The Boomtown Rhythms of Olympia
A report on the rapid industrial growth, real estate speculation, and social life transforming the capital city.
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.
Olympia is steadily maturing. The transition from stagnation to a lively and satisfactory state of things has been so rapid that in any other time and place it would be regarded as a veritable business boom. Our interests have never been in a better condition, and the army of loggers are kept busy at double the wages received two years ago. We have two railroads, and surveys have been made for still more extended operations in the construction of a standard gauge road from Black Lake bay to penetrate a large tract of timber. All these enterprises are tributary to Olympia. There is not a dwelling or business house in town that is not occupied; there is not a hotel that is not crowded to its utmost capacity. Socially, we have cause for congratulation. Our beautiful little city has always been noted for its hospitality to strangers, and the people are eminently social. Picnics, clam bakes, and soirees of all kinds are of almost daily occurrence. As an instance of the constant upward tendency of real estate, I note the fact that S. W. Williams received a bona fide offer last week of $1,500 for a single lot on Main street, which is fully double the value which was attached to it two years ago.
“There is not a dwelling or business house in town that is not occupied; there is not a hotel that is not crowded to its utmost capacity.”
This report captures the classic Pacific Northwest growth cycle of the 1880s, where small timber towns were rapidly rebranded as bustling cities. Today's Olympia, as the state capital, still grapples with the tension between its identity as a government center and the persistent, speculative pressures on its real estate market.
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