The Boom Before the Boom: Forecasting Washington's Future
An 1878 report predicted that Washington Territory’s natural resources and rapid population growth would soon make it a Pacific Northwest power, even as early settlers braced for statehood.
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.
According to the recent census, Walla Walla County has 5,700 people, Columbia has 5,771, and Whitman has 4,000. Indian troubles have kept women and children out of Whitman County, as it is much more exposed than its neighbors. There are today full 5,000 inhabitants in Whitman, and if there are no further Indian scares before the November election, these three counties will reach nearly 18,000 residents. Adding 15,000 for the three northern counties of Idaho, we will have 23,000. Including Stevens, Klickitat, and Yakima counties east of the Cascades, the number will swell to nearly 30,000. The counties west of the Cascades, including those bordering the Columbia River, will have no less than 45,000, making a total of 75,000 for the new state by November. Should Congress delay our admission as a State until 1880, we will likely have 100,000 people. With our geographical boundaries and immense natural resources, we will make a strong and influential State in the Union—at least 25 to 50 percent better than either Oregon or California. Capital and population will then flow to our borders to develop these resources. If we then administer our state government with economy and justice to our citizens, we will soon be in the flood tide of prosperity.
“If we then but administer our State government with economy and justice to our citizens, we will soon be in the flood tide of prosperity.”
This 1878 article captures the perennial Washington obsession with rapid population growth and the 'flood tide of prosperity.' It’s a fascinating glimpse of a time when the entire region was still betting its future on whether Congress would grant statehood, echoing the modern tensions between rapid development and the promise of a better quality of life.
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