The City That Almost Wasn't: How Seattle Lost Its Railroad Bet
When the Northern Pacific Railroad bypassed Seattle in favor of Tacoma, local investors faced a choice: watch their city wither or build their own line.
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.
Five years ago, the Commissioners of the Northern Pacific Railroad advertised for proposals for the location of the terminus of that road on Puget Sound. The bid of Seattle, guaranteed by the Common Council and the principal property holders of the town, included: 750 town lots; 3,000 acres of land; 3 miles of water front on Duwamish Bay; 4,800 feet of city water front; $200,000 in city bonds; and $50,000 in gold coin—estimated at a total value of $717,000. This bid was rejected in favor of Tacoma. Seattle has lost nothing by the decision, however. The people have but to act promptly to secure more valuable and direct connections. Upon the suggestion to build a railroad to Walla Walla, the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad Company was organized. Unfortunately, selfish considerations came in to thwart its progress. Many who subscribed to the project under the fear that Seattle would lose all commercial supremacy thought they discovered a way to share in the advantages of a railroad without incurring any of the cost or liability. Consequently, many refused to transfer their subscriptions, which retarded the work. Had these property holders not withheld their support, we have no doubt that with the capital pledged as a bonus, the railroad would have been completed two years ago. Seattle would have a population of 20,000 today, and a property value at least five times as great as at present.
“For a corporate company to attempt to dictate to the Government the terms upon which it will consent to receive a bonus or gratuity for the construction of a railroad... is insolent presumption, such as no government and no free people should ever tolerate for a moment.”
The 1873 anxiety over a missing railroad terminus mirrors modern Seattle’s perennial struggles with transit connectivity and the 'growth vs. cost' debate. The editorial highlights a classic struggle: individual property owners hoping for public infrastructure benefits while refusing to share the collective financial burden of building them.
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