The American House: A Seattle Lodging Haven in 1879
Before the city became a tech hub, the American House offered travelers and workers a reliable place to stay, promising fair rates and the promise of no Chinese labor.
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.
American House, George Welsh, Prop. Mill Street, Near Steamboat Landing, Seattle, W.T. Board and lodging per week from $5 to $8, according to room occupied. Meals and beds first class. Each guest conveyed to and from the house free of charge. Special reduction made to families. No Chinese employed.
“No Chinese employed.”
This advertisement, appearing in a Snohomish County tax listing paper, highlights the stark reality of the 1870s Pacific Northwest, where 'No Chinese Employed' was a common, xenophobic selling point. Today, the site near the historic Seattle waterfront has transformed from a labor-segregated boarding house into one of the most diverse and densely populated urban centers in the country.
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