An Invitation to the Timberlands
A New Jersey pattern maker seeks a new life in the Pacific Northwest, prompting a classic territorial pitch for labor and land.
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.
A correspondent, writing from Elizabeth, New Jersey, under date of February 26th, says: 'Having caught sight of the Weekly Intelligencer of January 20th, I should think, after perusing its columns, that that part of Washington Territory would be a good place to emigrate to. I should, therefore, like to ask you a few questions: 1. What is the show for a pattern maker to find employment carpenter and what is the general run of wages for good men of that capacity? 2. Are there any good claims vacant yet on or near navigable rivers? We are not kid-gloved gentry, but good mechanics and not afraid of work.' If we may accept the closing sentence of our correspondent's letter as the key-note of his and his companions' character, we think we can safely advise them to come hither with assurance that they will do well. The wages of ordinary skilled mechanics here range from $3 to $5 per day. As to the second question, we can answer that there are yet plenty of good claims to be taken, of both timber and agricultural lands, on and near navigable waters.
“We are not kid-gloved gentry, but good mechanics and not afraid of work, let it be what it may.”
In 1877, Seattle was a frontier boomtown hungry for skilled labor to clear forests and build infrastructure, promising a 'fortune' to those willing to work. Today, the city remains a destination for workers seeking opportunity, though the promise of affordable land and 'navigable water' claims has been replaced by a crushing battle for housing density and affordability.
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