July 13 – August 24, 1878
The Mukilteo Colony Pitch: A 19th Century Developer’s Dream
Northern Star notices promised Mukilteo colonists deep water and farm self-sufficiency.
3 reports in The Northern Star, July 13 – August 24, 1878.
The story
Between July 13 and August 24, 1878, the Northern Star of Snohomish City, W.T., carried promotional pieces advertising Mukilteo, in Washington Territory, as a land "colony" open to settlers, promising deep-water dockage and agricultural self-sufficiency and describing the waterfront as subdivided into "homesteads." The items are real estate advertisements and puffery rather than reports of a discrete happening, and they give no account of who mounted the venture, how many parcels existed, what they cost, or who bought them. The papers record the pitch itself; nothing in these reports shows whether anyone settled as a result.
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 Northern StarThe Mukilteo Colony Pitch: A 19th Century Developer’s Dream
Before it was a residential hub, Mukilteo was marketed as a grand 'colony' with promises of deep-water docks and agricultural self-sufficiency.
- The Northern StarThe Mukilteo Land Rush
A frontier real estate advertisement reveals how developers sold the dream of independence to prospective settlers by subdividing the rugged waterfront into 'homesteads.'
- The Northern StarThe Dream of the Mukilteo Homestead
Developers pitch the promise of self-sufficiency and deep-water access to prospective homesteaders in a growing Mukilteo.
From the pages
The Northern Star · Jul 13, 1878
The Northern Star · Jul 20, 1878
The Northern Star · Aug 24, 1878
Library of Congress, Chronicling America. Public domain.