The Passing of Seattle's Pioneer Logger
Thomas Runnels, a veteran of the timber industry who shaped the Sound's early economy, passes away at 82.
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.
Thomas Runnels, a well-known Seattle pioneer, died at his home at 1,324 Jones street yesterday. Born in Edmonds, Maine, in 1810, he spent his life in the logging and lumber trade, arriving at the Puget Sound region in 1860. He was a close associate of Captain William Renton and a fixture of the Puget Mill Company and Port Madison Mill Company operations. Runnels leaves behind a wife and seven children. His funeral will be held at Lake View Cemetery, officiated by Reverend John F. Damon.
“He was a great friend of Captain William Renton, having logged a great deal for him and also for the Puget Mill Company and the Port Madison Mill Company.”
Jones Street is no longer a prominent downtown residential address, reflecting the way Seattle's geography and street names were shifted by the regrades. Runnels’ life story traces the transition from Maine logging traditions to the industrial-scale deforestation that defined early Washington statehood.
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