The Great Capital Debate of 1889
Proponents of North Yakima push to designate the rising agricultural hub as the state capital, highlighting its central geography.
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.
Among the west side newspapers favorable to locating the permanent state capital at North Yakima is the Puyallup Citizen. It states that although the matter has not been discussed very extensively, nearly all agree that a change from the present location should be made. Excepting Olympia, there are no opponents for it among the Sound cities, and the only cities standing a ghost of a show seem to be Ellensburg and North Yakima, of which the latter now seems far in advance. The city is in exactly the center, east and west, of the state, and is computed to be in almost the center of population. It is connected by railroads with the east and west, and is so located that other roads crossing the Cascades will pass through it. It is surrounded by a fine agricultural country and bids fair to become the principal city of central Washington.
“The city is in exactly the center, east and west, of the state, and is computed to be in almost the center of population.”
This piece captures the fierce competition between early Washington towns to secure the political prestige and economic growth that a state capital provides, mirroring the ongoing regional rivalry for investment and influence in the Pacific Northwest.
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