The City That Wasn't: Port Townsend’s Bold Pitch to Steal Seattle’s Thunder
In January 1889, the Mayor of Port Townsend published a scathing list of 'facts' in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, arguing that his town was the true commercial heart of the Pacific Northwest while Seattle remained a mere backwater.
Investors and Home Seekers are Invited to Examine the Following Facts Relating to Port Townsend.
First—It is the Port of Entry for Puget Sound, and the natural Commercial center for the growing traffic of the Northwest Coast.
Second—The C. & O. Public buildings to be erected at Port Townsend.
Third—It has the safest, most accessible and commodious harbor on the Pacific coast north of San Francisco.
Fourth—It is soon to be connected with Portland, Or., by a railroad, now under construction, as part of a transcontinental system.
Fifth—It is to be the terminal point on Puget Sound for the traffic of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and is the principal shipping point for the Alaska trade.
Sixth—It has the most equable temperature, the least rainfall, and the lowest death rate of any point in Western Washington.
Seventh—Its building and street improvements for the past six months were nearly $200,000. A motor street car line is to be built at a cost of $125,000.
Eighth—Its general trade during 1888 exceeded $6,000,000.
Ninth—It is the county seat of Jefferson County and has a population of over 4,000.
Tenth—It is so situated as to command the products of seven counties, all rich in agricultural, timber and mineral resources.
Eleventh—It has steam saw mills with a daily capacity of 100,000 feet; iron smelter with daily output of tons; machine shops and marine ways, sash, flour and blood factories; brick yards, with such industries as steel works, rolling mills, boiler works, ice factory, etc., in prospect.
Twelfth—It offers home seekers, manufacturers and inventors special inducements in cheap lands and eligible sites for industrial establishments.
The above statements are Reliable in every particular, and are hereby authorized for publication.
W.H.H. LEARBED, Mayor of the City. D. V. SMITH, Pres. Port Townsend B'd Trade. ALLEN WEIR, Secy Board Trade.
This advertisement captures a moment of intense civic rivalry that feels surprisingly modern. Just as cities today compete for tech hubs or sports teams, 1889 Seattle and Port Townsend were locked in a battle for the title of 'Key City' of Puget Sound. While Port Townsend relied on its status as the original port of entry and federal hub, Seattle’s aggressive expansion of rail and dock infrastructure would soon render this pitch obsolete, turning the 'Key City' into a historic preserve while Seattle became the metropolis.
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