The Boomtown Hype of 1888

Brother Jonathan wandered westward 40 years seeking the chosen spot to plant the seeds of empire in Seattle. All far-seeing people admit that on the east side waters of Puget Sound, at Seattle, will arise the Queen City of the Pacific. The advance guard of this tide coming to Seattle began to arrive in force before January 1888. Portland's delegation came by wholesale; three agricultural implement, three grocery and commission, and one wooden and willow ware, $500,000 strong. Chicago sends a branch of the great pork-packing house of Armour Brothers and a grocery jobbing house. The Standard Oil Company has secured a foothold in the center of population on the Pacific. Michigan is represented in the grocery and dry goods line, as well as by a strong sawmill delegation. Valparaiso has located her colony, flouring mill, grain elevator, commission, factories, and merchants $500,000 strong. Little Rock sends her flouring mill and grain commission delegation. Alaska sends a wool and grain representation. San Francisco representatives have secured front lots at $450,000 value. The Boston delegation will equal in value that of our own. St. Paul and Minneapolis representatives are in full force scouring lots, and New York's representatives have mailed $5,000,000 more towards building the best paying transcontinental railroad in America, the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern. The representatives of four more iron and steel works, four more brick works, California oil brick works, Hall Brothers and one other shipbuilding yard, two cooking works, paper mill, sawmill, pulp mill, excelsior factory, the largest dry docks on the coast, fish, fruit, and vegetable canneries, have all arrived and secured a permanent foothold in the hills of the west.