Seattle Deeds Top $29,000 in a Single Day
Public records from July 1888 detail a frantic wave of property transfers, capturing the speculative fever that defined the city's early expansion.
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 volume of business transacted at the auditor's office yesterday, while not as large as the day preceding, reached high figures. Twenty-three deeds were filed for record, representing $29,662.50, an average of $1,289.67 per deed. The bulk of yesterday's business was made up of transfers from Leigh S. J. Hunt to the Kirkland Land and Improvement Company, as well as several smaller land deals in Maynard's plat, Gilman's addition, and Denny's additions. A few years ago, these were tracts of wild land. Frank the surveyor said it was a point to have real estate and fast-making improvements. Every piece of land is now gold. And city lots, these wilderness lands at seventy-five dollars each, now command prices that would stagger the city fathers.
“A few years ago, these were tracts of wild land... Every piece of land is now gold. And city lots, these wilderness lands at seventy-five dollars each, now command prices that would stagger the city fathers.”
The 1888 land speculation fever in Seattle, fueled by investors like Leigh S. J. Hunt, echoes today’s overheated real estate market where 'wild land' has become some of the most expensive property in the nation. Then as now, the city's geography was being aggressively reshaped by developers who viewed the landscape primarily as a vehicle for wealth accumulation.
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