The Lure of the West: A Pioneer’s Review of the New Frontier
An old-timer returns from an Eastern tour to report on the state of the Northern Pacific line and the promise of the Washington Territory.
I wish to inform my acquaintances that I have just returned from the Eastern States. I went on the pioneer excursion train and I must say that I had a first-class passage, as the Northern Pacific railroad was in splendid order. The weather was fine and we enjoyed it. I fell in company with a great many old Oregonians whom I had not seen since 1855. Washington Territory can surpass any State in the Union in the production of hops, wheat, oats, barley, timothy, clover, or any domestic grass, vegetables, or fruit, except tropical kinds. I have lived here for 31 years and have had some experience. I can say we have the best market on the coast for all kinds of produce and stock. When I went back to old Ohio, where I was born, I expected to see farms and cities far in advance of this new wooden country, but I was disappointed. I found more old run down, dilapidated buildings and towns than I ever saw in my life. Who would hesitate to come West and pay a good price for land, where he can make the money off the land to pay for it?
“Who would hesitate to come West and pay a good price for land, where he can make the money off the land to pay for it?”
This letter captures the classic 'booster' spirit of 1880s Seattle, where settlers positioned the Pacific Northwest as a superior alternative to the 'dilapidated' East. It mirrors the persistent tension in Seattle's history between being a remote frontier and a thriving, productive global city.
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