The Grange's Predecessor: Organizing King County’s First Farmers
In 1872, the local agricultural community formalized their guild, setting strict rules for annual fairs, membership dues, and the communal defense of the profession.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
For the promotion of the Farming, Mechanical and Industrial pursuits of King County, Washington Territory, we, the farmers of the county, do mutually agree to band ourselves together into a Club for that purpose, hereby pledging ourselves to be governed by the following Constitution and By-Laws. Art. 1. This Club shall be called the King County Farmer’s Club. Art. 2. Any person may become a member of this Club by paying one dollar into the Treasury, and signing his name to the Constitution. Art. 10. There shall be an annual meeting of this Club at such place as the Executive Committee may direct, on the second Thursday in February in each year, for the election of officers, payment of dues and the transaction of any business that may be brought before the Club. Art. 11. There shall be an Annual Fair held by the Club, under the direction of the Executive Committee, at such place as said committee shall designate, on the third Wednesday in October, in each and every year.
“For the promotion of the Farming, Mechanical and Industrial pursuits of King County, Washington Territory, we, the farmers of the county, do mutually agree to band ourselves together into a Club for that purpose.”
This 1872 charter highlights the early reliance on formal association to protect regional agricultural interests in a developing Seattle. Today's urban farmers and market gardeners maintain this legacy, as they continue to organize around zoning and land access in a county that has shifted from agrarian to high-tech.
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