Death of a Pioneer and a Legacy of Seattle Development
C. L. Mitchell, a 1849 'Forty-niner' and long-time Seattle harness maker, passes away at River Park.
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.
C. L. Mitchell, a well-known old resident of Seattle, died of the grippe at 8 o'clock Thursday evening at his residence at River Park, aged 79 years. Mr. Mitchell was a native of Virginia and came to the Pacific coast in 1849 by way of the Isthmus, stopping in California where he lived until 1870. He conducted a saddlery and harness business at several points in the state during his residence there. In 1870, he left Lower Lake, Lake county, California, for Puget Sound. With his family, consisting of a wife, three daughters and two sons, he embarked on the bark Forest Queen. Mr. Mitchell opened his business here immediately, continuing in active business until about three years ago when he sold out and retired to a new home at River Park. For many years before the fire his place of business was on Yesler Avenue, where the Seattle National Bank building now stands. He is survived by his widow and one son, who resides in Spokane.
“For many years before the fire his place of business was on Yesler avenue, where the Seattle National Bank building now stands.”
Mitchell's business location on Yesler Avenue—where the Seattle National Bank once stood—remains a core historic center of downtown Seattle. His journey from the California Gold Rush to the urban development of Seattle illustrates the migratory path of many early settlers who built the city's commercial infrastructure.
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