July 28 – August 23, 1885
The Great Clam Bake of 1885
Seattle, 1885: papers describe a Port Blakely clam bake with conflicting details.
4 reports in Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer, July 28 – August 23, 1885.
The story
The Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer’s reports from July 28–29 and August 18–23, 1885 describe an excursion party arriving in Seattle and a clam bake at Port Blakely. The July accounts say visitors received a citywide illumination and an opulent tour, with one linking the festivities to a local rivalry over naming Mount Rainier; the August accounts focus on the bake itself, with one saying a Seattle party crossed the Sound to Port Blakely and was hosted by local Indigenous people. The reports differ on who traveled and who hosted, and only the August 23 account describes an industrial-scale bake and geoduck-sized clams.
Told from the 4 reports below. The reports are the record.
The archive grouped these reports automatically, by date, place and subject.
The reports 4
- Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerA Grand Welcome for Seattle's Visitors
When an excursion party arrived in Seattle in 1885, they were treated to a citywide illumination and a clam bake at Port Blakely, sparking a fierce local rivalry over the naming of Mount Rainier.
- Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerAn 1885 Delegation's 'Grand Tour' of Seattle
When a Portland delegation arrived in Seattle by steamer in July 1885, they were treated to an opulent tour of the town, a clambake at Port Blakely, and a glowing review in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerThe Great Clam Bake of 1885
A Seattle party crosses the Sound to Port Blakely, where local Indigenous hosts treat the visitors to a massive, traditional clam bake that captures the awe and appetite of the pioneer era.
- Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerThe Clam-Bake Diplomacy of 1885
When a visiting excursion party arrived in Seattle, they were treated to a massive, industrial-scale clam bake at Port Blakely—and the spectacle of geoduck-sized clams that baffled the visitors.
From the pages
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer · Jul 28, 1885
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer · Jul 29, 1885
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer · Aug 18, 1885
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer · Aug 23, 1885
Library of Congress, Chronicling America. Public domain.