The Price of Warmth in 1876
As Seattle grew, the Renton Coal Company leveraged its local supply to promise affordability, offering a ton of coal for six dollars—or four for shareholders.
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 Renton Coal Company, R. Sanderson, President; F.H. Henderson, Secretary. Office at 404 Battery Street, San Francisco. Location of works: Black River, King County, W.T. This company is selling a superior article of coal at $6 per ton, and furnishing stockholders coal, as per stipulations, at the rate of four dollars per ton. Apply at the office of the Renton Coal Co. on Commercial Street, Seattle, W.T.
“This company is selling a superior article of coal at $6 per ton.”
Energy costs remain a critical flashpoint in Seattle, just as they were in the 1870s when the region’s industrial expansion relied on local coal. Today's debates over utility rates and the shift to green energy mirror this historic struggle to balance corporate profit with the basic necessity of keeping a home warm.
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