The City That Writes Its Own Future
Two weary travelers from the East declare Seattle’s newspaper a sign of civic maturity, deciding to make the Pacific Northwest their permanent home.
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.
"My comrade and myself have decided to locate in Seattle as soon as we can settle our affairs here. We think that a city that can produce such a fine, large and enterprising paper as the Post-Intelligencer is certainly a go-ahead piece, and just where we want to go to and stay."
In an era when Seattle was still fighting for recognition against older Eastern cities, residents used local institutions like newspapers as proof of 'civilization' and economic viability. Today, that same paper (now the Seattle Times) remains a central pillar of civic identity, though the city’s housing crisis has made the 'go-ahead' spirit of expansion increasingly difficult for new arrivals to afford.
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