The City’s Coldest Necessity
A historic advertisement reveals the reliance of early Seattle on the 'Seattle Wood Yard' to heat the city during harsh winters.
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.
SEATTLE WOOD YARD. - J. D. LOWMAN & CO., Proprietors. Dealers in hard and soft wood, kindling and coal. Delivered to any part of the city. Office on Front Street, near the Thornton Hotel or near the Custom House.
“Delivered to any part of the city.”
In 1886, access to reliable firewood and coal was a literal life-or-death necessity for survival in Seattle. Today, while the fuel source has shifted, the city continues to grapple with the essential, often-neglected infrastructure required to keep residents warm as energy costs fluctuate.
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