The Iron City That Never Was: Kirkland’s $3 Million Bet on Steel

KIRKLAND, Wash. — The dream of making Kirkland the great iron city of Puget Sound, the Pittsburgh of the Pacific, has come to pass. The Great Western Iron and Steel Works is now building an extensive plant for the reduction of ore found in the great iron deposits adjacent to Seattle.

Thousands of dollars are being spent in fulfilling their promises to the people. Foundries, machine shops, blacksmith shops, and pattern shops are in the course of erection. On November 22, 1890, a ship sailed from England with 2,270 tons of fire-brick for the construction of the blast furnaces, and another large vessel has since started with a load of fire-brick and cement. After the furnaces are built, the rolling mills will be built. Two hundred and seventy tons of machinery have been purchased in the East and will be shipped to Kirkland as soon as needed.

A contract has been let for the extension of the Seattle, Lake Shore Eastern Railroad from Salal Prairie to the mines. The Northern Pacific is likewise building from Palmer on its main line to the mines. The Lake Washington Belt Line is being graded from Renton to Kirkland and will be extended thence to connection with the Lake Shore road near Redmond, thus giving railroad communication from Kirkland to the mines, and also with the Northern Pacific.

The value of the Denny mines is greatly enhanced by the proximity of a great ledge of limestone, which in the reduction of ore is indispensable. This natural adjacency is said to exist NOWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD. The immediate presence of coking coal is another very important factor in the cheap reduction of ore. Freights for iron from the nearest Eastern reduction works at $22 per ton, a difference that with cheap production gives the Kirkland works a practical monopoly of the entire Coast.

Several thousand men will be employed in the operation of these works, without taking into consideration the number of correlative manufactories that will be started for the utilization of the iron and steel product, which is certain to be large.

Brothers' Addition to Kirkland, which is to be placed upon the market Monday, February 2d, is one of the finest laying pieces of property we have ever placed upon the market, every lot being clear and commanding a fine view of the Lake. We will place this property upon the market as follows: SINGLE LOTS $125 EACH; WHOLE BLOCKS AT $100 PER LOT, ON OUR USUAL EASY TERMS. Do not miss the opportunity of purchasing a few of these lots whether you care to build on them or not, and you will be sure to make a first-class investment, which will be plainly shown to you when you take into consideration that the Belt Line Improvement Company has purchased of private individuals within the last thirty days over $2,000,000 worth of property, as shown by the records of our county; that Kirkland is the home of a $3,000,000 corporation; is the gateway to the wealth of the Cascades; is in the heart of the greatest limestone ledge on the Pacific Coast; will be the place that can manufacture iron 25 per cent. less than can be brought from the East; in fact, will be the Manchester of machinery, the Pittsburgh of iron, the Braddock of steel and the Lackawanna of coal.