The Grand Pythian Ball at the Hotel Monte Cristo
Everett’s social calendar hit a peak in 1894 with a lavish ball hosted by the Knights of Pythias for hundreds of local guests.
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.
Festivities of the Easter holidays came tripping in under the gorgeous banner of the Knights of Pythias, who welcomed about 200 guests at their grand ball in the Hotel Monte Cristo on Monday evening. Manager Irving simply surrendered the whole to the Pythians for the occasion. It was resplendent with electric lights in every room while the elegantly furnished reception room and parlors were never so inviting. After being formally received in the parlors the guests found their way to the first floor, where the large dining hall and the office rotunda were transformed to the ball rooms, with the orchestra of the First regiment furnishing the music. At midnight supper was announced in the upper halls, two long tables seating over a hundred each being placed on the second and third floors. Mayor Wallting spoke to the toast of the 'City of Everett,' and Mr. J. C. Mitchell responded to the sentiment, 'Everett Lodge, No. 38.'
“It was resplendent with electric lights in every room while the elegantly furnished reception room and parlors were never so inviting.”
The Hotel Monte Cristo was a cornerstone of early Everett’s identity as a 'magic city' built by industrial barons. Today, the hotel's legacy reflects the boom-and-bust nature of regional growth and the aspirations of towns that hoped to become the next Seattle.
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