The Great West Seattle Land Rush of 1889
Before the West Seattle Bridge, developers enticed buyers with dreams of a 'gigantic smelter' and a booming industrial future.
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.
West Seattle! The Sanders' Addition. Located directly opposite the business portion of Seattle, and where Commercial street will penetrate. Adjoining the White, Manning, Southern Pacific, Faegres, and South Haven additions. A quarter of a mile of the water front has been platted into lots, and will be sold to the first comers. This is a grand opportunity to secure water front property at low prices and easy terms. The rear portion of this addition is admirably adapted for residence property, commanding a fine view of the city and harbor, Mt. Rainier, the Cascade and Olympic ranges of mountains. Scale of prices: $75, $100, $150, $200, $400. Terms—one-half cash, one-fourth in six months, and one-fourth in a year. We might mention a few of the many improvements that will be made in the vicinity of this property: the Hall Shipyard! A gigantic smelter plant, of which some of our wealthy citizens and Chicago and San Francisco capitalists are the promoters, will be established on the property adjoining the west line of this addition, in close proximity to the Seattle Southern Car Shops and Round Houses, in the direct line of the electric motor from the city of West Seattle, giving direct and rapid communication to Seattle proper, independent of steamboats and ferry lines. This property will be sold cheaper, considering location, than anything now offering on the market. Don't miss the opportunity to secure one or more of these lots. It will pay you to investigate regarding developments in this section of the city. Free steamboat transportation to and from the property.
“A quarter of a mile of the water front has been platted into lots, and will be sold to the first comers.”
The aggressive marketing of 'Sanders' Addition' as a future industrial powerhouse mirrors the long-standing Seattle tradition of selling 'next-big-thing' real estate on promises of infrastructure that often took decades to materialize. Today, that same waterfront is prime, high-value real estate, though the 'gigantic smelter' dream was replaced by residential and recreational development.
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