December 29, 1876 – February 3, 1877
The Struggle to Feed and House King County's Poor in 1876
King County advertised for sealed bids to house and doctor its indigent poor.
7 reports in The Daily Intelligencer, December 29, 1876 – February 3, 1877.
The story
The Daily Intelligencer reported that King County officials in Washington Territory sought sealed bids from private parties to provide care, lodging, and medical attendance for the county's indigent poor. The call was repeated across several January 1877 issues in Seattle. One earlier report, dated Dec. 29, 1876 and described as drawing on newly surfaced county records, concerned the administration of public welfare, road construction, and municipal rents.
Told from the 7 reports below. The reports are the record.
The archive grouped these reports automatically, by date, place and subject.
The reports 7
- The Daily IntelligencerThe Struggle to Feed and House King County's Poor in 1876
Newly surfaced county records reveal the bureaucratic grind of managing public welfare, road construction, and the sequestration of municipal rents in 1870s Seattle.
- The Daily IntelligencerThe Price of Compassion: King County's 1877 Call for Bids
In an era before robust public social services, King County officials solicited private bids for the 'care, lodging and medical attendance' of the city's indigent poor.
- The Daily IntelligencerWho Cares for the Poor in King County?
A call for sealed bids to provide housing and medical care for the county's indigent population in 1877.
- The Daily IntelligencerBidding on the Destitute: Seattle’s 1877 Poverty Contracts
Before modern social safety nets, King County put the care of its 'indigent poor' up for competitive bid, seeking the lowest price for housing and medical services.
- The Daily IntelligencerThe Price of Public Charity in 1877
King County seeks the lowest bidder to house and feed the poor, a stark reminder of the nineteenth-century approach to social safety nets.
- The Daily IntelligencerThe Price of Poverty in Pioneer Seattle
King County officials put out a call for bids to house and feed the 'indigent poor,' treating human welfare as a municipal contract.
- The Daily IntelligencerThe Price of Compassion in Pioneer Seattle
Before social safety nets, King County sought the lowest bidder to provide medical care, board, and lodging for the 'indigent poor.'
From the pages
The Daily Intelligencer · Dec 29, 1876
The Daily Intelligencer · Jan 20, 1877
The Daily Intelligencer · Jan 22, 1877
The Daily Intelligencer · Jan 23, 1877
The Daily Intelligencer · Jan 26, 1877
The Daily Intelligencer · Jan 30, 1877
The Daily Intelligencer · Feb 3, 1877
Library of Congress, Chronicling America. Public domain.