1891 Special Election Asks Seattle-Area Voters to Annex Land
Seattle prepares for a sweeping expansion to pull the booming northern suburbs and Salmon Bay industrial corridors into the city limits.
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.
Notice is hereby given that on the 20th day of January, 1891, a special election shall be held for the purpose of submitting to the voters residing in the City of Seattle and the territory adjacent whether said territory shall be annexed to the City of Seattle and become a part of said city. The territory to be annexed includes all of Sections 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and the north half of Section 24 in Township 25 North, of Range 3 East, and all of sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 17, 18, and the north half of 19, and all of sections 21 and 22, Township 25 North, of Range 4 East. This encompasses the land from high-water mark in the Puget Sound inlet eastward to Lake Washington, including all of Salmon Bay not already in the corporate limits, excepting the town of Ballard. Voting places have been designated in Salmon Bay, Fremont, Latona, and Union precincts, with specific inspectors, judges, and clerks appointed for each.
“Every voter who shall vote in favor of authorizing the city to issue bonds... will vote a ballot containing the words: 'In favor of the city of Seattle issuing bonds...'”
This 1891 election was a turning point for Seattle's geography, laying the groundwork for the modern city boundaries. It highlights the recurring tension between the urban core and its rapidly growing industrial and residential peripheries—a struggle for civic identity that continues in modern Seattle's debates over annexation and urban sprawl.
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