Who Cares for the Poor in King County?
A call for sealed bids to provide housing and medical care for the county's indigent population in 1877.
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.
Notice is hereby given that the Board of Commissioners of King County, W.T., invites sealed proposals for the care of the indigent poor of said county for one year from and including the first day of March, 1877. Said proposals are solicited separately for the board, care, and lodging of said poor, and for their medical and surgical attendance, and collectively for their board, care, lodging, and medical and surgical attendance. All bids to be delivered to the Auditor of said County on or before the third day of February, 1877, and to be opened and acted upon by the Board during their regular session, to commence February 5th, 1877, the Board reserving the right to reject any and all bids. By order of the Board, M. S. Booth, Auditor.
“Said proposals are solicited separately for the board, care, and lodging of said poor, and for their medical and surgical attendance.”
This 1877 notice for outsourcing the care of the poor captures a stark, transactional era of social welfare. Today, King County grapples with similar questions of civic responsibility for vulnerable populations, though the scale and methodology of public service have evolved from a contract-bid model to complex regional agencies.
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