The Governor’s Vision of a Boomtown Territory
Fresh from the East, incoming Governor William A. Newell paints a picture of Washington as a land of boundless natural wealth and rapid expansion.
The story, cleaned up
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While in San Francisco, Governor Newell was interviewed by a Chronicle reporter regarding his transition to lead Washington Territory. Having served as the Governor of New Jersey and as a candidate for Congress, Newell arrived in the West with grand expectations. During an extended conversation at the Palace Hotel, Newell described Washington as having unparalleled resources, with 40,000,000 acres of land. He spoke glowingly of the timber forests—noting trees 300 feet in height—and the thriving grazing lands of Eastern Washington. The Governor also touted the Puget Sound basin as a future global powerhouse for shipping and fishing, specifically highlighting the potential for oyster cultivation. Regarding the University of Washington in Seattle, Newell praised its beautiful location and its five-year curriculum, noting it served 160 students. He emphasized that the Territory was ready for statehood, citing its overwhelmingly Republican alignment, and mentioned his success in establishing the 'Newell Colony,' which brought small farmers and skilled mechanics from Brooklyn to settle in Sherman.
“He opened his mouth and a harvest of figures as exhaustion as the Columbia river itself poured out.”
Newell's 1880 excitement about Washington’s 'boundless' natural resources and his recruitment of Eastern 'skilled mechanics' reflects the perennial tension between rapid economic development and the reality of managing a growing territory. Today, Seattle continues to grapple with the same promises of growth and the resulting pressure on housing and civic infrastructure he first observed over 140 years ago.
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