The Artisan of the Seattle Frontier
Before the city became a tech hub, it was built by tradesmen; M. J. Oldis established a stoneyard at the foot of Second Street to provide the marble and masonry that would give a permanent face to a wood-plank town.
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.
Puget Sound Stoneyard. M. J. Oldis, at the foot of Second Street, Seattle. Every variety of cemetery work executed in marble and all other stone, with neatness and dispatch. Also, all kinds of mason's building material kept for the market. Also, agent for the sale of the San Juan lime. All orders promptly filled, and satisfaction guaranteed.
“Every variety of cemetery work executed in marble and all other stone, with neatness and dispatch.”
In 1875, Seattle was a growing town carving its infrastructure out of the wilderness, and masonry was the mark of civic maturity. Today, the corner of Second and the waterfront—once home to marble cutters and lime sellers—is defined by high-rise steel and glass, yet the struggle to define the city's permanence remains the same.
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