Seattle’s First Call for a Seamen’s Bethel
In 1877, a local captain campaigned in New York to build a refuge for the thousands of sailors arriving in the 'future storehouse of the Territory'—a young, booming port that lacked any formal shelter for the maritime labor force.
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.
One object of the visit of Capt. S. S. Nickerson to the East is to present the claims of Seattle to aid in establishing a bethel and seamen's home before the proper authorities in New York. In order to give correct information, the captain has prepared the following facts: The city of Seattle is located on Elliott Bay, on the eastern shore, and central part of Puget Sound, 150 miles from the ocean. It was first settled in 1852, and now has a population of 4,000 souls. The waters are deep, and at Seattle, the largest ships may load at its wharfs to any depth required. During the last three years, the city has nearly doubled its wealth and population. When the Seattle and Walla Walla railroad, now in progress, shall be completed, connecting Eastern with Western Washington, then will the vast products of that prairie region flow into Seattle, the future storehouse of the Territory, bringing many foreign ships to this market. It is safe to say that 3,000 or 3,500 seamen have visited this port during the year 1877, and the prospects are that the number will increase annually. There is not a Seaman's Bethel on the Sound. A Bethel and Seamen’s Home is much needed at Seattle.
“Considering its advantageous position, immense resources of coal, timber, iron, fish and grain, we can safely conclude that Seattle will eventually be the largest city north of San Francisco on the Pacific coast.”
Capt. Nickerson's vision of Seattle as a global maritime hub remains true, but his advocacy for a 'Bethel' (a mission/shelter for sailors) highlights a forgotten history of how early port cities managed the social welfare of a transient, vital workforce. Today’s debates over harbor infrastructure and maritime labor rights still echo this 1877 struggle to provide basic safety and community for the people who arrive by sea.
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