The Day Seattle’s Streets Became a Minefield
In September 1876, the city’s main commercial artery was so full of potholes and water that officials warned it would become 'deplorable' before winter set in.
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 lower portion of Commercial street is in very bad condition, from Washington street down to Jackson, and it should certainly be fixed up before the wet weather sets in. The street is full of sags and little knolls, which at present render it very uncomfortable for parties passing over it with vehicles, on account of the annoying jolt that is caused by them. In the winter water will settle in these vages and be absorbed instead of running off, rendering the street almost impassable. This matter should be attended to immediately, for if it be neglected, this street, over which the travel the coming winter will be much increased as compared with that of last year, will be in a deplorable condition. The cess pool caused by a leakage in the water pipes, at the corner of Main and Commercial streets should be also attended to.
More than 140 years later, Seattle residents still complain about the 'sags' and 'knolls' of Pike Street, 2nd Avenue, and other historic corridors. The struggle to maintain infrastructure in a growing city—balancing the needs of wagons then and cars now against the relentless Pacific Northwest rain—remains one of the most persistent civic headaches in the region.
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