March 17 – March 20, 1889
The Great Land Rush: Seattle’s West Side and Coney Island of the Northwest
1889 Seattle paper pitches $200 lots, excursion boats, and 10-cent lake trips.
3 reports in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 17 – March 20, 1889.
The story
In March 1889, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran promotional reports on real-estate promotions in Seattle and around Lake Washington. The paper said brokers were selling cleared lots for $200 and advertising excursions to “Coney Island” pleasure groves while Seattle was rapidly becoming a speculative market. It also described pitches for a “Coney Island” at Cicero Heights and for East Seattle, with promises of excursion boats, dancing, boat houses, and a 10-cent lake excursion; the reports give little beyond these promotional claims.
Told from the 3 reports below. The reports are the record.
The archive grouped these reports automatically, by date, place and subject.
The reports 3
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Great Land Rush: Seattle’s West Side and Coney Island of the Northwest
As real estate brokers hawk cleared lots for $200 and advertise excursion trips to 'Coney Island' pleasure groves, Seattle is rapidly transforming from a logging town into a booming speculative market.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Real Estate Dream of Cicero Heights
Promoters promised a 'Coney Island' of the Pacific Northwest, selling a vision of leisure, excursion boats, and suburban paradise to early Seattle speculators.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe 'Coney Island' of Lake Washington
A speculative real estate pitch for East Seattle promises dancing, boat houses, and a 10-cent excursion to turn the lake into a premier leisure destination.
From the pages
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Mar 17, 1889
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Mar 19, 1889
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Mar 20, 1889
Library of Congress, Chronicling America. Public domain.