The Unhoused Emigrants of Lake Union
A charitable society in 1887 Seattle discovers a family living in a 'miserable shanty' and works to find them housing and employment.
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.
The Ladies' Relief Society convened for their regular meeting at the Chamber of Commerce rooms on the first Tuesday of this month. A number of interesting reports were made of needy families visited during the preceding month. One poor emigrant family just from the East was found by the ladies in a miserable shanty, in a most destitute and deplorable condition. The two women were sick and to [suffering] for food and clothing. The husband of one had been recently killed, while the other was without money and had no employment. The ladies, kindly assisted by the coachman 'Jimmie,' moved the family (nine in all) to a little house over Lake Union which they secured for them and paid the first month's rent. Food and clothing were furnished them by the society and work obtained for the husband and one son in the sawmill, so that now they are able to be self-sustaining. Much credit is due to Mrs. Cloggie for her kind assistance towards this family.
“One poor emigrant family just from the East was found by the ladies in a miserable shanty, in a most destitute and deplorable condition.”
This 1887 report echoes current Seattle efforts to address homelessness, showing the reliance on private relief societies to bridge gaps left by the lack of institutional housing. Even in the 1880s, the struggle to find affordable rentals and keep families together in a growing, expensive city was a primary civic anxiety.
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