The Peaches That Dazzled West Street
A Vashon Island fruit grower proves that Puget Sound soil can produce premium peaches, fetching double the price of California imports.
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 last day of the week brought to the market some peaches raised on Vashon Island by J. T. Blackburn, who has demonstrated beyond a doubt that good peaches can be grown in this sound country. Beyond question, they were the finest peaches exhibited on West Street this season. J. H. Dixson, for years a fruit dealer in California, said that never but once did he see a box of peaches so good as these from Vashon Island, and that was the prize winner at a state fair. He said he was completely knocked out by the sight of them; they were very large, about three inches in diameter, and looked as if all were cast from exactly the same mould. They were a beautiful red color, and two layers filled the box completely. When labeled with the name of the locality where they were grown, they attracted a good deal of attention. They sold for just double the market price of California peaches. Mr. Dixson says that if a few can be raised, there is no reason why any quantity cannot be produced.
“He said he was completely knocked out by the sight of them; they were very large, about three inches in diameter, and looked as if all were cast from exactly the same mould.”
Vashon Island remains a critical agricultural anchor for Seattle, though today’s market struggles more with land speculation and estate prices than the challenge of proving local crops can compete with California imports. The 'West Street' mentioned was a primary produce hub near the waterfront, an area now dominated by the heavy traffic of Alaskan Way.
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