The Great Snohomish Meat Drain: A Local Market Opens to Stop the Flow of Imported Beef
While most towns relied on outside suppliers, Mr. Hilton’s new meat market aims to keep capital in Snohomish by supplying loggers locally.
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.
Mr. Hilton, whose meat market is also when advertised, commenced business only 10 months ago. Every dollar expended with him will help stop one of the drains upon our resources, that of the importation of meats into this county. We hope Mr. Hilton will be able to contract with every logger on this river the coming summer. It would enrich our county many a dollar if he could.
Mr. I. Cathcart, of the Exchange, is having dormer windows placed in the roof of the hotel, by means of which he will be able to utilize all of the third story for sleeping apartments, besides adding to the external appearance of the house. The 'Exchange' will afford eight more rooms, and greatly enlarge the accommodations. All who patronize the house will find the proprietor able to fulfill all his advertisement promises.
This 1876 notice highlights an early economic anxiety: the 'drain' of local wealth to outside suppliers. Today, Snohomish faces similar pressures from housing affordability and the high cost of living, where keeping money within the community is a constant struggle against external market forces.
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