The Wild West of Seattle Land Speculation
A single week in April 1889 shows the frantic, high-velocity churn of property ownership as Seattle’s real estate fever hit a boiling point just months before the Great Fire.
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.
Real estate transactions to date since January 1, 1889, total $5,830,189.52. For the week, the aggregate was $182,859.25. The real estate market during the week has been quiet as compared to former weeks; nevertheless, the showing is good. Titles are stiff, and there is a very encouraging demand for all descriptions of realty. The list includes scores of transactions across the city, from library site donations to individual lot sales in new additions like Denny & Hoyt’s, East Seattle, and the Motor Line add. Transactions span from $1 land transfers to $11,000 deals, reflecting a city in the midst of a massive, rapid expansion and land-fever transformation.
“Titles are stiff, and there is a very encouraging demand for all descriptions of realty.”
This 1889 list captures the frantic, speculative energy of a city before the Great Seattle Fire leveled the business district. Just like today's headlines regarding Seattle’s housing market, the records show how rapidly neighborhoods were platted and sold, setting the stage for the concentrated ownership and development patterns that have defined the city for over a century.
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