The Forgotten Campaign for Washington Statehood
Before Washington was a state, Col. C. H. Larrabee traversed the territory on a frantic tour to whip up support for a constitutional convention.
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.
Col. C. H. Larrabee will address his fellow citizens upon the importance of a speedy organization of a State Government. At the following named times and places: Snohomish, Saturday, March 23rd; LaConner, Monday, March 25th; Whatcom, Tuesday, March 26th; Coupeville, Wednesday, March 27th; Port Townsend, Thursday, March 28th; San Juan, Friday, March 29th; Steilacoom, Thursday, April 4th; New Tacoma, Friday, April 5th; Seattle, Sunday, April 6th; Port Gamble, Monday, April 8th.
“Upon the importance of a speedy organization of a State Government.”
This 1878 advertisement captures a pivotal moment of civic infrastructure building. Today, Seattleites are once again grappling with the structural challenges of state and local government as they debate regional housing and transit governance, echoing Larrabee's mid-19th-century quest for formal political standing.
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