The Great Migration North: Why Settlers Chose Washington Over Drought-Stricken California
An 1877 report chronicles the shifting tides of American migration as thousands look to Puget Sound for a fresh start during a season of western uncertainty.
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.
There is a prospect that the accession of immigrants to the Pacific coast by way of San Francisco will be less than last year or, perhaps, the year before. The arrivals in that city during the month of January were 3,800, against 4,500 in the same month in 1876. Per contra, the January departures were 2,500 this year. The month’s gain in those respective years stood at 1,300 for 1877. The diminution is very large in the Chinese element, those coming being solid eastern settlers. The spring months will probably show a healthy increase. It is probable that Washington Territory will gain more heavily in proportion this year than California, not only on account of the drought in that State, but also because of the greater area of fertile lands remaining open for pre-emption and homestead occupancy.
“It is probable that Washington Territory will gain more heavily in proportion this year than California, not only on account of the drought in that State, but also because of the greater area of fertile lands remaining open for pre-emption and homestead occupancy.”
In 1877, settlers were fleeing California's environmental instability for the 'fertile lands' of Washington, much like today’s climate- and cost-driven migration patterns. The dream of affordable housing and available land in Seattle has shifted from the frontier era's homesteading to a modern struggle with urban density and rapid regional growth.
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