The St. Louis Capitalists Have Arrived
A delegation from the Mississippi Valley Trust Company visited Seattle to inspect the proposed Lake Washington Waterway, signaling the start of major harbor improvements.
The party of twelve St. Louis gentlemen who have been in Seattle during the past few days included a committee of five, who represented the Mississippi Valley Trust Company and the subscribers to the bonds of the Seattle & Lake Washington Waterway Company. All of these gentlemen came to Seattle on the invitation of our company in order that they might investigate for themselves the investment aspect of the proposition on which is based our contract with the trust company. Col. Flad, an engineer of international reputation, was the engineer charged by the committee with passing upon the engineering features, and Judge Boyle, the attorney to whom were referred the legal questions. The committee has not gone farther, at this time, than to assure the officers of this company that its report will be favorable.
“The engineer and attorney will have to make a report to the committee, and the committee will have to make a formal report to the subscribers to the bonds and the trust company.”
This visit marked a pivotal moment in the long-running, often contentious effort to connect Lake Washington to Puget Sound. The resulting canal, completed decades later, fundamentally reshaped Seattle's geography and ecology, mirroring the city's ongoing struggle to balance massive infrastructure projects with environmental and community impacts.
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