The Snoqualmie River Farm That Had Everything
A settler’s mid-19th-century struggle with 'weak lungs' reveals a prime piece of riverfront timber and agricultural land during the height of the logging boom.
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 undersigned offers his place on 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, 6 miles from Lake Washington, and 20 from Seattle. Fifty acres have been slashed, 20 acres are in grass, and 4 acres of upland have been grubbed for an orchard. There are 20 tons of hay on hand. The place has three-quarters of a mile of frontage on the river, is safe from overflow, and has a clear stream of water running through it, which can be brought into the house, barn, or milk house. It is suitable for lumbering, having a good deal of cedar on it, and is the first key point for getting to 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. There is a house and tools on the place. The cause of selling is '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, and has a clear stream of water running through, which can be brought in the house, barn or milk house.”
In 1878, George White was marketing a rural, resource-rich homestead to potential investors and settlers. Today, his 'key point' along the Snoqualmie River stands in stark contrast to the dense suburban development and flood-mitigation battles that define King County's contemporary land-use landscape.
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