The Opium Dealer Next Door
In the early days of Seattle, a Chinese merchant operated not just a grocery, but an 'intelligence office' and opium den on Washington Street.
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.
The firm at No. 112 Washington Street advertises itself as successor to Chiong Coon Long & Co. Its notice lists house-furnishing goods, tea, rice, opium, and groceries.
The same address is given for an intelligence office. The advertisement offers no further detail about the opium stock or the firm’s operations.
This advertisement from May 1877 captures the complex reality of Seattle's early Chinatown. While modern readers might focus on the illicit 'opium' trade, the listing of 'Foreign Goods,' 'Tea,' and 'Rice' alongside an 'Intelligence Office' highlights how these businesses served as vital community hubs for immigration, employment, and cultural connection during a period of intense exclusion and discrimination.
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