The Great Flour Rush: Arkansas Millionaire Plans to Reshape Seattle’s North End
N.P. Elsenmeyer arrives from Little Rock with hundreds of feet of waterfront property and a promise to build a massive mill, sparking hopes for a new industrial boom in the city.
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.
A Large Flouring Mill to be Established in Seattle.
Mr. N. P. Elsenmeyer, of Little Rock, Arkansas, will soon build a large flour mill in Seattle. A few months ago Mr. Elsenmeyer made a tour of inspection through Oregon, California and Washington Territory for the purpose of seeing the country, and finally locating. After visiting all the points of interest he came to Seattle, and was so well pleased with the prospects that he purchased of Mr. D. T. Denny several hundred feet of water front property just below the barrel factory.
He then returned to Arkansas, closed up his business and sold out his interest in several flour mills, and on Wednesday he returned to Seattle, and will at once commence the construction of a flour mill of large capacity on his North Seattle property.
Mr. Elsenmeyer will petition the city council this evening to open and improve Harrison avenue, to enable him to have the material for the mill hauled on his property.
Mayor Minor said of the matter: "I feel sure that Mr. Elsenmeyer's request to have the street opened will be granted, for it is the course of the company to open streets wherever substantial improvements are to be made, and I am satisfied from a talk I had with this gentleman that he intends doing just what he says he will, and not only intends it, but has the money and ability to carry it out."
This 1890s land grab by an outside investor mirrors modern debates over corporate development versus local housing needs. Just as Elsenmeyer’s mill promised jobs but required city infrastructure subsidies, today’s developers often demand tax breaks or zoning changes in exchange for new construction, raising questions about who truly benefits from Seattle's rapid growth.
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