The Boomtown Race: Puyallup Stakes its Future on Banking
As the population surges, local business leaders in Puyallup rush to establish a formal financial institution, mirroring the rapid civic growth of late 19th-century Washington.
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.
Yesterday, the election of trustees for the city of Puyallup took place. The results: A. C. Campbell, 214; Wm. Shurman, 205; A. G. Matthews, 213; E. E. Sampson, 116; J. V. Meeker, 113; and A. J. Miller, 113. There being a tie between the last two gentlemen, it will necessitate a new election, as the trustees number only five.
The large amount of business conducted here, and which is daily on the increase, has led to the establishment of an additional bank in town. On Saturday evening the Farmers' & Traders' Bank of Puyallup was formed. The stockholders include A. C. Campbell, W. J. Bowman, Willis Boatman, Henry Williams, A. Gardella, A. J. Miller, A. G. Matthews, E. Jacobs, James Knox, Dr. Mitchell, R. Nix, and Dr. McCracken. The new bank building will be a two-story brick, 140x100, on the corner of Stewart and Meridian streets, presently occupied by Campbell & Co.'s implement warehouse. The capital stock of the corporation will be $50,000.
“The large amount of business conducted here, and which is daily on the increase, has led to the establishment of an additional bank in town.”
Puyallup's 1889 rush to build brick infrastructure and formalize banking echoes the current era of rapid urban development and gentrification in Puget Sound, where institutional investment often follows a sudden spike in local population and economic activity.
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