The Sewing Machine Revolution Comes to Snohomish
Prominent citizens embrace the modern marvel of the era, bringing high-tech labor-saving to the frontier.
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.
All persons desirous of purchasing a sewing machine will please note the names of prominent citizens of Snohomish City, owning, and using the standard machine of the world: The Singer. These include: John Elwell, A. A. Blackman, W. F. Eddy, W. H. White, J. H. Hilton, H. S. Bronson, Joseph Garside, S. S. Well, Allen McDougal, and Capt. French. Machines are sold at $5 to $10 per month, and a liberal discount made for cash, or sold on six months time without interest.
“All persons desirous of purchasing a sewing machine, will please note the names of prominent citizens of Snohomish City, owning, and using the standard machine of the world.”
In the late 1870s, the sewing machine represented the cutting edge of industrial household technology, a 'smart' appliance that fundamentally changed labor expectations. Today, Snohomish deals with the opposite challenge—the automation and outsourcing of the clothing industry—but the tension between domestic manual labor and technological efficiency remains a recurring theme in the town's history.
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