The Pioneer Plowshare of Seattle
A relic of Seattle's agricultural origins, forged by a local blacksmith, stands as a reminder of the city's humble beginnings.
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.
W. N. Bell exhibits with some pride an old plowshare at his home in this city. This relic of history was part of the first plow used in Seattle, and perhaps the first in the Territory. It was made by the late L. Y. Wyckoff, and was one of his first jobs after opening his blacksmith shop in this place. Mr. Bell had imported a plow from San Francisco for use in clearing his ground, but later wanted another to cultivate his potatoes with, a smaller one that the single ox he then owned could haul through the field. The plow was made to satisfy that want. The ox was hitched to it, and Hillary Butler held the plow while Mr. Bell guided the animal. The first round was made all right, but on the second, a root was struck, which must have been a treacherous one, and the ox utterly refused to toil further. The potatoes went without further cultivation.
“The first round was made all right, but on the second, a root was struck... and the ox utterly refused to toil further.”
This anecdote highlights how quickly Seattle shifted from a subsistence farming outpost to a major industrial hub. The plowshare serves as a physical anchor to the 'Pioneer' identity Seattle residents often invoke when discussing the city's rapid transformation.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.