The Price of Poverty in Pioneer Seattle
King County officials put out a call for bids to house and feed the 'indigent poor,' treating human welfare as a municipal contract.
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 to be submitted separately for the board, care and lodging of said poor, and for their medical and surgical attendance; and collectively for their board, care, and medical 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. Dated Seattle, January 16th, 1877.
“Said proposals to be submitted separately for the board, care and lodging of said poor, and for their medical and surgical attendance.”
In 1877, Seattle treated the unhoused and impoverished as a low-bid procurement contract. While modern systems have replaced these ad-hoc county bids with more complex social safety nets, the fundamental struggle to balance fiscal austerity with the moral duty to provide shelter remains a central, unresolved friction in Seattle's civic life today.
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