The Promised Land of Eastern Washington
A look at the thriving agricultural output of the territory's interior as a draw for new settlers.
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.
The Puget Sound region is not the farming section proper of Washington Territory; the lumbering and mining interests greatly predominate here. Eastern Washington is the great grain-growing region of the Territory. In extent, the valley of the Sioux would be but a small portion in comparison. To say nothing of other grains, the wheat fields of Eastern Washington under cultivation have produced an average of not less than 35 bushels to the acre annually, and in some cases as high as 60 bushels to the acre, 50 bushels being considered as not an extraordinary crop, and there is no better watered section of the same extent upon the continent. These lands are all the way from 70 to 200 miles from Seattle, one of the best ocean ports in the world. With railroad communication, which will be established within the next five years at furthest, their products can be put in foreign markets at less expense than those from any section east of the Rocky Mountains 500 miles from the seacoast. Farm products now command as good prices and as ready a market in Eastern Washington as in Western Iowa. From these facts persons seeking homes may judge for themselves which section offers the greatest inducements to settlers.
“These lands are all the way from 70 to 200 miles from Seattle, one of the best ocean ports in the world.”
This 1878 report captures the early optimism regarding the agricultural potential of Eastern Washington, framing the region as a land of opportunity. Much like today’s headlines about the 'flight' from urban centers, this piece highlights the tension between Seattle’s industrial, port-based economy and the vast rural potential waiting for rail infrastructure to connect it to the world.
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