The 1878 Great Seattle Tax Auction
Before the skyline, there was the spreadsheet: A massive public auction of delinquent Seattle properties reveals the names, debts, and land-holdings of the city's pioneer founders.
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.
Under and by virtue of an act of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Washington, approved November 9th, 1875, I will sell at public auction at the Court House in the city of Seattle, the real estate described in the following list for the delinquent City Taxes for the year 1877, unless the same be sooner redeemed by the owners or their agents. The sale will commence on Monday, April 1st, 1878, at 10 o’clock A.M., and continue from day to day until all such real estate shall have been sold or twice offered for sale. Among the many properties listed are those of A.A. Denny, H.S. Allen, and various lots in the Maynard, Boren, and Bell plats, with tax delinquencies ranging from a few cents to over one hundred dollars.
“The DISPATCH is now conducted by four practical printers and experienced editors and publishers, who are determined to make it the best as well as the cheapest newspaper in Washington Territory.”
This 1878 notice serves as a grim map of early Seattle’s property landscape, featuring the names of families like Denny and Maynard who would define the city’s geography. It reminds us that even at the city's inception, property tax delinquency and the threat of displacement were central to the civic experience, mirroring the anxiety over housing stability that persists in Seattle today.
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