The Price of Building a City
A routine legal notice from 1888 reveals the harsh reality of foreclosure during Seattle's early territorial 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.
In the District Court of the Fourth Judicial District of Washington Territory, in and for King County: O.J. Carr vs. J.C. Palmer and Mary Palmer, his wife. Notice is hereby given that by virtue of an order of sale issued out of the District Court, I will, on the 11th day of January, 1889, at the front door of the Courthouse in Seattle, offer for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, the following described real estate situated in the County of King: The west half of the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter, and the east half of the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 22, township 24 north, range 4 east, containing 40 acres of land. Given under my hand this 12th day of December, 1888. John H. McGraw, Sheriff.
“I will, on the 11th day of January, 1889, at the front door of the Courthouse in Seattle, offer for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash.”
Long before Seattle became a tech powerhouse defined by soaring property values, the landscape was settled through volatile land claims and legal wrangling. This 'Sheriff's Sale' notice acts as a blunt reminder that early Seattle growth was fueled by the same cycle of debt, foreclosure, and displacement that continues to shape the city's housing market today.
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