The Real Estate Pitchman: Seattle’s ‘Healthy’ Boom Before the Railroads Arrived
In September 1876, just two years before the Northern Pacific Railway would transform the town, a local newspaper ran an aggressive Q&A ad promising steady property values and fertile soil to entice settlers from Nebraska.
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 Daily Intelligencer of Seattle published a prominent Q&A section on Saturday, September 16, 1876, designed to answer inquiries from potential settlers. Addressing a subscriber from Nelson, Nebraska, the paper provided a detailed sales pitch for the town.
When asked about population, the paper claimed Seattle had about 3,500 residents, growing from 400 in 1869 to 2,200 in 1874. Regarding property values, they listed business lots between $1,000 and $20,000, and residence lots from $50 to $1,500.
Crucially, when asked if the market was 'brisk or dull,' the paper insisted: 'Property of all kinds in Seattle has always been very steady with a healthy increase... Real estate speculation has at times been somewhat overdone, inducing slight temporary reactions as may be said to be the case at the present time, making it an unusually favorable opportunity for making investments before the next inflation.'
The ad concluded with a lengthy excerpt from Meeker’s 'Western Washington' describing the land quality, urging buyers to look toward Snohomish and Whatcom counties for government land, while maintaining that Seattle itself offered 'plenty of vacant public land eligibly located' at $1.25 per acre.
This 1876 ad captures the pre-railroad era of Seattle real estate, where the town was still a small, struggling port city trying to convince outsiders that its 'steady' market was a safe bet. It stands in stark contrast to today’s housing crisis; while modern buyers worry about affordability and density, 19th-century promoters were busy manufacturing confidence in a town that hadn't yet become the major hub it is now.
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