Labor Parades Through Seattle
A display of strength as Seattle workers host a grand procession to honor the visiting leadership of the Knights of Labor.
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.
Seattle honored the Knights of Labor on Monday with a grand parade, involving a massive turnout of the local assemblies. In accordance with the Mayor's proclamation, all city offices were closed. Nearly all the workshops and mills also eased their work early, while the city was decked in holiday attire. The procession, with banners flying, marched to the Fairgrounds. A Grand Marshal, Lynch, led the way. The entertainment at the Fairgrounds concluded with a banquet in the riding building, where the diners and catered delicacies were enjoyed. There was a ball, for which funds were raised by the local assemblies to the General Assembly.
“Nearly all the workshops and mills also eased their work early, while the city was decked in holiday attire.”
In 1886, labor unions were a rising power in Seattle, a city then synonymous with mill work and the burgeoning labor politics of the Pacific Northwest. Today, this legacy persists in Seattle’s role as a major labor hub, though the 'mills and workshops' have largely given way to a different, tech-centered economy.
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