The Iron Mountain That Built a City: How Denny’s Discovery Fueled Seattle’s Industrial Ambition

The Queen City of the Sound Basin.

The Chief Commercial City of Washington.

Seattle has been selected for illustration and review as the central and most important point on Puget Sound, the chief city of Washington Territory and the second commercial city in the Pacific northwest. Seattle is entitled to these several designations by virtue of facts and undisputed by all candid persons familiar with the country.

Examination of Seattle as to its situation and surroundings shows that the activities of the place have their causes in a natural and stable order of things, in resources permanent and industry expanding. What is there, is there of its own motion, drawn by natural and wholesome attraction. There has been no outside and artificial help and no forced development. Seattle stands squarely upon its own merits.

The Denny Iron Mining Company Deal.

Mr. Kirk, or now properly to the company which he represents, we have not been made public, but it may be stated that the Denny Iron Mining company will receive a royalty of ten cents on all the ore taken out of the mine. The details of the lease have been arranged in a manner satisfactory to all parties concerned.

A few words in regard to the mine may not be out of place here. As has been said it is a mountain of nearly pure iron ore of a highly magnetic quality and it has been asserted by experts that no similar deposit is known to exist. The ore, which has been subjected to every known test, is easily reduced and for steel making purposes is unexcelled.

This rich deposit of ore, which a hundred generations of miners could not exhaust, is on the line of the Seattle, Lake Shore Eastern railway and will in a few months be easily accessible. In its immediate vicinity are measureless forests and deposits of lime and of coal of an excellent coking quality which are practically inexhaustible. In these respects the location of the mine is all that can be desired, and it is confidently asserted that steel of a better quality can be produced from its ore at a less cost than at any other point in the world.

Seattle's Strategic Position.

The situation of Seattle is strikingly fine. The city stands on the east side of Elliott Bay... rising in steep terraces from the shore line... To the west is the view across the green and purple waters of the sound to the Olympic mountains... To the east there is a noble view across Lake Washington to the Cascade mountain range, with Mount Baker at the northeast and the grander peak of Rainier at the south.

The Lakes.

Lake Union lies to the northeast of Seattle... separated from Elliott Bay by a high ridge... On its northern side the lake is separated from Salmon Bay... At this point there is no ridge, and between the lake and the bay there is a ditch or channel by which the former discharges its surplus water.

Southeast of Lake Union... is LAKE WASHINGTON, A noble body of water from three to six miles wide and about thirty miles long. It lies parallel with the Sound... and discharges into the Duwamish river, a navigable stream which falls into Elliott Bay two or three miles south of Seattle.

Such a connection [a ship canal] would make for Seattle an inland harbor where vessels could go in few minutes time and enjoy all the advantages of a port with anchorage. It would also parallel and double the water front of the city.

Trade.

There are five banks... The aggregate deposits at the time exceed $50,000... 'Our deposits,' he said, 'aggregated $367,900 in August last. In December the aggregate was $485,000. In February they stood at $68,000, and today (April 17th) they are $251,000.'

The trade organisation is not heavy... but it is on a wholesome basis and is thoroughly stable. The whole amount of capital employed in jobbing is about $1,500,000.