The Coney Island of the Northwest: East Seattle’s Forgotten Boom
A late 1880s real estate pitch aimed to transform Mercer Island into a glittering, elite playground for Seattle's elite, promising a future rivaling New York's greatest amusement parks.
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.
Why, it is the talk of the town! What is? Why, the future of East Seattle. They say it is going to be the Coney Island of Washington Territory. Everybody and his best girl were out sailing and on the island Sunday. The cable cars were crowded; the lake was alive with steam craft and pleasure boats of all descriptions. They say Stern, Miller Co. propose to make it the pleasure spot of the Northwest. It will be the home of the elite and the day pleasure resort of the entire Sound. Hotels, a boat-house, dancing pavilion, carryalls, and all varieties of pleasure facilities will be erected for man, woman, and child. For information, call at the P. Boyd & Co. office, or see Stern, Miller Co. at James and Second Streets, Seattle.
“It will be the home of the elite and the day pleasure resort of the entire Sound.”
Today's high-density development on Mercer Island (formerly East Seattle) is a far cry from the 'Coney Island' vision of 1889. While the specific amenities have changed, the intense promotion of the island as a premier 'resort-like' retreat for the wealthy continues to echo in its current status as a highly sought-after, affluent enclave.
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