Snoqualmie River Farm With 160 Acres for Sale
A rare 1878 listing offers a glimpse into the grueling reality of clearing timber and building a life on the frontier, where 'weak lungs'—a common death sentence in the era—forced a settler to abandon his homestead.
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.
Farm for Sale. The undersigned offers his place in the Snoqualmie for sale. It contains 120 acres of bottom land and 40 acres of timbered upland, sloping gently to the river. It is 12 miles from Snoqualmie City, at the river crossing, 9 miles from Lake Washington, and 20 from Seattle. Fifty acres are slashed, 20 acres are in grass, and 4 acres of upland have been grubbed for an orchard. Twenty tons of hay are on hand. The place has three-quarters of a mile frontage on the river, is safe from overflow, and has a clear stream of water running through, which can be brought into the house, barn, or milk house. It is valuable for lumbering, having a good deal of cedar on it, and is the first key point for getting out the timber on the adjacent six or eight sections, and has a good bay for booming. The location is central, and affords a good steamboat landing. A hotel and store would do well there at the present time, and it is convenient to six logging camps now in operation. House and tools are on the place. Cause of selling, weak lungs. For further particulars, inquire of George White, Snoqualmie River, W. T.
“The place has three-quarters of a mile frontage on the river, is safe from overflow... Cause of selling, weak lungs.”
While today’s land sales in the Snoqualmie Valley focus on luxury estates or preservation easements, George White’s 1878 ad reminds us that the foundational economy of the region was predicated on the grueling physical labor of 'slashing' and 'grubbing' wild land. The mention of 'weak lungs' serves as a stark historical reminder of the pre-antibiotic era, when pulmonary illness often dictated life-altering property decisions.
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