The 'Inner Man' Restored in Pioneer Seattle
A classic 1876 appeal to the hungry traveler invites patrons to the Puget Sound Restaurant, promising a reprieve from the exhaustion of the frontier.
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 Restaurant, Mill Street, opposite the Custom House. The undersigned proprietor of the above establishment takes pleasure in announcing to the residents of all the public generally that he has opened a first-class restaurant. Meals served at all hours. Banquets, wedding parties, and parties of all kinds will be catered to on short notice. Strangers, and all who feel weak and want to be restored, know ye! That you can have your spirits resuscitated and the inner man satisfied by calling at the Puget Sound Restaurant, where steaks, chops, and all the delicacies of the market are served in the best New York style. Fresh-made candies and an assortment of fine candies are constantly on hand. Wedding cakes on the shortest notice. Ball suppers and picnics supplied at moderate prices.
“Strangers, and all who feel weak and want to be restored, know ye! That you can have your spirits resuscitated and the inner man satisfied.”
In 1876, Seattle was a rough-hewn timber town advertising 'New York style' dining to signal civilization and comfort to newcomers. Today, the struggle to define Seattle's culinary identity continues, though the price of being 'restored' has shifted from the modest fees of 1876 to the high cost of modern urban living.
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