The Boom-Town Hustle of 1891
A manic snapshot of real estate fever and the desperate search for help in early Seattle.
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.
Crisp Snaps: The Rainier Improvement Company has opened for traffic the street which is currently being built at Lake Washington. This street is available for the first time, a thoroughfare ideal for business. The lake is destined to become very valuable as an area of residence. Those interested will be apprised when they register their name at the office. We have several tracts for home-seekers. We offer a ten-acre tract at $350 per acre; 5-acre tracts at $400 per acre; 5-acre tracts at $500 per acre, cleared, $800, and plenty of water.
“The lake is destined to become very valuable as an area of residence.”
This advertisement from January 1, 1891, captures Seattle in a moment of frantic transformation. As the city expanded toward Lake Washington, developers used the promise of 'convenience' and 'future value' to sell tracts, mirroring the real estate speculation that remains a defining, and often contentious, feature of the region's urban development today.
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