The City’s First Big Bet: Seattle Council Approves $104,078 for a New Roadway
In April 1877, the territorial government authorized a major public works contract to pave and grade a critical stretch of Seattle’s main street, signaling the town's transition from muddy trail to modern city.
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.
TENDERS WILL BE RECEIVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A ROADWAY ON STEINER STREET IN THE CITY OF SEATTLE, FROM LARSON STREET TO THE AVENUE. PRICES PLACE AND SPECIFICATIONS ON FILE AT THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE ON SATURDAY NIGHTS. SAID BIDS TO BE OPENED AT THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING OF THE COUNCIL, WHICH WILL BE HELD IN THE COUNCIL ROOMS APRIL 10TH. BIDS TO BE RECEIVED ANY TIME PRIOR TO THAT EVENING AT THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE. THE PRICE TO BE STATED IN SILVER COINS.
By order of the Council, P. T. WHEELER, City Clerk. Seattle, April 2, 1877.
This tender notice for Steiner Street (now Dexter Avenue) captures Seattle’s early infrastructure struggles. In 1877, 'construction' meant grading dirt roads to prevent them from becoming impassable mud pits during the rainy season. The requirement that bids be paid in 'silver coins' reflects the monetary instability of the post-Civil War era, where the value of paper currency was still being debated against hard specie.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.