The Forgotten Lots of a Frontier Estate
A public auction notice reveals the mid-19th-century land holdings of the late James O. Libby, offering a glimpse into the early real estate speculation of the Puget Sound region.
Public Notice: On Saturday, December 18th, at 10 o'clock a.m., in front of Hay & Butler's store, corner of Commercial and Mill Streets, in the city of Seattle, I will sell at Public Auction to the highest bidder the following described property, belonging to the estate of James O. Libby, deceased: The southwest quarter (SW) of the southeast quarter (SE) of section twenty-six (26), and the west half (W) of the northeast quarter (NE) of section No. thirty-six (36), in township No. twenty-five (25) north, of range No. two (2) east, containing one hundred and twenty acres. Terms: Cash in U.S. gold coin on day of sale. - A.A. Atkins, Administrator of the estate of James O. Libby, deceased.
“Terms: Cash in U.S. gold coin on day of sale.”
This notice from 1875 reflects the era of rapid land privatization and homesteading in the Pacific Northwest. Today, these exact plots, once sold for gold coin, are part of the densely developed urban and suburban landscape of King County, illustrating the massive appreciation of land value that continues to shape Seattle’s current housing crisis.
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