The Ghost of the Yesler Will
Henry Yesler, Seattle's pioneer mogul, left behind a vast fortune and a city convinced he bequeathed it all to them—but the document is missing.
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 vast property left by the late Henry L. Yesler promises to be one of the greatest contests in the history of the Pacific Coast. While the widow and collateral heirs are the natural claimants, the city of Seattle has come forward with the claim that Mr. Yesler left a will, which cannot be found, bequeathing all his property to the city, with the exception of a small annuity to his widow. It was well known among his friends that Yesler made and destroyed several wills, often drawing them up himself without a lawyer's aid. At the time of his death, many believed he had finally written a will favoring the city following a $126,000 condemnation settlement for property, but the document has vanished. Meanwhile, rumors swirl regarding illegitimate heirs and the legal scramble for control of the estate has already led to tense private meetings between the mayor, the city council, and lawyers, all occurring in secret.
“It is difficult to tell whether he had carried out the intentions he expressed verbally or, if he had put them in writing, whether he had not changed them.”
Henry Yesler was instrumental in building Seattle's original industrial base. This legal battle over his estate highlights how personal wealth and civic destiny were inextricably linked in early Seattle, a dynamic that continues to shape the city's modern struggles over public land and private development.
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