The Wedding of Necessity in Olympia
A couple from Columbia County traveled to Olympia for the fair, found no vacancy in the local hotels, and sought a creative solution from the local Esquire.
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.
Recently a couple of young folks called on Esquire F., and after considerable hesitations, requested to be united in the 'holy bands of matrimony,' which request the Squire at once proceeded to comply with. The bride, from the lateness of the hour and the peculiar nature of the call, thought some explanation necessary, and so very innocently remarked: 'We came from Columbia county to attend the Fair, but finding the taverns all full, and no place for Aleck to sleep, we concluded to get married, so he could sleep with me!' She was a girl worth having.
“We came from Columbia county to attend the Fair, but finding the taverns all full, and no place for Aleck to sleep, we concluded to get married, so he could sleep with me!”
Housing shortages driving life decisions is a perennial Olympia theme. In 1860, it was the 'taverns all full'; today, it is the lack of rental inventory, though modern couples likely have fewer options than a quick wedding for securing a place to sleep.
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