The Great Rooming Squeeze of 1888
As Seattle prepared for a massive Fourth of July celebration, the city’s committee made a desperate public appeal to residents to open their private homes to visitors.
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.
The committee in charge of the Fourth of July celebrations are making strenuous efforts to provide for the thousands who are to be with and of us on the one hundred and twelfth anniversary of the Independence of the American people. In order that no dissatisfaction may exist among visitors who would be otherwise unable to secure accommodations, your committee appeal to the loyalty of the citizens of Seattle, to aid them in their efforts, by sending to the secretary the number of rooms they can spare for the 3rd, 4th and 5th of July, or any of these dates. The house committee will see that none but unobjectionable persons will be accorded these, while parties furnishing these, who so desire, can charge first-class hotel rates for the same. The general committee cannot impress too strongly upon the citizens of Seattle that the success of the coming celebration depends almost entirely upon the individual efforts of each resident of the Queen City and without their co-operation all plans formulated by the committee will fail. We have thus appealed to residents, relying on the pride of Seattle citizens to make whatever the Queen City does a success. Those who will place rooms at the disposal of the committee will please at once address the secretary, either personally or by letter.
“The general committee cannot impress too strongly upon the citizens of Seattle that the success of the coming celebration depends almost entirely upon the individual efforts of each resident.”
A century and a half later, Seattle continues to grapple with the 'housing squeeze' during major events and periods of growth. This 1888 plea highlights how the city has long relied on unconventional and residential lodging to accommodate an influx of visitors, a precursor to the modern struggles with short-term rentals and space density.
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