The Great Expansion of Seattle's Streetcars
City Hall invites competitive bids for a massive expansion of railway lines, shaping the city's growth in the late 19th century.
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 City Council has determined that a franchise for the laying down of street railway tracks and construction and operation of said street railway along and upon certain streets should be granted for a period of twenty-five years. It offers to grant the same to the person, company or corporation who will pay the highest sum for said franchise. The routes include lines extending toward Salmon Bay, Green Lake, Woodland Park, Ballard, and various city additions. Bids must be filed with the city clerk before Tuesday, the ninth day of August, 1892.
“Does offer to grant the same to the person, company or corporation who will pay the highest sum for said franchise.”
The 1890s were the golden age of the streetcar in Seattle, fundamentally dictating which neighborhoods would flourish and which would remain isolated. This bureaucratic resolution illustrates the 'growth machine' in action, as the city essentially auctioned off its geography to private rail conglomerates.
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