The Logging Camp Swap: A Labor Struggle in 1885
A Snohomish camp owner’s decision to replace a white couple with a Chinese laborer ignites a local dispute over working conditions and labor equity.
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.
Two weeks ago, Mr. Cathcart, of Snohomish, came to Seattle to engage a white cook for his logging camp. He engaged a lady to cook and her husband to assist her by doing the chores. They went down, and for ten days cooked and cleaned the house, which was in a filthy condition, during which time they cooked to the satisfaction of sixteen men. Mr. Robert Poison discharged them, hiring a Chinaman in their places, giving no cause except that it was Mr. Cathcart's wishes. Upon asking Mr. Cathcart, he stated that it was Mr. Poison's wishes. But we know that the house needed cleaning and they had to get white people to do it.
“The house needed cleaning and they had to get white people to do it.”
This 1885 incident highlights the deep racial tensions and labor volatility that defined early Washington state industry. It mirrors modern debates over labor sourcing and the often-fraught relationship between management, domestic service, and the diverse workforce that keeps the Pacific Northwest running.
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