The Forgotten Quest for Washington Statehood
A rare 1878 proclamation reveals the high-stakes, multi-district election held to draft a constitution that would finally bring Washington into the Union.
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.
Whereas, the Legislative Assembly of the Territory, by an act approved the 9th day of Nov., A.D. 1877, provided that a special election should be held in said Territory on the 9th day of April, 1878, for the purpose of choosing delegates to assemble at Walla Walla, in said Territory, on the 11th day of June, A.D. 1878, to frame a State Constitution. And whereas, it is further provided in said act that the delegates to said convention shall be elected in the Territory at large and in districts as follows: [district listings including Snohomish-area pairings]. Now, therefore, I, Elisha P. Ferry, Governor of the Territory of Washington, by virtue of the power and authority in me vested by said act, do hereby call a special election to be held in the several counties in this Territory on the ninth day of April, A.D. 1878, for the purpose of electing the delegates hereinbefore mentioned.
“For the purpose of choosing delegates to assemble at Walla Walla... to frame a State Constitution.”
This proclamation marks a critical turning point in Washington's transition from a disorganized territory to a formal state. It serves as a reminder that statehood was not inevitable, but a contentious, long-term political project that required complex coalition-building between rural counties and the growing urban hubs of Seattle and Olympia.
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