The Boom Town That Never Quite Was
A speculative real estate advertisement touts Mukilteo as the next great industrial powerhouse, promising a future of ship-building and commerce that would forever alter the Snohomish County shoreline.
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 best opportunity ever offered to secure property that will soon be very valuable. I am offering my property in Mukilteo, divided into twenty-two strips of nearly nine acres each, extending from the bluff to the beach. Much of it is cleared, and towers have been built on the bluff. Four of these tracts are already sold. Credit will be given at low rates to those unable to pay cash. Also, I am offering property for the same sort of terms for manufacturing purposes. Bargains are offered in tracts of 40 and 80 acres for those desiring to settle. The natural advantages of Mukilteo are not exceeded by any other place on the Sound for fishing, milling, ship-building, or manufacturing purposes. All the steamers down the Sound to Snohomish, Whatcom, and Island Counties stop there going and returning. It is also on the direct route of steamers up the Sound. There is a most excellent landing for vessels of any draft in which to ship the products of Snohomish, Whatcom, and Island Counties in deep water vessels.
“The natural advantages of Mukilteo are not exceeded by any other place on the Sound.”
This 1880s advertisement perfectly captures the speculative fervor that built many Puget Sound towns. Today, Mukilteo is a bustling residential and ferry hub, reflecting the same desire for land and commerce that fueled these early real estate pitches, though the 'colony' dream of the 19th century has been replaced by modern suburban development.
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