The Business of Death in King County
A stark 1877 notice reveals how Washington Territory handled the burial of those who died in poverty.
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.
Auditor’s Office, King Co., W. T., Nov. 20, 1877. Sealed proposals to bury all deceased persons for whose burial the county is responsible, exclusive of those at the county poor house, are hereby solicited. Said deceased persons to be buried in the county cemetery. All bids to be for county warrants, and to be filed with the Auditor on or before the first Monday in February, 1878. By order of the Board of County Commissioners. M. S. Booth, Clerk.
“Sealed proposals to bury all deceased persons for whose burial the county is responsible... are hereby solicited.”
Today, King County manages indigent burials through the Medical Examiner's office with a focus on public health and dignity. In 1877, this was a strictly transactional 'proposal' process where the lowest bidder secured the contract, highlighting the stark commodification of death for the indigent in the early days of the territory.
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