A Massive New Gateway for Seattle
The Oregon Improvement Company prepares to construct a giant, copper-clad wharf to accommodate ocean steamers.
The story, cleaned up
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Mr. J. L. Howard assured a reporter that in the spring the Oregon Improvement Company would increase the wharf and warehouse facilities in this city. Mr. Coleman prepared plans for the new structure, which have been adopted. A structure of copper-covered piles will be driven, 240 feet wide and extending out 850 feet. It will be connected to the present wharf by a bridge 66 feet long, across Main street. A warehouse will be built, with a main building 200 feet long by 100 feet wide, with wings 150 feet long by 75 feet wide. With this wharf completed, the company will be prepared to accommodate at least six large ocean steamers at one time.
“With this wharf completed, the Improvement Company will be prepared to accommodate at least six large ocean steamers at one time.”
This infrastructure project reflects the rapid expansion of Seattle's waterfront during the 1880s, a period that transformed the city into a major maritime hub. Today, the scale of this project highlights how the city has repeatedly reshaped its geography to accommodate the booming commerce of the Pacific.
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