Exclusion & ResistanceFEB 9, 1886

The Mob, The Military, and the Riot at the Seattle Wharf

In February 1886, a citizen-led campaign of forced expulsion against Seattle’s Chinese residents spiraled into a violent confrontation, triggering a week of martial law and armed conflict in the streets.

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.

At daylight on Sunday morning, February 7, 1886, a committee of armed men proceeded to the Chinese quarters of Seattle. They notified the residents that they must pack their belongings to be shipped out on the steamer 'Queen of the Pacific.' Wagons were filled, and the Chinese were hauled to the Ocean Dock, held under armed guard. Sheriff McGraw was appealed to, but the officers claimed they were unable to stop the removal. As the city fell under the control of the anti-Chinese agitators, Governor Watson C. Squire issued a proclamation at noon, warning the mob to desist. The proclamation was met with derisive shouts and jeering. By the time legal authorities attempted to restore order, most of the Chinese residents had been forced to the wharf. A riot later broke out at the corner of Commercial and Main streets when a mob closed in on the guards escorting the Chinese. Shots were fired; several men were wounded, and Sheriff McGraw’s coat was pierced by a bullet. Following this violence, Governor Squire declared martial law, suspended the writ of habeas corpus, and established a military presence throughout the city. The conflict left the Chinese community displaced, their property abandoned, and the city under military rule.

“The mob, who imagined they were engaged in removing the Chinese by force, were in control of the streets.”

— Printed in Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886

Then · 1886140 years apartNow · 2026

This event, known as the Seattle Chinese Expulsion, reflects the deep-seated xenophobia that shaped early Pacific Northwest civic structures. It serves as a stark reminder of how mob violence and anti-immigrant sentiment were once openly permitted to challenge the authority of the law—a historical shadow that still influences discussions about who 'belongs' in our modern, rapidly growing city.

The original pages

Newspaper page, 1886-02-09 — Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-02-09. Library of Congress, Chronicling America.

Newspaper page of three engravings: a crowd and a steamer at a waterfront dock (top right), armed guards marching a column along a street (top left), and a large crowd brawling in a muddy street before a two-storey building with a balcony (below). — Full-page engraving drawn by W. P. Snyder from sketches by J. F. Whiting of Seattle. The printed panel captions read "1. Driving Chinamen on Board of the Steamer" and "2. Marching under Guard to the Court-house"; the large lower scene is the street confrontation. The issue's report on the riot is on page 155.Harper's Weekly, 1886 — drawn by W. P. Snyder from sketches by J. F. Whiting

Engraving of a street of wooden storefronts with signs; men load bundles and trunks onto a horse-drawn wagon while Chinese residents stand among their belongings. — Engraving from The West Shore magazine, 1886, captioned "Packing Up": belongings loaded onto a horse-drawn wagon outside wooden storefronts during the forced expulsion of Seattle's Chinese residents, February 7, 1886.The West Shore, 1886

Engraving of a crowded covered wharf beside the hull of a steamship; Chinese men and women with bundles and baskets stand among white men in hats and long coats. — Engraving from The West Shore magazine, 1886, captioned "On the Wharf": Chinese residents and their baggage crowded on the dock beside the steamer Queen of the Pacific, February 7, 1886.The West Shore, 1886

Engraving of a chaotic struggle: men in hats and coats grapple and brandish guns and clubs while figures in loose clothing are knocked to the ground. — Engraving from The West Shore magazine, 1886, captioned "The Collision": armed men struggling and firing in a crowd during the confrontation of February 8, 1886.The West Shore, 1886

A group of soldiers in uniform standing in formation in front of a large building. — Photograph of a militia company drawn up in formation on a Seattle street outside a large wooden building, February 1886, during the martial law that followed the riot. (MOHAI 9366, per Wikimedia Commons.)MOHAIReport a rights issue

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The Mob, The Military, and the Riot at the Seattle Wharf

The story, cleaned up

The original pages

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