Connecting the Timber Country
A new independent mail route establishes a vital link between Seattle and Snohomish.
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.
By the following letter from the Second Assistant Postmaster General to Hon. C.S. Voorhees, it will be seen that Mr. Voorhees has managed to establish a separate and independent mail route between Seattle and Snohomish. This will be of great convenience and advantage to both places, and Mr. Voorhees is entitled to the thanks of the people for his efforts in that behalf. It is clear that our delegate is attentive to the needs and interests of the people of this Territory.
Post Office Department, Washington, D.C., July 14, 1885 Sir: In reply to your endorsement of petitions for a mail route from Seattle to Snohomish by a separate post from No. 43,158, you are advised that the new route will be established as the request of the Washington Territory. Very respectfully,
A. Leo Knott, Second Assistant Postmaster General. Hon. C.S. Voorhees, House of Representatives, City.
“It is clear that our delegate is attentive to the needs and interests of the people of this Territory.”
This 1885 logistical victory highlights the historical isolation of the Snohomish River valley from the growing metropolis of Seattle. Today, while the commute is a staple of regional transit discourse, the struggle for reliable infrastructure remains a constant in Washington's evolving geography.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.