A Final Journey from the Mill
A three-year-old boy dies at Port Blakely, prompting a somber, community-led transit of his body to Seattle for burial.
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.
On Wednesday morning little Willie Caldwell, son of Fred Caldwell, employed at the Port Blakely mill, died at Port Blakely. Yesterday afternoon his remains were brought to this city by the Port Blakely for burial in the Lake View Cemetery. About forty or fifty friends of Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell accompanied them to this city on their sad mission. Willie was a bright little fellow, dearly beloved by his parents, and was three and a half years old.
“About forty or fifty friends of Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell accompanied them to this city on their sad mission.”
This brief notice captures the harsh realities of life in the 19th-century timber towns dotting Puget Sound, where industrial accidents or childhood illness were constant shadows. Today, Port Blakely is a quiet, affluent residential area, and the 'mills' have long since vanished, replaced by parks and commuting culture.
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