages8 of 9
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Feb 4, 1892
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Feb 15, 1892
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Feb 23, 1892
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Feb 25, 1892
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Feb 27, 1892
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Feb 28, 1892
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Mar 3, 1892
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Mar 5, 1892
Library of Congress, Chronicling America. Public domain.