The Boom on the Heights: How Seattle’s Real Estate Hype Reached for the Sky in 1888

The situation of Seattle is such as to command a variety of eligible locations for residences. From the summit of the heights that intervene between the bay and Lake Washington, the eye can behold a scene, no lovelier than which can be found in the world. To the west, lie the scarred and rugged peaks of the mighty Olympic range, whose summits seem to form a mighty resting pillar for the vault of the sky. At their base, for hundreds of miles, stretch the blue waters of Puget Sound, until they lose themselves in the mighty Pacific. To the east, the serrated Cascades stretch in a series of irregular chains, their grandeur relieved here and there by some gigantic peak, such as Mt. Rainier, or Mt. Baker. Lake Washington, like the gem it is, nestles close at your feet. The whole picture is one gorgeous panorama, such as only the Master-hand can fashion. Add to this the fact that you can be carried to these delightful resorts by cable cars and landed within a few steps of your own threshold, and then who can wonder that the demand for lots in Jackson and Rainier Streets Addition is unprecedented. The location is admirable. It is just far enough removed from the noise and bustle of the everyday metropolitan life of this growing young city, to make it a resting ground for the richest on earth.