The Boomtown Gold Rush of 1885
While Seattle and Portland weathered the collapse of prior manias, a new, frantic energy was rising in San Diego—with eyes fixed on British Columbia as the next frontier.
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.
San Diego is said to be the boom town of 1885. Portland and Seattle were the towns of 1883, and Los Angeles of 1884. The two first-named are now recovering from the shock given them by the collapse ofillard, and will soon again be pushing ahead with tremendous energy. Los Angeles made wonderful strides for a time, but was overdone. In proportion to its size it probably has today four times as many idle men within its limits as are to be found in any city on the coast. San Diego has been resting a number of years, and is ripe and ready for a change. Property got down in price about as low as it could, and is now on the up grade. Strangers have lately been seeking the place in unusual numbers. The hotels are full, and all the empty residences have been taken. Rents have gone up, and building has been correspondingly awakened. It now looks as if San Diego will this year be the liveliest little city in the country. Possibly the boom town of 1886 will be in British Columbia, its impetus being the completion of the Canada Pacific Railroad.
“Los Angeles made wonderful strides for a time, but was overdone. In proportion to its size it probably has today four times as many idle men within its limits as are to be found in any city on the coast.”
This 1885 dispatch captures the relentless, cyclical nature of Pacific Northwest real estate speculation. Just as 19th-century investors chased 'the next San Diego' or Victoria, modern Seattleites see the same patterns of overbuilding, rent inflation, and sudden shifts in market heat that have defined the region for over a century.
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