The 'Key City' Hype Machine: A 19th-Century Real Estate Fever Dream
Before Seattle cemented its dominance, Port Townsend was positioning itself as the 'future great city of the New Northwest,' fueled by a massive, speculative railroad subsidy.
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 ever been made to advertise Port Townsend. While Seattle, Tacoma, and other cities have been fighting 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 grown from a conservative little town of about 1,500 to a prosperous city of nearly 4,000 souls. 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, 640 acres, speaking volumes for the generous spirit of the people, and exhibiting the enterprise and perspicuity that is bound to win in the race for greatness. Handsome business blocks are being erected, hundreds of private residences are going up, and the ring of the hammer and sounds of industry are heard on every side.
“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 1880s boom-town boosterism echoes the modern cycle of 'next big thing' urban development. Much like current debates over tech-driven growth and massive infrastructure subsidies, Port Townsend’s nineteenth-century financiers were betting their entire future on a single rail line, mirroring the high-stakes land speculation that continues to define Pacific Northwest real estate.
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