The Snohomish Exchange Hotel: A Haven for Travelers and Troublemakers
An 1876 advertisement for a prominent Snohomish establishment highlights the rough-and-tumble hospitality expected of a frontier boomtown.
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 Snohomish Exchange, located in Snohomish City, Washington Territory, is the best hotel in Snohomish County in every respect. First-class board is always furnished at moderate rates. The bar is supplied with the best wines and liquors north of San Francisco. Also, a first-class billiard table is provided to accommodate the patrons of this house. — Isaac Cathcart, Proprietor.
“The bar is supplied with the best wines and liquors north of San Francisco.”
In the 1870s, the 'Snohomish Exchange' was the literal center of town gravity, offering sustenance and spirits to travelers. Today’s Snohomish retains much of that same historic downtown charm along First Street, though the 'moderate rates' and high-proof spirits have been replaced by boutique lodging and craft microbreweries, illustrating the town's evolution from a timber-milling outpost to a heritage destination.
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