The Struggle for the Snoqualmie Pass Trail
As Seattle grew, settlers in the Kittitas Valley argued that their future prosperity—and the survival of their farms—depended entirely on carving a road through the Cascade Mountains.
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.
Through the medium of your journal, much has been said regarding this locality, the magnificence of the scenery, and unlimited acreage awaiting the hands of industry. We desire settlement, and we know population is wealth. While I am satisfied with the country, I would not counsel anyone to break up a comfortable home to come here and undergo the hardships which always attend the settlement of new countries. To me, there are no better inducements offered today west of the Missouri River than can be found in the Kittitas Valley and other parts of Yakima County. What we want is numbers—workers, men of determination. Our future for weal or woe depends upon the class that comes among us. We have an opportunity and a sufficient number of inhabitants to justify the immediate action of the whole to go at once and place the road in a good condition to the summit of the Snoqualmie Pass. All it requires is labor, and there is scarcely a man in this valley who should not be willing to give from three to six days work towards the constructing and repairing of this road. If King County, as a county, cannot assist, are there sufficient private citizens that have the will and capital to enter into this undertaking? I am confident we will take care of this side and give a good wagon road to the very summit; one that can be traveled at all seasons of the year.
“We have an opportunity and a sufficient number of inhabitants to justify the immediate action of the whole to go at once and place the road in a good condition to the summit of the Snoqualmie Pass.”
This 1877 plea for mountain infrastructure reflects the enduring struggle to connect Eastern and Western Washington. Just as the Kittitas farmers sought a wagon road to Seattle markets, today’s debates over I-90 capacity and mountain pass accessibility continue to define the economic tether between the Puget Sound and the inland agricultural hubs.
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