The Boomtown Delusion of Port Townsend
In the late 1880s, Port Townsend boosters scrambled to convince the world that their city was destined to be the 'Frisco' of the Pacific Northwest.
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.
No effort has been spared to boost Port Townsend. While Seattle, Tacoma, and other cities have been sending out thousands of dollars worth of advertising matter broadcast over the country, the Port-of-Entry has never expended a dime in this direction. Yet, within two years, it has doubled in population, grown from a conservative little town of about 1,500 to a prosperous city of nearly 4,000 people. What lesson does this teach? It means that the natural and inherent advantages of our charming city have asserted themselves, broken through the crust of oblivion under the onerous load of lack of enterprise, and attracted to our midst a good share of the people and capital who are hieing them to the sun-kissed shores of Puget Sound. A syndicate of gentlemen got together a few months ago, put up $1,000 each, and sent surveyors out to examine the feasibility of a railroad connecting Quimper peninsula with the Columbia river. The Port Townsend Southern Railroad was then organized, and the work begun of getting a subsidy and right of way from the citizens. Today this subsidy is the largest ever offered a railroad—5,000 acres, speaking volumes for the generous spirit of the people.
“The ring of the hammer and sounds of industry are heard on every side, the peans of peace and plenty that are sweeter than the songs of triumph in war.”
This promotional copy reflects the classic 'Gold Rush' style of Pacific Northwest urban development, where ambitious railroad schemes and land speculation defined the regional identity. Today, Port Townsend’s 'Key City' aspirations have shifted from becoming a massive industrial metropolis to maintaining its historic character, echoing the perpetual tension between rapid expansion and the preservation of place.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.