The Renton Addition Land Grab
A 1889 real estate advertisement lists the city's power brokers as buyers in a new development, telegraphing a future windfall ahead of infrastructure expansion.
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.
Do you want the earth? But you say that part of it is a road within the limits of a lot in Renton Addition. And if there is anything in the testimony of well-known men, by reading the following list of bona fide purchasers, you will realize the reason why: Hon. H. O. Stravs, Hon. C. H. Hanford, Chief Justice of Washington territory, Mr. Hugh S. J. Bant, proprietor of the Post-Intelligencer, Mr. W. E. Bailey, proprietor of the Evening Press, Mr. Maurice McMicken, T. M. Reed, Jr., register of the United States land office, Mr. W. Forrest, county auditor, Prosecuting Attorney Metcalfe, Mr. F. W. Holbrook, general manager of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad company, and Mr. Jerome Tulin. As work has been commenced on the Madison street cable road, prices will be advanced in Renton addition, as previously advertised, 10 per cent. Thursday, September 20. J. A. Crawford and Chas. T. Conover, agents.
“Do you want the earth? ... And if there is anything in the testimony of well-known men, by reading the following list of bona fide purchasers, you will realize the reason why.”
This 1889 advertisement showcases the 'insider' nature of Seattle's early land speculation, where political and media elites profited by buying land in areas where they knew municipal infrastructure (the cable car) would be built. It mirrors today's transit-oriented development struggles, where land value spikes along light rail lines continue to drive displacement and concentrated ownership.
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