The Dream of a Seattle Shipyard
In 1877, local merchants were urged to stop waiting for 'something to turn up' and collectively invest in a local shipbuilding industry to jumpstart the economy.
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 has been a great deal of talk among our business men about ship-building, and they are continually regretting the fact that no one comes along with a pile of money and starts a ship-yard here. A large ship-yard or a number of them could be accommodated at this place as well as any point we know of on the continent. A good ship-yard would also be one of the most valuable acquisitions within the reach of our city. It would give a remarkable incentive to business of all kinds; every one would profit by it, and the holders of real estate would be largely benefited. It would bring a considerable industrial population to our city—ship carpenters would come here with their families, make their homes here, and spend their earnings among our merchants. But as desirable as this result may be, we can only hope to realize it at a very distant time if the same tardy policy be pursued that has characterized the past. This eternal waiting for 'something to turn up' has grown monotonous. The results we crave can be brought about by co-operation. In this, we should take the cue from some of the shipbuilding towns on the Atlantic coast, such as Yarmouth, N.S. or Calais, Maine. There, the vessels are built mostly by the merchants of the town. A 'master builder' decides on her dimensions, engages a yard, and estimates the cost. He then divides her into so many shares, takes a certain number himself, and then starts out among the merchants, who take a share or number of shares each, paying a certain amount in cash, but principally in goods at retail rates. Why can’t our merchants do likewise?
“This eternal waiting for something to turn up has grown monotonous, and it is quite time that we set about 'turning up' for ourselves.”
The 1877 call for Seattle merchants to pool resources to build infrastructure echoes the modern, often-contentious debates over how to fund public projects and preserve local industry in a rapidly gentrifying city. The paper’s frustration with 'eternal waiting' serves as a reminder that Seattle’s struggle to balance massive growth with local, tangible development is a cycle spanning over a century.
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