The 1889 Land Rush for West Seattle
Before the neighborhood was built, land agents were selling the dream of a 'gigantic smelter' and a booming future to investors on the waterfront.
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! Sanders' Addition: It beats them all. Located directly opposite the business portion of Seattle, and where Commercial Street will penetrate. Adjoining the White, Manning, Southern Pacific, Faegre's, 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, Mount Rainier, and the Cascade and Olympic ranges. We might mention a few of the many improvements that will be made in the vicinity: the Hall Shipyard and a gigantic smelter plant, of which some of our wealthy citizens and Chicago and San Francisco capitalists are the promoters. This 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. This property will be sold cheaper 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. Free steamboat transportation to and from the property.
“A grand opportunity to secure water front property at low prices and easy terms.”
This 1889 advertisement showcases the exact same speculative 'boomtown' rhetoric that has defined Seattle's real estate history for over a century. The promise of transit-oriented development and industrial hubs to inflate land values remains the blueprint for modern developers pushing the next 'up-and-coming' neighborhood.
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