The Tacoma Bachelor Hoax
When a false newspaper report claimed the Mayor of Tacoma was soliciting wives for his countrymen, he was swamped with heartfelt letters from women across the country.
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.
Mayor Wheelwright of Tacoma was greeted this morning by a massive bundle of letters in his post-office box, addressed to 'W. A. Wheelwright.' The letters were from fair, young, and lonesome eastern damsels who had seen a newspaper dispatch stating the Mayor was writing for wives for his countrymen. The hoax has become a burden, though it reveals a serious side: good-looking, industrious women, toiling in factories and stores, are desperate for a respectable home and protection. One letter from Cleveland, Ohio, reads: 'If you have a good man about 30 years old, I would like to get married. There are three or four girls here that want husbands and they wouldn't write. I told them I would write and see if I had any success.'
“Would rather marry a stranger than any. If I get an answer will send my photograph in return mail.”
This story highlights the intense gender imbalance and precarious economic conditions of the American West in the late 19th century, mirrored by the rise of modern digital 'mail-order' and app-based connections where geographic distance remains a barrier to finding community.
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