Full text of "History and progress of King County, Washington .."

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History and Progressof King County 

/ lAA A C U T M n T rk XT \ l^ 



(WASHINGTON) 




M. J. CARR I GAN 

Fl R ST D 1ST RICT 



M. L. HAM I LTO N 

CHAIRMAN 

SECON D DISTRICT 



KRIST KNU DSE N 

THI RD Dl STRICT 



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REGULAR MEETING DAYS 
MONDAY AND TUE S D AY OF EACH WEEK 



BYRON PHEUPS 

COUNTY AUDITOR AND EXOFFlCiO CLERK OFTHE BOARD 

N. M . WARD ALL. DEPUTY CLERK OF BOARD 



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April 15, 1916. 



Puget sound Bridge i Dredging Co., 
Central Building, 

Seattle, Washington. 

Gentlemen: 

Having accepted the Kew King County Court House from 
you as completed under your contract, we taice this opportunity 
of expressing to you our sincere thanks and appreciation for the 
prompt, able and efficient manner in which you handled this job. 
It is seldom that the construction of a building of this magnitude 
is completed without more or less friction between owners ana 
contractor over the interpretation of specifications and other 
details. We are pleased to say that in all matters in controversy, 
you have met us in a spirit of absolute fairness at all times, thus 
enabling an adjustment of all questions at issue without bitterness 
on either side. 

Thanking you again for the many courtesies extended us, 
and wishing you success, we are. 

Very respectfully yours, 

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, 



Att 




By 



.KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON. / 

7?/. £. 44 r/J/x J/yL:i- 



Chairman. 
CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, 



Deputy 




Chairman, 



S.saA. '^tJbli^ Uhray 



HISTORY and PROGRESS of 
KING COUNTY, Washington 




liagiiig IlivtM- Brirlg-e on the Is.saqiiali-Falls I'ltv Cuail. An l-ixaiuiilt- ul i'li maiiciii and ArUsiiL Uinly.- Constructioij. 

Built by Charles G. Huber. 



/-N yJ^ Richest in Natural Diversified Resources of Any County West of \ S/ / '^ 
kcr-^U^^ Chicago and North of San Francisco ' /^.V.^ 

Present ('(.niniissioners: .M. L. HAMILTON, M. J. CARRIGAN, KRIST KNUDSEN 



Published by CHARLES J. HUTCHINSON 1 Q 1 M ^""^^^ ^y ^- *^- PIGOTT Printing Concern 



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E\V YORK 


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LIBRARY 


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-AT-ONS 




1919 LJ 



FOREWORD 



T al\\avs sfciiis to iiic tlial a book is not com- 
plete without a ■"foreword," which 1 inter- 
pret to meau an excuse for its existence. Tlie 
sole excuse for the publication of this book 
is to better aci|uaint tlic [icoplc of Kin;_' 
County — tlie real people who pay the taxes — 
with the properties they own; the ecpiiva- 
lent ^iven tlieiu for tlie money they advanced 
in the form of taxes, sometimes veritable 
'■ blood money."' 
"Tax" is the cost of government; civilization may 
not exist without government, nor govei'innent exist with- 
out the power of levying taxes. 

That our goveriunent is crude in spots goes without 
saying, whether it be national, state, or miuiieii)al. (iov. 
ernnient may be economical or wasteful, it may be wise 
or grossly lacking in that wisdom which spends not only 
for the present liettei-nn'nts but that i>osteriTy may have 
■■ a place in the sun." 

In my mind's eye I compare the coming of the Den- 
ny party and their landing at Alki in 1851, a land then 
known to be barren of all but inhospitable forests and 
hostile Indians, with the landing of the Pilgrims on Ply- 
mouth Rock centuries before. 

When that little band of pioneers reacheil Puget 
Sotiinl they cai'ried with them no i-eturn tickets; thei'e 
Were no anchored steamships in thi' waterway awaiting 
their ])leasui'e. These [lioneers had burned their bridges 
— they had come for all time — and they are bnried here. 

Is it strange that their offspring should l)e ind)Ueil 
with that .spirit of bravery and integrity that makes shin- 
ing examples in our social and eonnnercial world of today .' 

>;: i|: i;: ^ :js 

King ( 'ounty is a mnnicipality, a commission form of 
governnn'Ut so to sjieak, whose destiny is juvsided over 
l)y three nu'U. nominated in their respective disti'icts but 
voted U])on by the entire electni-ate of 1he county. 

I read local history largely fi'om the landmarks, and 
as 1 i-ead it, 1 am convinced tliat each set of county 
officials has progressed somewhat in broadness beyond the 
set that Went before. 

That some of the boards were criminally profligate 
with the people's money will go without saying; that they 
in almost every instance builded for the future. Aiul in 
most cases built unwisely may as well be understood. There 
prol)ably was as great a |)i'otest in the early days against 
the building of a log .iail for disorderly Indians as there 
was but yesterday against the expenditure of ovei- a mil- 
lion dollars for the construction of the modern nnmicipal 
building dedicated this day, alight with electricity — gen- 
erated by Seattle's own water power — and steam heated 
with coal mined as a natural resource of King Coiuity. 

It is a far cry from Denny's discovery of the mnd 
flats to belching fuiiiaces on those same flats where was 
nuinufactured the steel Axliich entel'e(l so lai'egeh' into 



the fabrication of the lu-w Court House. It was not 
dreanu'il by the Indians or the first settlers that a great 
watei-fall, miles and miles away, would sometime light 
|iaved streets, transport jjassengers and lift loads of hu- 
manity to the nttei-most heights of our present day sky- 
scrapers. A Kij) \'an Winkle wcnild go back into another 
doze when he looked n|)on the impossible. 

I know pi-etty nearly eveiy foot of King County. I 
have talked with the gnarled old men and the bent women 
who togethei- cut and "removed' the great forests that 
grew in our valleys and it is not for me, nor for any his- 
torian, to tell the i-eal story of King County. 

We of 1lie present day talk of hard times and de- 
|)i"ession in business! Let us talk to the man who walked 
the trails and dodged the savage bidlet to bring food to 
a half-starved family, which he raised in the worship of 
(iod. And to the hardy wife who spent days while the 
husband labored away from home, her companions being 
the cradled infant — and the ever-i'eady, muzzle-loading 
rifle. Let us talk with the men who found logs in the 
road too large to cut and who luult bridges of smallei" 
logs over them to reach their destination, with families 
and household goods drawn by starving oxen. 

Let us talk with them and llii'u drive over the bricked 
highways of King County upon inflated rubber tires; 
di-ive over this fertile counti'y on roads made possible by 
the blood and bone and sinew of these j)ioneers who came 
and left a comity better foi" tlieii- having lived! 

1 ask no credit as an author for the com]nlation of 
this l)ook. For I did not write it: at least not enough of 
it upon which to leave my imjiress. The information 
herein contained is largely the work of famed authors, 
and I will here give them credit rather than in the body 
of the work. The reference departnu'iit at the Seattle 
Public Library rendered me services that made the history' 
possiljle l)y .selecting for nu' books that contained the in- 
formation 1 needed. It was the kimlly offices of the 
librarian and his able assistants who l>rought to my at- 
tention the works of Professor Edward S. ileany, Thomas 
W. Prosch, Grant's Histoiy of Washington, the Pioneer's 
Record of Early Days, Welford Heaton's '"Seattle and Its 
JIakers," Snowden's History of Washington, Alice Har- 
riman, C. I>. IJagley. and many other authors and their 
works; also early editors of The Seattle Times. The Post- 
1 nti'lligencer, The Argus, and othei- publications of repute. 

=;:♦♦** 

I also wish to pay my i-esjiects in passing to the man 
who stood sponsor for this woi'k — to lose money if neces- 
sary — and to him 1 declicate the I'esult of my labors. 1 
refer in <ill kindness to 

.MR. CIT.\RLES .1. nrTCIII.VSOX, 

And with apolgies, 1 olVi^r it, 

H. C. PIOOTT. 




VIKW OF THE ENTRANCE OF THE NEW COITNTY COURT HOUSE AND MUNICIPAL BUILDUNU 



Authentic Pioneers' Record of Early Events 

Chronological notes of the early settlement of that part of 
Washington now embraced principally in King County 



// y'~>k N tlu' 16th day of Sfptciiilici-, IS,")!, Uciuy \'aii 
I i Asselt, Jacob ]\Iai>('l, Saiuiit'l .Mapd and L. M. 
("olliiis seleeti'd claims on the Dmvaiiiish 
Kivef and (in the 27th of the next month moved on 
to them rrom I he Xistiually River where ('ollins had 
]ireviously located. 

•■On the 2r)th or 2(:)th of Septeiidier, liSol, Joiiii X. 
Low, Le<- Terry and David T. Deiuiy arrived at Alki 
Point where Low and Terry located a claim, and on the 
2Sth of September Terry and Denny laid the fotmdation 
for the first home on the claim. Low having retnrneii to 
Portlaml for his family. 

"r)th of November, ISol, the Schooner Exact sailetl 
from Portland for Puget Sound, and Queen Charlotte's 
Islantl with passengers for the Sound and a jiarty of 
gold miners for the island. 

"13th of November she arrived at Alki Point and 



landed -1. N. Low, \Vm. N. I'.ell, ('. I), lioren and A. A. 
Denny with their families. 

■"loth of Kehruai'y, iN.'rJ, Hell, lioren and A. A. Denny 
located claims on the east side of Elliott Hay extending 
north from what is now the head of Commercial Street 
(now First Avenue) to Hell's present northern houndar.w 
and on the 23rd of March Horeu and D. T. Denny started 
to the Willamette Valley for the stock, leaving Hell and 
A. A. Deiniy to look after the claims initil their return. 

'■13th of March, 1S."')3, Dr. D. S. .Maynard arrived at 
Alki Point, and I'.cll :nid Dc-nny agreed to move their 
southern boundary north to what is now Mill Street 
(now Yesler Way), in order to give Maynard a claim 
south of theirs. 

■'3rd of April, lSr)2, Htdl, Horen's family and Jlay- 
uard moved on to the tdaim before the return of Horen 
and D. T. Demiv, leaving A. A. Denny and family sick 



I ST () R \ AND I' IxMX; \i K S S 



at Alki Point \iiitil a Ikhisi' cdiild lie pri'iiarcd liir llinii 
on the claim. 

"lu October, 1852, II. Jj. Ye.sler aiTived fi-oni Poi't- 
land and the land chiinis were again readjn.sted to ena1)le 
him to hold a chiim inchidino; tiie site he had selected foi- 
a steam saw mill which was the first steam mill huilt on 
the Sound. 

••23l-d of Mi\y. is.",:!, the first plat of Seattle was tiled 
for I'ecord by L'. 1). lioi'eii ami A. A. Denny, ami siilise- 
qxiently ou the same da\- the i)lat of another |)0fti<iii was 
tiled by D. S. Mayuard.' 

"la the winter of 1852-58, •!. -1. Felt arrived and after 
somewhat extensive exploration located at Apple Tree 
Cove and built a mill which lie i-emoved to Port Madison 
early in 1854. 

"In the si.)ring of 18513, Captain William Kenton came 
to Alki, and during the sumnu'i- l>nilt a mill which he, 
early in 1S54, removed to Port (>reliai'd. 

"In .\pril, 185:!, Thomas .Meri'er and Dexter TToi-1on 



arrived, and .Mei'cei' settled on the idaini where he still 
lives. 

"In December, 1852, A. A. and I). T. Denny dis- 
co\ered and explored Salmon Day which was pi-e\ionsly 
nnkn()\\n In the white settlers. 

"IIFA'HV VAX ASSKLT, 
■\V. .\. r.ELD, 
"11. ].. VESLEK, 
"DAVID T. DENNY, 
"C. D. BOREN, 
Jany. l.st, 1880." "A. A. DENNY." 

"Note: This epitonu' of historical events was pre- 
jiared and signed by the al)ove W(dl known [lioneei's. 
Arthur A. Denny was tlu' prime mover, and the or'iginal 
is in his safe at the famil.v residence. — Editor of the Pio- 
neers' Record of Early Events of King County." 

It is right that the above chronology should have been 
jn'e])ared by those hardy pioneers, all living on .lanuary 
1st, 1880— l)nt all having passed to the gre;it beyond at 
the timi' this histoi'y is being ]irepared. 



"Passing of the Wilderness" 



OVER NINETY YEARS A(i(), or to be more exact, 
(Ui the twenty-fifth day of February, 1825, lion. 
Mahlon Dickerson, Cnite<l States Senatoi- fi'om 
New Jersey, made a s]ieeeh ill the Senate ui)on a 
hill which pi'ovideil for a grant of land to settlers to 
induce them to locate in the ()regon Teri'ifory, in which 
111' said that Oregon could never liecome one of the United 
Stati-s and that the country would never lie of any essen- 
tial benefit to tile riiion, either as a colony or as a State. 

Kemember now. that all of that land now embraced 
within the confines of the state of Washington, w;is at 
that time part of the then "Oregon Coinitry." 

Repeating the declaration that Oregon would never 
be a member of the Union, he undertook to show tiiat it 
would be extremely difficult if not altogether impossible 
to securi> from it a reiu'esentative in f-ongress. He es- 
timated the distance form the Columbia Rivei' to Wash- 
ington, D. ('.. at 4,ti50 miles, and said that a member of 
Congress from the state of Oregon wotdd travel, going 
to and i-etni'iiing frcmi the seat of govcrnmi'iit, !t,300 miles, 
aiul supposing he would travel at the rate of thirty miles 
a day, and allowing for Sundays, it would take him 350 
days of the year to go to Washington and return. This 
would allow him only a roi'tiiight to rest himself in the 
cajiital befoi'e commencing his journey home. As a con- 
siderable ])art of the way was over rugged mountains, 
covered the larger part of the year with a great depth 
of snow, he stated, that traveling at the rate of thii-ty 
miles a day would be a hardship. 

It is evident that his views were shared by a ma,ior- 
ity of the senate, because at the conclusion of his speech 



he moved that the hill be indelinitely p(ist|ioned and his 
motion carried by a \dte of niiiteen ayes to seventeen 
noes. 

During the controversy \\itli (ireat liritian ovei' the 
bonndai'y it was even jiroposed that this section of Oregon 
Territ(U-y wliei'e is no\'- located Seattle, be traded foi' the 
Island of New Foundland ami had it not been for the 
hei'oic patriotism and energy of Marcus Whitman, who 
rode across the whole Continent to plead the caiisi' ol 
the far Northwest before the |)OWers in Washington, it 
is more than probable that this country woiihl have been 
lost to the United States. 

The passing of the wilderness in the Pacific Xorth- 
west is one of the most interesting stories in American 
liistory. The great Northwest is interesting because it 
is the only section of the United States that never ac- 
knowledged allegiance to any other government and has 
never recognized any flag but the Stars and Stripes of 
Freedom. 

The "Old Oregon Country" inchuled all that terri- 
toi'y which now emliraces the state of Washington, Ore- 
gon and Idaho, with a small part of Westei-n Montana 
and Wyoming. It was oidy accessible by vessels sailing 
around ('ape Horn or by land route over the Isthmus of 
Panama. 



The first attem|)t at setth^nent in what is now King 
County, was made by .lolin Ilolgate in the fall of 1849, 
when he staked out a land (daini near the mouth of the 
Duwamish River, which he intended to make his future 
home, but he went back to the Willamette Valley and 
took no ste])s to file on it as a "donation claim." In 
September of 1851, Henry Van Asselt, Luther M. Collins, 
•Facob Ma|)le and his son Samuel settled on the i)rairie 
land where the Denny Tile Works now stand and Maple 
and his son filed upon the land Holgate intended to take. 




TlIK BOTHELL BRICK HIGHWAY ON THE NORTH AND WEST SHORE OF LAKE WASHINGTON, A SECTION OF THE 

PACIFIC HIGHWAY LEADING TO EVERETT AND BELLINGHAM 



Planning King's Highways 



A Story of Engineering and Road Building 

\',y .1. Ii. .Mon-isdii, dliifl' Deputy County EngiiiccT 



The first regularly established road on record in King 
County was surveyed and located July, 1854, by order of the 
Territorial Legislature, appointing Thomas Mercer, Henry 
Van Asselt and Henry H. Tobin as viewers, to "view and lo- 
cate" a "road from Seattle to intersect the road from Steila- 
coom." 

William A. Strickler was called in as surveyor and lo- 
cated the road from Seattle in a southerly direction crossing 
Black River and terminating at White River, near the piesent 
town of Aubnrn. 

The next road requiring a survey was County Road No. 
t) located in November, lSti4, ten years later, by Edwin Rich- 
ardson, U. S. deputy surveyor. This road is described as be- 



ginning at the northeast corner of Block 7 2 on Madison Street, 
and ran in a northeasterly direction to Lake Washington at 
a point several hundred feet south of the present terminus 
of Madison Street, at Lake Washington, and following the 
general course of Madison Street as it exists today. 

The report of the viewers of this road states. "The coun- 
try through which said road will pass is mostly of a fertile 
character, not only heavily timbered and remarkably well 
adapted for a wagon road, being generally level and what 
hills there are, are ot an easy grade." 

An interval of three years occurred before the services 
of a surveyor were again required. In 1867 H. J. Stevenson 
appeas as viewer and surveyor of Road No. 18 for the sur- 



I [ I S T ( ) K ^' AN!) PR () (! R F S S (, f 




J. R. MORRISON 

Formerly County Engineer, Now Chief Deputy 

Under Arthur P. Denton 



vey and location of a wagon road from a point opposite Fort 
Kidd. on White River, to a point on the military road about 
one-quarter of a mile north of Steele's ferry on the Duwamish 
River. 

Difficulties in regard to right-of-way for county roads 
are not of recent origin as evidenced by the following petition, 
dated June 25, 1870: "We, the undersigned citizens of King 
County, Washington Territory, do respectfully petition your 
Honorable Boay to vacate the portion of county road that has 
been laid out across the garden and timothy fields of D. A. 
Neely and establish the old road from the new shed to what 
is known as the old Washburn House. (T<> avoid all fuitlici 
litigation) As in duty bound we will ever pray." 

The record is not clear as to the first county surveyor 
of King lounty. The first mention of the office of county 
surveyor to be found in the commissioners' proceedings was 
March 30, 1SV2, where it is stated, "The object of the meet- 
ing being to fill a vacancy in the office of county surveyor, 
it is hereby ordered that George F. Whitworth be and is liere- 
by appointed county surveyor, for the County of King, to fill 
a vacancy existing in said office." 

The early roads of King County were generally located 
by "viewers" appointed by the Board of County Commissioners 
and they rarely deemed it necessary to call any engineering 
talent to their assistance. 

With the rapid growth of the county, the road problem 
became an increasingly Important one as well as to other 
counties in the state and in the year 1907 the Legislature 
created the office of county engineer, changing the title from 
county surveyor to county engineer. Mr. A. L. Valentine, now 
superintendent of public utilities for the city of Seattle, was 
then county surveyor and has the honor of being the first 
county engineer of King County. 

At this time a gravel road was the highest type of con- 
struction in the county and during the winter it was almost 
impossible to haul more than an empty wagon into the city 
of Seattle over the roads, either north or south of the city. 
Today King County has .54.71 miles of paved highways. Con- 
tracts are about to be let for 18 miles of paving which will 
make a total mileage of paved highways at the close of this 



year of 71.71 miles. Almost every type of standard highway 
paving surface is represented. including brick, concrete, 
bitulithic and asphaltic. 



In 1912 the citizens of King County voted a bond issue 
of $3,000,000 for the purpose of establishing thj ground work 
for a comprehensive general highway system for King County, 
two million dollars of this fund to be expended in the county 
and one million dollars to assist the city of Seattle to improve 
the streets which will connect with the county highways. 

The Automobile Club of Seattle and the Good Roads or- 
ganizations of the county proposed this plan of issuing bonds 
to the Board of County Commissioners and were active in 
urging it adoption by the voters. 

The late Col. Alden J. Blethen of The Times and Mr. 
Scott C. Bone of The Post-Intelligencer became personally in- 
terested in the movement and the success of the bond issue 
was largely due to their effective work. 

The preliminary plans for the roads to be included under 
the bond issue were made up by Commissioner M. L. Hamilton, 
A. L. Rutherford and County Engineer J. R. Morrison. It is 
due to their thorough knowledge of the county and its require- 
ments that such a practical and generally satisfactory scheme 
was evolved in the very short time allowed for this work, 
which was only three days. 

The main object sought was to provide every important 
section of the county with a main trunk highway, to be laid 
out on easy grades and with as little curvature as the con- 
ditiors would i;ermit. Only two projects included paving. No. 
7, Seattle to Renton, and No. 11, Seattle to Pierce County. 
The other roads were to be graded and given a surfacing of 
gravel which would serve until the new grades had time to 
settle and the growing importance of some particular de- 
manded its being paved. 

All of the bond issue roads will be completed or under 
contract before the end of the vear. 



The work of the county engineer's office rovers a very 
wide range, embracing surveys and designs for roads, bridges, 
docks and river improvements and the supervision of con- 
struction of all such work done under contract. The county 
engineer is required by law to make a yearly report of the 
condition of eai'h of the 840 bridges and docks in the county. 
In timber bridges or combination timber and steel bridges 
it is necessary to examine each stick of timber in the whole 
structure. 

The policy of the present Board of Commissioners is to 
use only steel or concrete for the more important bridges. 
King County is one of the very few counties designing its 
own bridges. 

The unsual amount of work required to make the sur- 
veys and prepare plans and specifications for the bond issue 
roads, in addition to the customary work of the office, required 
a large force during the height of the work in 191.5; ninety- 
five men were employed. 



The duties of the county engineer are defined by the 
statutes of the State of Washington and what in some cases 
appears to be slow and expensive methods of the county en- 
gineer's office is due to the requirements of the law. 

The total mileage of roads and number of bridges and 
docks in King County under the supervision of the Board of 
County Commissioners and county engineer, is as follows: 

Miles 

Earth roads 376.1 

Gravel roads 1,057.9 

Paved roads 54.7 

Total 1,488.6 

Bridges 840 

Docks 41 

Gravel bunkers 3 




OLD KlXd CorXTV corRT iiorsE 

The above lut represents the Old Court House as it stands today, grim in its 
dress of gray stone and cement, and soon to be abandoned for the new structure on 
Third Avenue. This building has witnessed everything — weddings, divorces, murders, 
hangings, and sometimes it was well that the figure of Justice was blindfolded, for 
even .Tustice was dealt to litigants in blind and unseeing manner. Within its walls 
is the jail which has housed many famous and infamous criminals. — H. C. Pigott in 
Seattle Saturday Night. 



The Abandoned Court House 



The old Cotii't House with its hasi' i-cstiiig on a eom- 
inanding eiuiiieiici' nearly 1300 feet a hove the harbor, pre- 
sented a very iinjiosing' ai)i)earance, its lofty tower pro- 
jecting a total of 160 feet making 460 feet aliove sea level. 
The county voted an issnance of bonds to the amount of 
$200,000 for tile erection of tliis old structure then long 
needed for tlie courts and county ott'ieers, and the com- 
missioners innnediately selected a site and secured plans. 
The site chosen was on the hill on Seventh Street between 
Terrace and -leffersoii Stri'ets. 

The oidy objection to the site was its inaccessibility 
and 111!' sti'cpiicss of thi' approaches from the business 



streets. On the other hand, tlie elevation added iinich to 
the eomnuiuding a|i])earancc of the structure and rendered 
it so much more to the attractiveness of the city. 

Plans for the old edifice were i)rcpared by ilr. W. A. 
Ritchie, and these were drawn with an idea to combining 
beauty, solidity, and fireproof features. This structure 
was )u-obai)ly the best and handsouu'st yet erected on the 
Pacific Coast at the time of its building. It was construct- 
ed of stone, brick and iron and cement, the same grouping 
of materials as in the new building, yet mite the contrast 
in the ])ictures. 



illSTOlx'V AND PROGRESS o f 



History of the Construction of the 
New Court House 



Uv NORMAN M. WARDALL 



THE first official action taken looking towai'd the 
construction of a new Court House, dates back to 
the year 1903, at which time Charles Raker, now 
deceased, P. J. Smith and L. C. Smith eonstitnte<l 
the Hoard of Comity Commissioners. 1'. -I. Smith is now 
a resident of Issaiinah, and L. C. Smith, who on retiring 
from the Board, served a four-year term as Sheriff, is at 
present living in Auburn. The need of a new building 
was clearly set out in a formal resolution ])assed by tliis 
Hoard on April 18. Ilt03. in which tiie statement is made 
that the "old building is iimdecpiatc foi- the present needs 
of the County, and the great increase in population and 
volume of business demands a more commodious struc- 
ture," and in conclusion it is ordered that the oft'er of 
the Yesler Estate to sell Block 33, (C. D. Boren'.s Addi- 
tion to Seattle, to the County for a Court House site at 
a consideration of $235,000.00 be accepted. There being 
no funds available for the purpose of buying a Court 
House site, it was further provided that payment be made 
to the Yeslei' Estate in County Warrants drawing o'v 
interest. Deeds of conveyance were passed on May fitli. 
1!)03, and four hundred and .seventy .$500. 00 County War- 
rants were issued to the grantors. Provision was maile 
in till- next two annual tax levies to redeem warrants. 
Kor some reason, presumably financial considerations, no 
fui'ther action toward actual construction of a building 
was taken by this Board or the one immediately succeed- 
ing it. On the contrary, a five year ground lease was en- 
tered into with Geo. B. Lamping and associates in lOOfi 
for the westi'i'ly half of the block, at an annual rental 
(it $6,000.00. These parties constructeil a tempoi'ary 
structure tiiereon, covering the entire half lilock. which 
was used for the first two years as a skating rink, and 
was known as the Coliseum. Later the building was 
tt'uanted to Sullivan & Considine and converted into the 
Oi-pheum Theatre. 

In addition to the original cost of the site, approxi- 
mately .$1'26,000.00 in local improvement assessments, in- 
eluding re-grades have been, paid; to oft'set which, $45,- 
000.00 in rentals have been collected, making the total 
cost of the site to date .$316,000.00. 

It is worthy of note that in the purchase of this site, 
Commissioner Baker and his associates on the Board 
were severely criticized, ridiculed and maligned in the 
]mblic press and on the street, for their reckless and un- 
warranted expenditure of public moneys. Time, hoM'ever, 
has demonstrated the wisdom of the luirchase, for in 
l!tl4, at tiie commencement of construction work, the site 
was conservatively valued at $1,000,000.00. 

The first stejjs toward actual construction of a new 
building on the site purchased in 1903 was taken on July 
5th, 1911, at whicii time the Board consisted of II. L. 
Hamilton, A. L. Rutherford and David McKenzie. A 



I'esolution was passed on that day calling for a sjjccial 
election for September 5th, 1911, to vote on the ((uestion 
of issuing bonds in the sum of $1,500,000.00, for the pur- 
pose of building a new Court House. No actual jilans, 
sjiecification or drawings for the building proposed to be 
constructed were furnisiied however, and the bonds were 
voted down by a vote of 7,322 for and 11,792 against; 
the claim lieing made that had the jieople been fully 
advised as to just what they were to get for the money 
voted, the results might have been dift'erent. 

A year later, the needs and demands for a new build- 
ing being more acute, the same Board passed unanimously 
a resolution calling for another bond issue for the same 
purpose, the amount being reduced to $950,000.00. 

There is a little inside and heretofore untold story in 
connection with the fixing of this amount at .$950,000.00 
instead of an even $1,000,000.00, wiiieh might be consid- 
ered in the nature of a bait to the voter, but the des- 
warrant going to tiiat extent. At all the conferences held 
perate situation and need of a new Iniilding .seemed to 
to coEsi<ler the submitting of a new bond issue, the amount 
liad always lieen fixed at One Million Dollars. However, 
in view of the fact that just one year prior the people of 
the county had refused to vote a bond issue of $1,500,- 
(100.01). it was thought probable that it was the large 
amount asked for that frightened them. In ])oth print 
and public speech Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand 
Dollars looks and sounds much less than One Million 
Dollars, and altho $50,000.00 would make vei-y little dif- 
ference in the character of building we would secure, it 
might make a great difference in the number of votes 
received. It was considered probable that the average 
voter would vote foi' a bond issue of .$950,000.00, while he 
might voti' against the larger amount of $1,000,000.00. 
It was determined, therefore, to fix the amount i>f tlie 
bonds at the smaller figure. 

Pi'ofiting by the mistake of the yeai' before, they im- 
mediately employed an architect to plan sucli a building 
as could be built for the sum proposed, with ample foun- 
dations to carry additional stories whenever the needs re- 
quired it. The choice of an architect fell to A. Warren 
Gould, who at once prepared plans and drawing.s for the 
proposed building, which were widely ]niblished ami 
posted thruout the County. 

At this stage of the proceedings, a new element of 
great force entered into the negotiations in the form of 
the "Civic Center League." This organization had been 
formed to carry out if possible, the recommendation of 
Virgil Bogue, an Engineer of national reputation, employ- 
ed by the City of Seattle to plan a "'City Beautiful" along 
modern lines. He had recommended the grouping of all 
public buildings in a common "Civic Center" and had 
selected for .such "Civic Center" in the Dennv Hill re- 



K1N(} (M)rNTV, WASHINGTON 



P a ^ e N i n o 



grade district, a mile or more north of the present Covirt 
House site. It was the jnirpose of this League to either 
force the construction of any new public buildings in the 
proposed Civic Center, or delay construction iintil such 
time as the people could Ix' educated to the point of de- 
manding a Civic Center oi- await the election of a Board 
that would do theii' bidding. They were very persistent 
in presenting their deuiands before the County Commis- 
sioners, and in order to appease them and to get an ac- 
curate idea of what the people actually wanted, it was 
voted to submit also another bond issue in the sum of 
$1,400,000.00 being $950,000 for the building and $450,000 
for a new site. A very exciting campaign was carried on, 
a feature of which was the flaring posters gotten out by 
both sides, and posted on bill boards and fences thruout 
tlie County. When the vote was counted on November 
5th, 1912, it was found that the bonds for the Court 
House on the old site had carried by a vote of 35,768 for 
and 16,565 against, while the Civic Center plan had been 
defeated by 18,123 for and 31,206 against. It has been 
a matter of speculation as to just what the Board would 
have done had both bond issues cai'ried. 

Before proceeding further with the details of actual 
construction, the Board deemed it wise to call into con- 
sultation a committee of business men of established in- 
tegrity and expei'ience in matters of this kind. The mem- 
bers of the Committee as finally determined upon were: 
Laurence Colman, Chairman ; J. S. Brace, Theodore Hal- 
ler, Herman Chapin and P. J. Smith. They entered into 
the matter at hand with enthusiasm, and altho they were 
all busy men, they gave their time and energy to the 
furtherance of the project without stint and with no 
thought or hope of reward of any kind. Especially is 
this true of Messrs. Colman and Brace, for no final 
decision of any consequence in connection with the con- 
struction of the Xew Court House has been made with- 
out their approval, and it is to be lioped that whatever 
credit and appreciation is to be meted out for this under- 
taking at the present or in the future, that the member.s 
of this "Advisory Committee" receive their full share. 

As soon as the details could be worked out, and act- 
ing under the advice of the Business Men's Committee, 
the bonds were offered for sale and on March 5th, 1913 
were struck off to George H. Tilden & Co. Before de- 
livery of the bonds coidd be made however, the Board 
was enjoined by Court from issuing them, the plaintiff 
in the action being one of the Civic Center advocates, the 
League being still unreconciled to the construction of a 
public building outside of the proposed Bogue Center. 
The chief grouiul for the action to have the bonds declared 
illegal, was that the votei's had been deceived as to the 
kind and size of the building to be built with the pro- 
ceeds of the bonds. It was clearly shown at the trial 
that Architect A Warren Goidd had produced a picture 
of a complete building of fourteen stories, such as is in 
contemplation for the future, and that the advocates of 
the down town location had made beautiful photographs 
of this ])icture and spread them bi'oadcast thruout the 
County, to give the impression to the voters that that was 
the building they were to get for $950,000.00. After a 
lenghty trial with two Superior Court Judges on the 
bench, tlie contention of tlie jilaintitf was u|)held and the 
bonds ileclared illegal. An ai)peal to the Supreme Court 
seemed almost a foi'loi'u hope, but it was finally deter- 
mined upon by Commissioners Hamilton and Rutherford, 



backed by a lengthy and exhaustive brief, all at the hands 
of Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Robert H. Evans, acting 
for the Board, the Supreme Court in December, 1913, re- 
versed the lower Court and held that the bonds were 
legal. The Board immediately advertised for new bids 
for the bonds and iu May, 1914, they were sold to the 
Dexter Horton National Bank at par, five per cent, and 
a premium of $26,885.00. Thirty days later the total sum 
of $976,885.00 was covered into the County Treasury, 
and tlie decks were all cleai'ed for actual construction 
work. 

P>ids were called at once for a three-story fire- 
proof granite building under the Gould plans and spe- 
cifications, it being clearly stated that no bids exceeding 
the amount of money available would be considered. Bids 
were also asked for the construction of two additional 
stories, for the legislature of 1913 had passed an act per- 
mitting the joint action of County and City in erecting 
a public building for the use of both municipalities, and 
the Seattle city authorities were talking of taking ad- 
vantage of that law, and wished to know approximately 
what the cost would be for two additional stories for 
their exclusive use. Bids were opened June 29th, 1914, 
with nine of the most reliable contracting firms in the 
Northwest responding to the call, and all of same were 
found to be within the amount available. This was con- 
sidered as a vindication of Architect A. Warren Gould, 
as he had contended at all times that such a building as 
he had jilanned could be built for $950,000.00. The low 
bidder was the Puget Sound lii-idge & Diedging Comi)any 
of Seattle, and on June 30, 1914, the conti'act was awai'd- 
ed to them at $810,563.00. Their supplemental bid U>v 
two additional stories was $248,585.00. 

The Count}^ was extremely fortunate in their selection 
of a buildei-, for the reputation of the Puget Sound Bridge 
& Dredging Company for integrity, square dealing and 
ability to handle efficiently, large undertakings is well 
known. During the entire progress of the construction 
work no serious differences or misunderstandings arose 
between the County and contractor, for the reason that 
the President of the Contracting Company, Samuel 
Hedges, met the County more than half way on a settle- 
ment of every point in which there was a difference vi 
opinion, — and there were scores of them. 

After a careful investigation to find the proper man 
for Superintendent of Consti'uction to repr'sent the 
County on the ground, the Advisory f'ommittee recom- 
mended Mr. C. R. Aldricb, a well known architect and 
builder, and he was immediately employed. The appoint- 
ment proved a wise one in every way ; for in addition to 
the responsibility of seeing that the County received what 
it was paying for, he had a diplomatic way of settling 
strikes, interpreting specifications, conciliating sub-con- 
tractors and material men, that removed much detail from 
the shoulders of the Commissioners and the Advisory 
Committee. 

On July 10th. 1914, ten days after the contract was 
let, tile first sod was turned by Commissioner M. L. Ham- 
ilton. A brief ceremony had been arranged to commem- 
orate the occasion, and from a crude platform of planks, 
Norman M. Wardall, as Master of Ceremonies, gave a 
short address of felicitation and introduced in turn 
Councilman A. F. Haas, Acting Mayor; David McKenzie, 
Chairman of the Hoard of ("ounty Commissioners; M. L. 
Hamilton, County Commissioner; P. J. Smith, member of 



H 1 S T O R Y A X D P R O G R E S S o f 



tin- Jioanl ill l!)0;i when the site was purchased; V. R. 
Aldrieh. Superintendent of Construction; and Samuel 
Hedges of the Contraetinjr Couipany, all of whom ex- 
pressed a sentiment of tliaiikfuhiess that the dream of 
years was ahout to be brought to an actuality. Less than 
two hundred citizens were present. 

The City of Seattle was paying out annually nearly 
$30,000 in rentals for offices to house their various de- 
|)artment.s that couhl not be accommodated in the City 
Hall, and the ('it\' Council desired very much to join 
with tlie County in the construction of the new building 
in order to bring all their scattered departments under 
one roof. They were unable however, to finance the mat- 
ter without calling an election to vote bonds for the pnr- 
jiose, which was not deemed desirable. The ownership of 
one building by two municipalities, when the title to the 
ground on which the building stood rested in one of 
them, presented many legal and objectionable obstacles 
too complicated to solve readily, and after many confer- 
ences between the Council. Commissioners and Advisory 
Committee, it was finally determinetl that a straight land- 
lord and tenant jiroposition was the cleanest cut and 
most reasonable solution of the matter of joint use. Tlie 
City Council therefore, on October 3rd, 1914, passed a 
resolution declaring its intention to lease from the County 
of King approximately 50,000 square feet of floor space 
in their new building for a term of twenty years, at an 
annual rental of sixty (60c) cents per square foot. In 
order to provide this additional space, the County Com- 
missioners called a special election for November 3, 
1914, to vote another bond issue of $350,000 to construct 
two ac'litional stories. It was figured that the $300,- 
000.00 in rentals received from the City during the 
twenty year term of the lease would pay the interest on 
the bonds and retire them in full. Very little opposition 
developed and the bonds were voted 40,508 for and 22,474 
against. 

When the time came to make a new contract for the 
addition of the two stories, a great difference of opinion 
arose as to whether they should be carried up of Index 
granite, the same as the lower stories, or if terra cotta 
should be used. There was a difference oi some $30,000.00 
in favor of the use of the latter material, which was a 
King Comity product, and the manufacture of whieli 
would give employment to man}' unemployed men, who 
were overrunning the City at that time. Many confer- 
ences were held with the Advisory Committee, and the 
Committee finally recommended the use of Terra Cotta. 
.V supplemental contract was then entered into with the 
i^iget Sound Bridge & Dredging Company at $248,585.00. 

The Terra Cotta used in the upper stories was manu- 
factured by the Denny-Renton Clay & T'oal Company; 



and is so well matelied with the granite in color and 
texture that it is difficult to tell where one leaves oflf and 
the other begins. A little later on the Contractor was 
authorized to add still another story at an additional cost 
of $45,000.00. This story however, contains but 14,000 
square feet, about one-half the size of the others, and is 
not discernible from the street, as it is set in from the 
main walls of the building. Tiiis additional space is to 
be occupied by the City p]iigineer, and the County will 
get an equal amount of sjjaee in the ohl City Hall build- 
ing for use as a County jail. 

The formal lease between the County and City was 
not entered into until December 30, 1915, and provides, 
among other things, for a term of twenty years from that 
date at 60c per square foot per annum ; for the furnish- 
ing by the County of all janitor, elevator, heat, light and 
all ordinary building service; it being expressly provided 
however, that all electric energy used in the building 
shall be purchased from the City Lighting Depai'tment, 
at the lowest current commercial rates; for the con- 
struction of a tunnel to connect the basement with Fourth 
Avenue near Yesler Way to be paid for jointly. This 
tunnel is for the purpose of making the basement avail- 
able for a garage, some sixty machines being owned by 
the two municipalities. 

An information Bureau will be maintained and will 
be in the hands of J. W. Stokes, wlio holds the cigar 
stand concession. The building will be managed by 
Clarence W. Ide, former U. S. Customs Collector and U. 
S. Marshal. 

Tile financial account for the building stands api)rox- 
imately as follows : 
Total amount available from two bond sales, $1,335,250.00 

Expended as follows : 

Paid to Buildhig Contractors $1,158,607.43 

Paid Architects fees and Superintendence.- 57,328.93 

Paid for miscellaneous items 11,709.47 

Items contracted for but unpaid 44,000.00 

$1,271,645.83 
iialaiicc of fund unexpended 63,604.17 

$1,335,250.00 

In the liistory of the construction of public buildings 
exceeding a million dollars in cost, it is certainly a unique 
and rare condition to have one built within the fund ap- 
propriated for the purpose, and without a breath of scan- 
dal connected with it. This should be a great source of 
pride to every citizen of King County and should go far 
toward inspiring faith in the integrity of its public offi- 
cials. 



As the Work Proceeded 



Contract was signed July 7, 1914 for the three-story 
building, firound was officially broken July 11, 1914, 
by the County Commissioners, contractors and represen- 
tative citizens. Excavation continued practically without 
interruption, men being employed night and day in an 
effort to complete foundations before wet weather set in. 
About 56,800 cu. vds. of earth were removed. The site 



of the building has at former times been beach washed, 
four distinct beach lines being cut through in excavating 
for footings. Every pier of the building rests on very 
firm earth, two of the piers being put down to a deeper 
level than was anticipated to assure a good footing. A 
little quicksand was encountered, the bearing of the foot- 
ings being lielow the quicksand strata. The only water 



K T N G C O LT N T Y. W A S H 1 N G T O N 



' ii g <■ E 1 ■■ V 



difficulties were caused by surface water, so that witli 
the drainage provided, the basement will be dry for all 
purposes. No discernible settlement has occurred. 

Concrete in the foundation was started along the 
Fourth Avenue side on August 13, 1914. There are 192 
isolated pier footings, some of which contain enough con- 
crete in one footing for the foundation of an average 
sized residence. All of these are reinforced with steel 
bars I'olled in Seattle. The structural portions above the 
foundations were carried on in the usual course of pro- 
cedure, all the structural poi'tion being of Washington 
cement, reinforced with Seattle steel and in places a filler 
of Seattle clay tile. Tliere were used in the building about 
29,000 barrels of cement, 3,500,000 pounds of steel, 17,500 
en. yds. of concrete, and 190,000 sq. ft. of floor tile. 

The oringinal contract provided for the addition of 
two stories at the option of the County. Order was issued 
to the contractors to proceed with the two additional 
stories on December 11, 1914, these two stories to be 
faced on tiie outside with tei-ra eotta made in Seattle, of 
wliieh there are about 31,000 sc). ft. 

Setting of granite in the lower stories was com- 
menced on February 24, 1915, of which there are approxi- 
mately 37,000 cu. ft. of Washington quarries. 

Tlie structure is built to permit the addition of five 
more stories if needed, consequently a temporary cornice 
was put on, the erection of same starting April 15, 1915. 
Roof covering was completed Jul}' 10, 1915. 

On April 23, order was i.ssued to add a partial sixth 
floor, for the use of the City Engineer, the structural 
portions of which are permanent. 

Partitions of tile of which there are 2G0.000 s(i. ft. 
started on May 4th. Plastering was started July 21. Of 
this there are 80,000 sq. yds. in addition to ornamental 
cornices, mouldings, etc., all of which is finished a smooth 
white. 



Exterior bronze and plate glass windows, of which 
tliere are 515, were made in Seattle, the erection of same 
in the building commencing June.5. 

Interior doors, (G24 in number), interior sash and 
trim, are of enameled steel, the erection of same com- 
mencing October 23, 1915. 

There are approximately 2% acres of Alaska marble, 
cut in Tacoma, the installation of which commenced Aug- 
ust 24. 

Oi'naiiiental iron, consisting of elevator fronts, stair 
rails, balustrades, etc., is a Seattle product. 

There are four Otis Traction elevators, traveling 450 
feet per minute, installed during the month of December, 
and are of the best type manufactured or used. 

The i)lumbing and heating in the building was in- 
stalled by a Seattle firm, the work on whicli was carried 
out througiiout tiie construction of the building. The 
iieating is steam direct I'adiation with forced draft venti- 
lation for court rooms, the fan was made in Seattle and 
is capable of delivering 60,000 cu. ft. of air per minute. 
The heating in court rooms is regulated to an even tem- 
perature by thermostat control. 

The electric fixtures are entirely of Seattle manu- 
facture, of bronze and polycase glass, installed in Decem- 
ber. 

The l)uikling was accepted from the ('ontractors on 
Februai'v 25, 1916,. The Prosecuting Attorney occupied 
his space on February 26 and the installation of court 
room fixtures, office eountei's, desks, etc., was commenced 
on the same date. 

The building is substantial, durable, and well-finished 
throughout and will undoubtedly prove a great benefit to 
the community for a long period of time. 



History of the New Court House Site 



THE present Court House site is inseparably con- 
nected with the History of Henry L. Yesler. Mr. 
Yesler came to Seattle in the fall of 1852, with the 
intention of starting a saw mill. Early in April, 
1853, the saw mall was set in opei-ation, being the first 
one on Puget Sound. The mill became the center of 
operations in the little village of Seatlle. It furnished 
labor and suppoi't to most of the inhabitants at that time. 
Mr. Yesler first built him a modest home on the N. E. 
cornel' of First Avenue and James Street, where the Pio- 
neer Block now stands. As the village grew his property 
gradually increased in value, and in time he became one 
of the wealthy men of the city. He was probably the 
landlord and owner of more houses occupied by tenants 
than any other man. Other people were building homes 
and buildings foi' themselves, but Yesler never missed an 
op])ortunity to get a tenant, and if he didn't have a house 
foi- that ])urpose, he wo»ild build one. 

In all of the early entfrjirises of the City he was 
vei'v active. 



beginning about 1870 the little town of Seattle had 
great hopes of immediate growth by reason of the coming 
here of the Northern Pacific Railroad. In 1873 the west- 
ern terminus of that road was located at Tacoma. From 
that time Seattle had to fight for its very existence. This 
went on for a period of more than twelve years, but in 
1883 with the advent of Henry Villai'd to the management 
of the Northci'n Pacific, and the other companies which 
he had assembled under one management, Seattle and 
King County enjoyed a very rapid growth. It was under- 
stood at that time that Villard would give to all of the 
cities of the Northwest equal opportunities and fair play. 
This created large activities in the sale of real estate. 
Fortunes were made in a few months, b.y quite a number of 
Seattle's leading operators, among whom was Mr. Yesler. 

Several of them at that time decided to build elegant 
homes, on which they coul dexjjend a part of their newly 
acquired fortunes. The three most notable houses erect- 
ed at this time were those put up by Mr. Yesler, Mr. Mar- 
tin Van P.uren Stacy, and Mr. James McNanght. Mr. 



643331 



HISTORY AND 1* R () (} H E S S .. f 



Yesler had iu early years fenced the block now occupied 
by the new King County Court House, and there planted 
a large orchard, taking care of it for many years, but in 
1883 he decided to erect his new home upon that site. By 
the time it was ready for occujiancy he had expended 
somewliere from $75,000 to $100,000 and had secured for 
iiiinself the most elegant mansion in all the Northwest. 

Mr. and Mrs. Yeslei- soon moved into the building. 
but neither of tliem long survived. Tiie last daj's of Mr. 
Yesler wei'e not happy. Financial troubles came uijon 
him, along with ill health and faniilj' troubles. 

The fir.st Mrs. Yesler died in 1887, and in 1890 Mr. 
Yesler astonished his friends by marrying Miss Minnie 
Gagle. The second wife was a young woman, and they 
did not live very happily together; and his last yeai's 
were embittered by financial ]iressui'e, by ill health and 
l)y unpleasant martial relations witii his second wife. 
There were no children. 

Mr. Yesler died in Deeendx-i-, 1892. After Mr. Yes- 
le'i'"s death the creditors of the estate took ove rhis prop- 
rrty and organized a company which tliey called the 
lIi'Hiv L. Vi'slei- Estate, Inc. 



About 1896 the old home iiaviug been vacant for a 
long time, was secured by Seattle for a Public Library 
which was maintained there, using at the same tinu- the 
barn nearby for a reading room. 

After the fire this property practically laid idle for 
a wiiile, and finally some temi)orary structures were 
j)laced thereon, among them being the ('oliseuni Skating 
i-ink, afterwai'ds used as the Orpheum Theatre and many 
small stores, and was acquired hy the (.'ounty Commission- 
ers for approximately the sum of $240,000. 

Tlie Court House block was a part of the original 
Yesler Donation Claim, and was cleared from the original 
forest. Yesler used it for a garden and orchard, and 
would go up there and spend hours of his spare time. He 
took a great deal of pleasure in superintending the culti- 
vation, trimming and care of the trees, and had developed 
a really beautiful orchard years before he built his home. 

Thirty or forty years ago the home owners were right 
down iu the heart of the city and this old Yesler home 
was the most expensive and commodious house in the 
communit\-, and in fact in the Northwest. 

CLARENCE H. BAGLEY. 



The Great Seattle Fire 



(From (xi-aut's History) 



ON the sixth of June, 1889, at 2 :30 in tlie afternoon, 
the fire began. The weather was bright and 
clear. The air was still and sultry during the 
morning. There had been no rain for several 
weeks, and everything was dry and ready to fall an easy 
|)rey to the flames. 

The fire began on the north side of the main busi- 
ness part of the city, where, with the gentle north wind 
that sprung up as the afternoon advanced, it had the best 
possible chance to spread to the whole quarter. It started 
in a building on the southwest corner of Front and Madi- 
son Streets owned by Mrs. M. J. Pontius. In the basement 
of this frail wooden structure, was a paint shop kept by 
James McGough. Here a workman was boiling glue, 
which, suddenly rising, ran over on the stove and ignited, 
driijping fire down upon some shavings below. Thinking 
to (piench the sudden flames, the workman cast at them 
a bucket of water but not skillfully, for by the act the 
whole lighted mass was scattered ovei' the floor, which 
was soon covered with the flames. The oils and turpen- 
tine were kindled instantly and as the wind passed under- 
neath the floors and timbers, the combustion was foi'ced 
into the ai)ei'tures, and carried through the i)assages to the 
apartments above. Flames and smoke poured from every 
window, forcing their way upward and seeking to find 
escape through the roof. 

Engine Company No. 1 got to work expeditiously, 
laying two lines of hose from the hydrant at the corner 
of Front and Columbia Streets, and commenced playing 
on the burning coi'uiees. The water failed. The slender 
streams made no imi)ression. What seemed an afi'air of 
but a few moments now assumed a serious asi)ect and the 
gathering crowd realized that the block must go. 

To the dismay of those who looked up at the ()i)era 
House, they saw a slender tongue of flame growing on the 



mansard roof and at 1he cry, "Thr Opera House is on 
fire,'' all eyes were turned thither and the probability of 
a great conflagration was realized. The impossibility of 
saving the great building soon became evident. The 
Denny block was now burning furiously, the houses aero.ss 
the street also were now wrapped in flames. 

By the magnitude of the fire the whole city was now 
aroused and it was seen that there was no control for the 
wild element. It would stop only at the great brick bar- 
riers. The whole cit.y force was therefore called out with 
a view to saving property and pi'eserving order. Josiah 
Collins, chief of the fire department, was absent from the 
city. With great pi-omptne.ss Mayor Robert Moran began 
organizing the crowds of men on the streets. 

The fire presented a broad fi'ont extending from Sec- 
ond Street along Yeslei- Avenue to the docks on the west, 
and in its track before it wei'e the sawdust flats aiul that 
populous but not very grand portion of the city built over 
the water, with such gi-eat structures as the coal bunkers, 
the steamship warehouses and the sawmills. Upon this 
prey it advanced without the slightest check. Many fine 
structures as the Arlington Hotel and the S(piire Build- 
ing, lay in its course. 

A circiunstance meriting double notice was the com- 
ing of the Taeoma fire eompan.y. At three o'clock tele- 
grams were sent to Taeoma, Port Townsend and Portland 
for help. The firemen of Taeoma responded promptly, 
and about forty men with a hose cart and about eight 
hundred feet of hose were put aboard a special train, to 
which thei-e was given a clear track, and covered the dis- 
tance in fifty-eight minutes. As they dashed into town 
tliey were greeted with eheei's. They got to work at once 
and were of the gi'eatest assistance in checking the 
flames. 

At sunset the fire was within bounds but was still 



K I X (i CO r N T V. ^^' a s ii i nm i t o x 



P a : 



Thirteen 



ten-ible. In the gatlicriiis darkiu'ss it n-seinbled a vol- 
canic crater. Far into the night it burned, casting such 
a glare upon the liay as to throw the shi])i)ing into distinct 
view. The coal hnnkos, with about three hundred tons 
of coal, bui-ned the lungest. During the night a throng 
of people from the lodging houses passed up and down 
the streets, spending the night without sleep, while some 
sought shelter on the hill. As the night was warm, there 
was uo suffering. Those who had friends or acquaint- 
ances were, of course, well provided for. Such was the 
beginning, progress and end of the fire. 

^Measures for relief wei'(> no le.ss prompt. The gen- 
erosity and sympatliy of the neighboring cities, ])artic\i- 
larly of Taeoma, offered without ostentation and i)rompted 
by friendliness alone, will not be quickly forgotten. They 
srcui'ed a vacant lot on the corner of Thii'd and TTniversity 



Streets ami there erected a tent thirty by twenty feet, 
furnished with tables and stored with provisions. Ar- 
langements were made here on 'the most extensive scale, 
no less than to feed six thousaiul people a da.y so long as 
necessary. 

The ladies of the city res{)on(led nobly to the call of 
the Mayor, and on the seventh fed no less than six thous- 
and people. 

The Tacomans kept open their tent and speedily 
erected others for lodging accommodations. They stayed 
by Seattle, some days feeding fully three thousand per- 
sons. Twenty cook.s and half as many dishwashers were 
I'lMpiired. 

In the tire of June 6, ](S8!), the whole busi)iess area 
of 60 blocks was swept away in six houi's. Loss, $10,000,- 
000, covered by insurance of $5,000,000. 



Early Banking History 




The fii'st hank, liiat of Dexter Hor- 
ton & Co. (then lloi'ton & Phillips'), 
was established in 1870, with a capi- 
tal of $50,000 and Horton put up the 
first stone b\iilding in wliieh to house 
it. 

For fully ten years the bank of 
Dextei- Ilortoii (& ( 'o. was the only banking institution 
in the city and fully met all the reipiirements of the coni- 
niunity. As the city grew in pojuilation and commercial 
importance the need of uiore extended banking facilities 
became manifest and in obedience to this demand the 
First National Dank was incorporated in Sei)tember, 1882, 
with a capital of $150,000. This bank first did business 
in the basement of the old Post building and at the time 
of the fire occupied a fine room in the Yesler-Leary Build- 
ing, on the corner of Front Street and Yesler Avenue. 
Aftei' the fii'c temporary ipiarters were occupied on Cohnn- 
bia Street between Second and Third, but for several 
months business was eonducteil in lemjioi-ary (piarters on 
Front Street. The bank soon moved to a building erected 
foi- it on the corner of Yesler and Pioneer Place. 

In 1888 there were only six banks in the city with a 
capitalization of $750,000, These were: Tlie Puget Sound 
National, First National, Merchants National, Dexter 
Horton & Co., Guarantee Loan & Trust Compan.y and the 
Washington National. During the next year the National 
Bank of Commei'ce, the Boston National, Commercial 
National, Washington Savings and the Bank of British 
Columbia were established. 



IJ.^NKS THAT CAMK AFTKR. 

Est. Bank Capital 

1870 Dexter Horton $ 50,000 

1883 Puget Sound National Bank 50,000 

1883 Merchants' National Bank 100,000 

1887 Guarantee Loan & Trust Co 200,000 

1888 Washington National Bank 100,000 

1889 Boston National Bank 300,000 

1889 Washington Savings Bank 50,000 

1889 Bank of British Columbia, Branch of London, 

England 

1890 Commercial National Bank, reorganized 1891, 

formerly known as Bank of North Seattle, 

a state institution, moved to Burke Block. . 100,00" 



1889 National Bank of Commerce, state institution, 

reorganized 1890 ;',0(l,ii(iO 

1889 People's Savings Bank, organized largely by 

Fred Ward 100,000 

1890 King County Bank 100,000 

1890 L. H. Griffith Realty & Bonding Co 300,000 

1892 Scandinavian American. A. Chilberg. Pres. . . 75,00(1 
1892 Scandinavian American Bank. A. Chilberg, 

Pres.; J. E. Chilberg, Vice Pres 500,000 

1902 American Savings Bank & Trust Co. James A. 

Murray, Pres.; John A. Campbell, Vice Pres. tiOO.oOO 
1907 Bank for Savings. Daniel Kelleher, Pres.; 

R. S. Auzens-Turenne, Vice Pres 400,00(1 

1910 German -American Mercantile Bank. Ernest 

Carstens, Pres.; C. S. Harley, Vice Pres.. . . 200,000 

1906 Northern Bank & Trust Co. W. R. Phillips, 

Pres.; P. J. Martin, Vice Pres., with O. A. 

Kjos. Vice-Pres 100,000 

1909 Metropolitan Bank 100,000 

1911 National City Bank .''jOO.OOo 

1905 State Bank of Seattle 100,000 

1905 Oriental American 40,000 

1907 Japanese Commercial 50,000 

190:; rnion Savings & Trust coo. 000 



Commercial interests began at Seattle, in the most 
natural manner, being but an outgrowth of the trading 
from the vessels that came to the place for piling and 
square timber. 

As soon as the people then here were assured of a sale 
of timbers, they made ready cargoes, which the crafts 
took aboard, loading the longer and more unwieldy round 
timbers through the front hatches into the hold, and add- 
ing if obtainable, a deck load of square timbers. While 
thus taking on a cargo, the captain carried on a trade with 
the people on board the vessel. It wa.s soon seen to be 
]irofitable to leave the remaining stock behind at the vil- 
lage, to be sold oft" on commission. To Mr. A. A. Denny, 
first fell the lot of taking such goods, and disposing of 
them. A store was therefore provided, at the northwest 
corner of Commercial and Washington Streets, being in 
a building one story high, and about twenty by thirty 
feet. Here, for a short time, Mr. Denny sold goods on 
commission, but soon associated with himself, Mr. Dexten 
Horton and Mr. Phillips. The stock kept on hand was 
of all .sorts — provisions, hardware, cloths, cutlery and 
notions, but was not of large value. Soon after under- 



Fourteen 



HISTORY AND PROGRESS of 



taking this business, jMi-. Denny and his partners were 
able to place themselves upon an independent basis, the 
former going to San Francisco to purchase his annual 
stock. At the time of the Indian war, Mr. Denny with- 
drew from the business, to enter the volunteer service. 
Horton & Phillips continued together a number of years, 
until the institution of the bank by Horton, and the death 
about the same time of Phillips. The business was then 
jiassed to Atkins & Shoudy, and subsequently to Crawford 
& Harrington, afterwards transfoi'med to Harrington 
& Smith. 

A second establishment was tliat of C. ('. Terry, who 
'■ffected a trade with Dr. Maynard, and obtained site at 
Seattle and afterwards purcha.sed the west half of the 
Itoren donation claim. 

The first wholesale business was established in Seat- 
tle in 1867 under the name of ('rawford & Plarrington, 
later taking the name of Harrington & Smith. 

In the spring of 1875, George W. Stetson and J. J. 
Post formed a partnership and opened a small sash and 
door factory at the foot of Yesler Avenue, renting power 
from Yesler 's mill. This was the beginning of the grea't 
mill next succeeding, which has sent Seattle lumber all 
over the world. 



Within view of Seattle, 12 miles across the Sound, at 
Poit Blakely is one of the largest hnnber mills in the 
world. It gives employment to 450 men and indirectly 
to hundreds of others. This great plant was erected in 
1888, at a cost exceeding $300,000 by the late Captain 
William Renton, the blind millionaire, and Seattle pioneer, 
who came to Puget Sound in 1852. The area eovei'ed by 
the plant exceeds ten acres and fourteen ships can be 
loaded at once. There are five night watchmen and two 
on Sunday and holidays. The plant is illuminated by 450 
incandescent electric lamps and ships can be loaded at 
night as well as by day. The offices of the mill are con- 
nected with Seattle by sulimariiic telegi'aph cable ei-ossing 
the Sound at Alki Ponit. 

The Crescent Manufacturing Company was estab- 
lished in 1888 and was totally destroyed by the great fire 
one year later. Better buildings were erected and a plant 
of greater capacity sprang from the ashes of the old one. 

P>allard, the greatest shingle mill tovi'n in the world, 
has a daily capacity of 6,020,000 shingles, or about half 
the entire output of King County. There are twenty mills 
in Ballard alone that manufactui-e nothing but shingles. 
Throughout King County are scattered scores of mills 
which are contributing millions of feet of lumber annu- 
ally 1(1 tlie output of the state. 



Beginning of the Lake Washington Canal 



The following letter is interesting in the light of re- 
cent developments in the case of the building of the 
canal from tide water to Lake Washington. James 
Scott was Secretai-y of the Territory fi-om 1870 to 1S72. 
•lames McNaught afterwards gained a national reputa- 
tion as counsel for the Northern Pacific Railroad Coiii- 
|iauy. 

Seattle, W. T., .Ian. tith. 1871. 
\)v. J. Scott, Sect. 

Sir: I herewith send you articles of incorporation of 
"The Lake Washington Canal Company." Please fih- 
them in youi- oit'iee and send bill to me and oblige. 
Your obt. servt., J. MeNAUGHT. 



While the above seems as though it might be the very 
inception of efforts to build the canal, mention should 
here be made of a still earlier effort. John Pike, for whom 
Pike Street in Seattle was named, was the architect and 
builder of the famous old Territorial University building 
which was used as the temporary home of the Seattle 
Public Library. He had a son Harvey Pike, who was 
both enterprising and energetic. About 1860 Harvey Pike 
began to dig a canal at the "Portage," to connect Lake 
Washington and Lake Union. For many years the evi- 
dence of this beginning could have been seen, but the 
work proved too great and was abandoned. 



Ill 1871 Lake Washington Canal Association was 
formed but made no progress. 

In 1880 Lake Washington Improvement Company did 
Denny; George Kinnear, Dr. H. B. Bagley, Thomas Burke, 

and E. M. Smithers. Work start. •(! ISS") on canal lirtweeii 
jjakes riiioii and Washington. 

In July, IS!):"), (he Puget Souml lii'idge ct Dredging 
Company was given the contract for digging the water 
ways and filling in the adjacent land on the South Seattle 
tide flats by the Seattle and Lake Washington Water Way 
Company which was organized June 22, 1894; Elisha P. 
Ferry, President; Eugene Semjile, Vice-President. 

Re-organized in 190."); W. II. Parry, President; John 
H. McGraw, Vice-President. 

In 1894 Congress had appropriated $25,000 for the 
waterway between Salmon Bay and Lake Washington 
and the locks. 

King County spent in all nearly $250,000 in fulfilling 
the Government's requirements in regard to the right of 
way. 

Edgar Ames, President of Seattle General Contract- 
ing Company, in 1905. This company is still doing the 
actual filling of the tide lands. 

While Eugene Semple failed in his project to give 
Seattle the Southern Canal, he did a great work in filling 
in the tide lands. He created out of a valueless waste of 
water and mud property worth today at lea.st one hiin- 
dred million dollars. 



K 1X0 ( ' o r N T w \y a s tt i n a t o x 



Page F i f 1 p (■ n 



Seattle's First Newspaper 

Appeared December 10, 1863 



Oil Dccciiihfi- 10, ]S(i8, tlic first issue of the Seattle 
Gazette made its appearance. The ptiiitiiig press used 
was venerable with age, being a niaeliine of wood, differ- 
ing very little from the ju'ess nsed by Ben.iamin Franklin 
one hundred and fifty years ago. and known as a "Ram- 
age." This press was brought to the Paeific ('oast it is 
sujiposed, eai-ly in the present century. The printing 
office was in the second story of a wooden building owned 
by II. L. Vesler that then occupied the present site of 
S('hwal)acher IJi'others & Co.'s sfoi'e. J. R. Watson was 
editoi', proprietoi' and comi)Ositor. With the aid of some 
friend, or occasionally a young Indian for a roller boy, 
the paper was gotten out from week to week. 

The first half ,year closed June 4th, 1864, and the 
pa|)('r then suspended until August 6, following when it 
iilijieared in an enlarged form. On March 3, 1866, tlie 
Srattle Gazette was susjieiulecl, having covered a jieriod 
(if two years aiul three months. 

April T). 1866, the Puget Sound Semi-Weekly succeed- 
ed it, witii Hall & McNamara as publishers. A short ex- 
perience proved that the time for a semi-weekly had not 
arrived, and on the 30th of the same month, the Puget 
Sound Weekly appeared. With the issue of March 18, 
1867, the first volume ceased and with the beginning of 
the new volume I. M. Hall again took chai'ge and the paper 
was christened the Puget Sound Weekly Gazette. 

It may l)e pi'operly remarked that until October, 1864, 
the paper and the village as wtdl. had been without tele- 
graphic communication. 

The People's Telegram was begun at this time and 
continued a few issues, seuii-wrekly liut soon disappeared 
from view. 

In the early jiart of August, 1867 S. L. Maxwell ar- 
rived in Seattle. He was a first-class printer and a writer 
of considerable force. Messrs. Daniel and C. B. Bagley had 
at that time become owners of the jirinting office plant, 
and Mr. Maxwell arranged to take the office at $300 and 
pay for it as he earned the money. On August 5th, 1867, 
he issued the first number of the Weekly Intelligencer, the 
progenitor of the Post-Intelligencer of today. 

In 1874 Maxwell sold the Intelligencer to David Hig- 
gins for $3,000. In 1878 Mr. Higgins sold to Thaddeus 
Hanford, who edited the paper for several years. In 1879 
Mr. Hanford sold the paper to Thomas W. Prosch and 
Samuel L. Crawford. 

lu the spring of 1868, T. G. Murphy brought a small 
printing plant to Seattle from Sitka, Alaska, where he 
had been publishing for a short time the Alaska Times. He 
resumed the publication of his paper in Seattle, but con- 
tinued it for onl.v a few mouths, when McNamara & Lar- 
rabee purchased the paper. A short time thereafter the 
establishment was turned over to Wilson & Hall, who 
thereupon began the publication of the Territorial Di.s- 
patch and Alaska Times. In October, 1871, Colonel ('. IT. 



Larrabee and Beriah Brown bought the paper and after 
continuhig its publication for three months, on December 
4, 1871, issued the first number of a new and independent 
paper which was named the Puget Sound Dispatch. In 
August, 1872, Larrabee retired, when Brown's son, Kdward 
H., became associated with his father as proprietors and 
|iublishei-s undei- the firm name of Brown & Son. On the 
loth of September, 1872, tliey issued the first number of the 
Puget Sound Daily Dispatch, the first daily published in 
Seattle. In 1871, Edward H. Brown retired from the 
paper, and for a short time Beriah Brown continuetl it 
alone. In April, 1875, Austin A. Bell purchased a half in- 
terest in the paper, and from that time until September, 
1878, when the Dispatch was purchased by Thaddeus Han- 
ford and merged into the Intelligencer it was published 
b.v Brown & ]5ell. It was afterwards edited foi- a tinn_^ by 
Thomas V>. .Alcriy, a brilliant Oregon journalist. 

Ill 1S75 the Pacific Tribune, the first jiaper ])ul)lishe(l 
ill Tacoma, was moved to Seattle. It was started by 
Thomas W. Prosch. Its publication had been both daily 
and weekly for a number of .years. It was Republican in 
politics and it was continued in Seattle three years when 
it was alisorbed by the Intelligencer, at which time Mi'. 
Hanford became for a time the publisher and proprietor 
of the only paper published in Seattle. 

In the meantime B. L. Northrup started a monthly 
agricultural paper called the North Pacific Rural. This 
obtained some circulation in the county and formed the 
nucleus of a new daily which was issued with the title 
of Post in October, 1878, under the management of K. ('. 
and Mark Ward. Several wealthy citizens subsequently 
obtained control of the Post through mone.y advanced 
to pay the expenses of its publication. It proved a far 
from profitable venture, and in 1881 they merged it into 
the Intelligencer, at which time the present title of Post- 
Intelligencer was assumed. For a few days the Post- 
Intelligencer was the only newspaper in Seattle, a circum- 
stance that now, considering the size and wealth of the 
city, and the number of its publications, seems quite I'e- 
mai-kable. The Post-Intelligencer in 1891 was under the 
management of Thomas W. Prosch and under his control 
made rapid strides in popular favor and was soon recog- 
nized as the most influential joui'nal in the territory. 

In the summer of 1885 a number of the leading citi- 
zens subscribed a liberal sum of money to subsidize a 
paper to counteract or neutralize the influence of the 
Daily Call, an evening sheet, the organ of the more viru- 
lent of the anti-Chinese agitators. T. H. Dempse.v, J. R. 
Andrews and one or two others iindertook to publish a 
paper for the subsidy offered, and accordingly issued the 
Dail.v Times, also an evening paper, with the understand- 
ing that the subsidy was to be continued for six months. 
At the exjiirafion of the allotted time Mr. Dempsey was 
left alone to continue file publication. In March, 1887, 
Col. George G. Lyon, one of the most forcible writers in 
the cit.y, acquired an equal interest in the paper with Mr. 
Di'inpsey and took eilit(n-ial management of it. Under 



Page Sixteen 



HIST O R Y AND PROGRESS of 



the control of these two men. the Times rapidly grew and 
was recognized among the papers in Washington. 

The publication of two evening papers, both enter- 
prising and well conducted journals like the Press and 
Times, in a field the size of Seattle made it impossible for 
cither to become financially successful. After a fair test 
of the field the publishers with rare good judgment finally 
agi-eed to a consolidation, the Times being absorbed by 
the Press, tiie consolidated papers were issued under the 



title of the Press-Times. This was etfected in February, 
1891. The Press-Times was an independent Republican 
journal, and ranked among the best evening papers on 
the Pacific Coast. 

A chain of ownerships continued until Colonel Alden 
J. Blethen rehabilitated The Times, and it was contin- 
uously under his management until his death last year, 
and then under his sons, where it remains today — a great 
newspaper. 








^14'-" A ye. r\prttv_'i 



What is true of the public buildings of Seattle and 
King County is true also of the homes in the city and 
county. King County contains probable more beautiful 
home sites than any city in the nation, both within and 
without the city. 



Chief Seattle 

As Seen by Dr. H. A. Smith in 1887 

Old ('liii'f Seattle was the largest Indian I ever .saw, 
and by far tlie noblest looking. lie stood nearly six feet 
in his moccasins, was broad shouldered, deep chested 
and finely proportioned. His eyes were large, intelligent, 
expressive and friendly when in i-epose, and faithfully 
ndrrored the varying moods of the great soul that looked 
through them. He was unusually solemn, silent and dig- 
nified, but on great occasions moved among assembled 
multitudes like a Ti1an among Tjilliputians. and his light- 
est word was law. 

When I'isiiig to speak in couneil or to tender atlvice, 
all eyes weie tuiiied ui)on iiim. and deei)-toned, sonorous 
and elociuent sentences rolled from his lips like the ceas- 
less thunders of cataracts flowing from exhaustless foun- 
tains, and ins magnificent bearing was as noble as that of 
the most cultured military chieftain in command of the 
forces of a continent. Neither his eloquence, his dignity 
nor his grace was acquired. They were as native to his 
manhood as leaves and blossoms are to a flowering almond. 

His inrinen<-e was marvelous. He might ha\e been 
an emperor i)ut all his iustiucts were democratic, and he 
ruled his loyal subjects with kindness and paternal be- 
nignity. 

The Puget Sound country, with its great inland sea, 
its brooks and rivers, its hills and mountains, it sunlimited 
forests, have been the home of the Chinook Indians for 
hundreds of years. As far back as the memory of white 
settlers run the Chinooks confined themselves mostly to 
the open water of the Sound being more of a fi.shing 
tribe than hunters. It was a rare thing for any of their 
number to venture up the Snohomish or Skagit rivers. In 
the early days of Seattle old Chief Seattle ruled the des- 
tiny of the tribe. In later years the descendents of his 
followers have become divided and separated until they 
are but wandering tribes, eking out a livelihood by fish- 
ing, hunting and berry picking. Most of the Indians 
throughout the state are on Indian reservations, where 
good schools and churches are located among them. Some 
have become farmers and stock raisers, others build and 
own sea-going schooners and go to the sea fishing, sealing 
and whaling. Some of the reservations comprise a large 
amount of the richest land in the state. 




SlCl'TION OF PAriFTC HIGHWAY NEAR KENT 



Dairying in King County 



It is liai'd to conceive a section of the uiiivei'se in 
which nature has more bountifully provideil for the 
dairyman than King County, Washington, where logged- 
oif lands can be jnirchased at low cost, where the grass 
is green twelve months of the year, and where a great 
city consumes thousands of pounds of milk and butter 
daily, and great condensers prejjare the proiluct of the 
dairy for consuiujition in the lumber and mining camps 
of Washington, Alaska, and British Coluudiia. The fin- 
est hay and grains are raised here and a comparatively 
small acreage will support a good-sized herd of cows. 
For a market the daii'yman has three sources — he may 
sell his milk in Seattle, a city that consunu'S 30,000 gal- 
lons daily; he may sell to any one of the ten large cream- 
eries of the county, or to one of the two great 
milk condenseries, which consume more milk each day 
than is sold in the city. These markets for dairy products 
now support between 1,500 and 2,000 dairy farms and the 
demand for milk is constatnly growing. As an agreeable 
mode of living, dairy farming in King County has many 
advantages over any other form of rural industry in the 
West. The county is well covered by good roads and is 
crossed by munerous steam and electric railroads, which 
bring every section of it in close touch witli the City of 
Seattle. Telephone lines reach most of the farming dis- 
tricts. Taxes are moderate and shipping facilities the 
be.st. 



l)air\ing is one of the principal resotirces about 
which many of tlie leading towns of King County have 
been built. In the fertile White River Valley. Kent and 
Aubui'ii are each the location of a large condenser, while 
O'Brien, Thomas, Christopher and Oi-illia, near-by placets, 
are the scene of much trade in dairy products. Entim- 
elaw and Issaquah, two towns whose lumbering and coal 
mining brought them to the fi-ont, support good-sized 
creameries and are the centers of well developed sections 
\\ here logged-off lauds have been cultivated. North Bend, 
Fall City, Bothell, Redmond, Reuton, Kirkland, Maple 
Valley and Tukwila are all growing towns where op])or- 
tunities ai'e exei'lh-nt fill' the new dairy farmer. 

King ('ounty is naturally a daii'ying county. Its 
bi'oad, rich acres art'ord splemlid o})])ortunities for |)as- 
turage: the available markets offei- profits to those en- 
gaged in the industry and the close interest that is taken 
by Seattle and the milk consuming creameries and con- 
densed milk plants ensure scientific handling of the supply. 

Seattle took the first ste])s to insist upon a pure milk 
sujudy and a rigid enforcement of Sanitary Laws has com- 
pelled the ilairy interests to take every precaution to 
keep tlu^ sujiply fi'ee from iiu]iui'ities. 

The condensed milk factories at Aubuin and Kent, the 
lattei- controled by the manufacturers of the Gail IJorden 
brand and the foi'mer l)v the Pacific Coast Condensed 



I ' a K . 



HIST O R Y AX 1) P R O G R E S S o f 



iluniciijal ref^nlatioii jti-ovides authority to a deputy 
in the Board of llealtli to examine the milk of each dairy 
Milk Co., take most of tiie milk produced in the county, 
at any time lie deems advisable. Hoard of Health re- 
quirements when fulfilled guarantee absolute purity and 
the board eiifoi-i-es its mandates to the letter. 



Up to l.SS."), although Seattle was not a lai-ge cit\-. the 
milk demand was greater than the supply, because the 
farmers had not turned their attention to raising ;nid 



keeping iiiileli eows. At that time what milk was sold in 
the city was brought in by local milk dealers. In 181)0 
the first separator was brought to Seattle by one of oni' 
in-ominent dairy companies. At that time it was the only 
one in the state, and hundreds of cattle and dairy men 
came to the city to see it work. It was not long befori' 
many more were introduced, and now they can be found 
all tlu-ough the Western part of the state. Fully one- 
half of till- flutter consumed now in the state is home 
lii'oduct. wiiile prior to 1890, 9!) pir crnt was shipped in 
from California and the East. 



King County Excels for Fruit and Berries 



King County is the laml of the small fariinM- and 
fruit grower. It has the advantages of a fertile soil, an 
excellent climate and good home and foreign markets. 
The county is well watered and has the best transjiorta- 
tion facilities. It matters not what section of King Coun- 
ty is selected for a home, the truck fariiu'r, fruit grower 
and .specialist in modern agriculture finds an ideal spot 
for building his family castle and accumulating an inde- 
pendent bank account. The valley lands are rich in stoi-- 
etl jjlant foods and the u]ilands |)resent desii'able ]i]aees 
for every branch of intciisitied agi'ieulf ure. 

-Many I'idi disti-ii-ts in the boi'deis of King ('miiity 
remain in an undevelojied condition ami otter splendid 
sites for homebuilders. Tiiat condition exists because of 
the fact that other occupations have attracted the atten- 
tion of the people. In the early days the first setth-is 
built homes on the streams in the valley. They did not 
consider the uplands worth clearing of stum|)s and logs 
left as the relic of the timber gatherers. ( )nly snmll ti'acts 
were put undei- cultivation for the I'eason that men en- 
gaged in fishing, lumbering and other branches of natural 
connnerce peculiar to a new country. 

Agriculture has passed through vai'ious .stages of de- 
velopment in the ditferent sections of King County. Years 
ago the pioneers of the White River Valley planted theii- 
farms to hops. Then they harvested big croj)s and dis- 
posed of the product at fabulous jn-ices. Hut the hop 
growing acreage of the country increased, the various 
pests entered the fields and prices dropped to a standard 
that did not give returns sufficient to justify a contiinni- 
tion of the industry. One by one the hoj) fields wei-e 
abandoned and the vilH^s dug out to give room for new- 
crops of potatoes. Then the White Kiver potato became 
famous on the nuirkets. Fruit growing gives good results 
in every section of King County. It is the natural land 
of the cherry that produces wonderful crops every year. 
Many choice varieties of marketable apples are grown in 
the orchards of valley and upland. The climate is so mild 
and uniform that no fruits are killed by frost or cold 
weather. The wood makes a rapid growth and trees come 
into bearing at an early age. Some of the best vai'ieties 
of pears are produced in the orchards of King County. 

The berry industry is one of the most valuable money 
producers of King County. Raspberries, blackberries and 
strawberi-ies gro\v to perfection on all classes of soil. 



X'ashcin Ishunl is mir of the richest spots of the county in 
which the strawberry attains jierfection. Strawberi-y 
farmei-s i-e(|uire only small tracts of land but reap large 
]ii'oHls on tlii'ii' investments. 

King County pi'esents the ideal land for floral suc- 
cess. It is the evergreen spot of where the flowers bloom 
out of doors every week in the year. The greenhouse in- 
dustry is a profitable business in King County. It may be 
established in the valley or on logged off lands of the 
forest. Wherevei' ])i-oiier attention is given the work 
in'eeiiliouses pay handsome profits. A'ashon island pre- 
sents an object lesson in building and operating green- 
houses. A few yeaj-s ago that fertile spot was a part of 
the gi-eat Puget Souinl forest. The logs wei'e cut away 
ami sent to the mills of commerce and the stumjjs taken 
fi'oni the gi-ound. Then began an era of development. 
Vashon now has sixty-seven commercial greenhouses and 
room foi- many more of the same nature. 

Poult I'v raising reaches its highest point of ]i.Mfec- 
tion in King County. It combines with the small fniit in- 
dustry and enables the fai-nn-r to get profits fi-om both 
sources at the same time. 

.Many special branches of horticulture have l)een test- 
ed and shown to be ]irofital)le in King County. Owners 
of small tracts have diseovei'ed that there is good profit 
in gi'ow ing horseradish for tlie genel'al mai'ket. 

Tliat root attains i)erfeetion in the valley lands of 
this county. It is in demand at the piekh- factories and 
on the public marUcI of Seattle It i'ci|uircs but little at- 
tention other than good cultivation, Imt yields sntficicnt 
to pay the gardeners .t4()() to ^MH) an ac-re. 

King County offers ideal sites for seed farms of the 
highest type. The soil and climate conditions are such 
as to insure the best cabbage and cauliflower .seeds. That 
fact has been discovered by eastern dealers who purchase 
100,000 pounds of cabbage seed annually from growers in 
the Puget Sound country. Garden peas and sweet peas 
grow in abundance and of choice varieties, in the fields 
of King County. The world is open as a market for these 
crops. There are large and snudi tracts of land that can 
be purchased, on reasonable terms, in the most fertile 
spots in King County. In fact the county calls loudly for 
men and women who will go upon the land ami reap the 
bounties. 




THE FRANKLIN BRIDGE CROSSING THE GREEN RIVER — HIGHEST BRIDGE IN KING COUNTY AS WELL AS THE 

MOST SCENIC. BT'ILT BY CHARLES G. HT'BER 



King County 



THIS is the leading eonnty of the state in point of 
population, eoniiuerce and tinanee. It has a 
strategic advantage of location, bei)ig central in 
Western Washington, with over a 4n-iiiilr main- 
land frontage on Paget Sound. Its total area is 2,111 
S((nai-e miles «itli a widely varied contour. 

King County is aS miles in length, east and west and 
42 miles in widlh. eovei-jng an ai'ea of 2,14") sipiai'e miles. 
The eastern and the western boundaries are irregular, the 
one following the summit of the Cascade fountains, the 
otliei' the shoi'e liiu' of Puget Sound. From the eastern 
line, the county is very mountainous until a i)oint about 
20 miles from the divide is reached, whence tlie foothills 
disappear and h)w I'ertih- liills and wide vallej's appear. 



and the rushing torrents of melted ice and snow broaden 
out into quiet rivers. From this point to the shores of 
the Sound, the land is as fertile as any to be found in the 
wni'hl. and nuniy thousands of acres are under cultivatiou. 

Topography: Beginning at sea level on the west, 
numy fertile valleys, the largest of which trend north and 
soutli, alternate with wide plateaus of varying altitude 
until they are tinally enveloped in the foothills of the Cas- 
cade mountains, whose tree-clad ridges, with a maximum 
elevation of 7,000 feet, form a zig-zag terminal line at the 
eastern boundary of the county and separate it from 
Kittitas and Chelan counties. The most important valley 
is the continuous one formed by the Wliite and Duwamish 
Kivers and nsed as the main i)ortion of the thoroughfare 



in sTo \i V A X n 



R (MiR K SS 



between Seattle and Tacoma. Trihntary to this, Init 
trending generally east and west, ai-e the valleys of the 
Black, Cedar and Green Rivei-s, Anothei' considi'i-fdilc 
area is formed by tlie Sno(|nahuie and its ti'ihiitai'ies be- 
hind the seeond ehain of hills trending toward tlie noi'th. 
There are also a nund)er of lakes witli wide areas of tribu- 
tary agricultural land. The most important is Lake 
Washington, from one' to three nnles wide and nineteen 
miles long, parallel to and a few iiiiii-s ba(d\ fi-om the 
Sound, tlie country to the west forming the site of the City 
of Seattle. This lake is now connected with tlie Sounil 
by a government canal which utilizes Lake Union, in the 
heart of the city, as a jiart of its course. Lying belniid 
it is Lake Sammamish, about eight miles long, and con- 
nected with the lower lake by a sei'ies of sluggish sloughs. 

Population: The census of liHO gives the county 
284,638: that of IIKMI. 110,053; showing an iiici'ease for the 
deeade of 158. (i per cent. The LTnited States Census l:>u- 
reau estimate July 1, 1!)15, was 376,717. Local conserva- 
tive estimators now (daim nearly 500,000. Outfitting for 
Alaska, wintering hei'c of large fishing and mining eou- 
cerns of the North, together witli much tourist travid, 
have contriluited also to a large floating ])0|iulation. 

Land: Tiie whole region was once dense forest and 



much of it is still eovei'ed with valuable timber, Avhile 
another hii'ge portion is in the logged-off state. Tiii' most 
iinportaut tiiniiered |Hii-lion is tin- mountainous region in 
the eastern part inelnded in the Kaiider and Suo(pialmie 
forest reserves. 

There is no so-calleil jirairie land in the county, but 
thousands of acres lie as level as could be desired, es- 
])ecially in the v.dleys alri'ady noted, and on a few elevat- 
ed mountain plateaus there are many fertile slopes suit- 
able for fruit. ]>asture and stock raising. 

Fifty per cent of the eiiunty would In' suitable for 
agriculture and iiiueli of the remainder s]ilenilid for graz- 
ing. 

The a])iiro.\imale hind area of the county is 1,351,040 
acres. Forest reserves take 463,120 acres, stati- lands in- 
cludi' 64,523 acres, while 75,752 are unaj>iiropriated and 
unresei-vi'd fiMh^ral hiinls. The last census shows 3,287 
farms, containing 148,417 acres, or 11 per cent of the 
county. Only 54.!»23 acres, or 37 jier eeiit of this were im- 
proved. According to estimates by the county assessor, 
there are at pi'esent 67.000 acri-s impi'oved \-alley lands 
and 225,000 aci-es unimproved \alley lands besides 161,- 
280 acres of moiuitainous and uiisui vexed lands. 



Organization of King County 



On I )eei'iidiei- 15, 1852 Col. I. X. Rbe\- gave notice 
that he would soon introduce bills for tlu' cleat ion of four 
counties out of what was then Thurston ('ouiity. This 
he did and there could not have lieeii any opposition for 
on the 21st, King County had been set off. and on the 
22nd Pierce, Jefferson and Island followi^d. Col. Ebey 
had the honor of naming one of the best counties on 
Pugct Sound. The laws effecting this readjustment of 
the map were approved liy Gov. John P. Haines. 

So on December 21st, 1852, King County was cut off 
:"rom the Northern i)art of Thurston County with the fol- 
lowing liouudaries: commencing at the northeast corner 
of Pierce County thence north along the summit of the 
Cascade Mountains to a jiarallel of latitude passing 
through the middle of Pilot Cove: tiience fi-om the point 
last aforesaid west along said parallel of latitude to the 
Pacific Ocean : thence south along the Coast to a point 
due west of the head of Case's Inlet: thence from the 
point last aforesaid east to the head of Case's Inlet ; thence 
east along the northern boundary line of Piei'ce County 



lo the place of beginning. .\ii election [irecinct was es- 
tablished temporarily at the honii' of 1). L. Maynard. 

January 6. 1N53. the eoniity seat was also located on 
the land claim of .Maynard. and Ai'thur A. Denny. John 
.\. Lowe, and Luther ,M. Collins were appointed a board 
of comini.ssiouers and C. D. Uoren, sheriff, and II. D. 
Yesler probate clerk. It was named in honor of William 
R. King of Aalabama. 

William R. King was born in Sampson County, North 
Carolina, April 6, 1786: was the son of William King and 
descended from revolutioiuiry ancestors. He was selected 
president pro tem. of the Senate May 6. 1850. and on the 
death of President Zachary Taylor and ilillard Fillmore 
becoming president, he became the acting vice-president 
and served to DeceiiibcM- 20, 1852. He was elected vice- 
president that year on the ticket with Franklin Pierce 
but did not live to enter the duties of that office. He went 
to Cuba for the beiietit of his health but receiving none he 
returned to Capaba. Dallas County. Aalabama, where he 
died April IW, 1^5:;. 



I \(i CO r N 'I' ^^ w a s ii i n c to n 



M. L. HAMILTON 

( \)iiiit\' ( 'oiiiiiii-sidiici' for South Uisti id 

Marcus Del^afayette Hamilton, the present chairman of 
the Board of County Commissioners, was born in Blackstone, 
Livingston County, Illinois, in 1S(J2, and came to Seattle in 
1886, engaging in railway construction work. 

At the time of discovery of gold in Alaska, he was one of 
the first to cast his lot with the pioneers of that country and 
spent several years at Dawson and vicinity. Returning to 
Seattle, he engaged in business, organizing tne Georgetown 
Water Company, and has been identified with the improve- 
ment and upbuilding of the city and King County from that 
day to this. Me was never a candidate for public office until 
the fall of 1910, when he was elected county commissioner 
for the short term for the Second district, comprising the 
southern portion of the City of Seattle and the County ol 
King, including Vashon Island. His experience in railroad 
and street construction work stood him in good stead in re- 
building and maintaining the roads of his district, and more 
has been accomplished in that direction difi'ing the short per- 
iod of his incumbency as county commissioner than during 
the preceding twenty years. Over fifty miles of hard surface 
roads have been completed and nearly all the dirt roads have 
been reconstructed, graveled and widened, their total distance 
being approximately 1,4(10 miles. His ability along this line 
was soon recognized by the residents of his district and he 
was reelected in the fall of 1912 by a largely increased ma- 
jority for the long term, and when he retires from office next 
.lanuary, the highways of the southern portion of King County 
will be the wonder and pride of the whole state. He will have 
supervised the expenditure of over $4,3.=i0,000 on public high- 
ways, streets and bridges in the south district alone during 
his six-year term os county commissioner. 

Aside from Mr. Hamilton's active personal superinten- 
dence of road construction, he has the following constructive, 
progressive legislation to his credit as a member of the Board 
of County Commissioners during the period from January, 
1911, to date: 

He introduced and voted for a resolution submitting to 
the people a $3,000,000 bond issue for the purpose of con- 
structing highways, roads, streets, avenues and bridges, which 
bonds were duly voted in November, 1912. It was he in con- 
junction with County Engineer .1. R. Morrison and County 
Commissioner A. L. Rutherford that defined the exact location 
where this large sum should be expended. He insisted on the 
aliandonment of the old Potter's Field for the burial of pauper 
dead at Georgetown, and voted for the erection of a modern 
crematory to take its place. The result is an up-to-date plant 
on the Poor Farm grounds for the disposition of pauper re- 
mains, which is also largely used by the general public for 
a stipulated fee, one-fifth of what is usually charged at private 
crematories. 

In .July, 1911, he voted for a resolution submitting to a 
vote of the people, a bond issue of |1,.")00,000 for the purpose 
of constructing a new court house. This was defeated at the 
polls at the fall election, and a year later he introduced an- 
other resolution for the same purpose, except that the amount 
was reduced to $9.50,000. This bond issue was carried, but 
its validity was attacked before the bonds could be sold, and 
in May, 1913, two judges of the King County Superior Court 
held the issue illegal on technicalities. This decision was gen- 
erally accepted by the public and by one member of the board 
as final, but not by Hamilton. He insisted that the case be 
appealed to the Supreme Court, which was done on his motion, 
and the decision of the lower court was reversed, the bonds 
wre sold, and the new court house about to be occupied is 
the result. 

In the negotiations with the Board of County Commis- 
sioners of Pierce County in the matter of the joint improve- 
ment of the Stuck and Puyallup Rivers, it was Mr. Hamilton's 
persistence that enabled the two counties to enter into a joint 
agreement on a basis of payment by Pierce County of 40 per 
cent and King County of 60 per cent, rather than a pay- 
ment by King County of 7 5 per cent as was demanded by 
Pierce County, and acquiesced in by certain other members 
of the King County Board. A saving of over $200,000 was 
thus effected. 

In the liurchase of the Duwamish Dock site, funds for 
which were provided before Mr. Hamilton took office, he 





elfected a saving of over $4r,,(jiio by making his own deal 
with the owners of the property, rather than accepting the 
apiiraisal of three expert real estate appraisrs appointed for 
the purpose by both parties in interest. 

Through his efforts, fifty acres of the Poor Farm at 
Georgetown has been platted into industrial sites to be leased 
to new industries desiring locations in Seattle, at nominal 
rentals. This property has both water and rail facilities and 
is very desirable as factory sites, and already four different 
industries have been located and added to the city's pay roll. 

He was active in the construction of the new Juvenile De- 
tention Home, the finest structure of its kind in the West. 
Also in rebuilding the Alms House at Georgetown, and the 
Stockade at Bothell for county prisoners, and in the construc- 
tion of a new ferry to connect 'Vashon Island with the main- 
land. 

These are a few of the big things that have come before 
the board for solution, and gives some idea of Mr. Hamilton's 
a<'tivities and his liberal and progressive scope of vision look- 
ing to the future growth and expansion of the county. 

Mr. Hamilton is a man of tireless energy, boundless ac- 
tivity, is absolutely fearless, an enthusiast and an optimist, 
and he has a way of infusing the same spirit in those around 
him. No pull is strong enough to keep a man on a pay roll 
controlled by him who does not show some of the same char- 
acteristics to get results. He never temporizes or side-steps, 
is quick to make up his mind and reach conclusions, is very 
outspoken, making bitter enemies and warm friends. He is 
married and lives in Georgetown, having a summer home at 
Des Moines. 



went y-t \\ 



H 1 S 1^ O R Y A X 1) P R O a R E S S of 



:\[. J. CARRIGx\N 

('(>init\' CoiimiissidiKM' for Central District 




M. J. Carrigan, county commissioner from the First Dis- 
trict, King County, hails originally from Chillicothe, Ohio, 
where before coming to Washington he was one of the editors 
and owners of the largest and most influential Republican 
newspapers in Southern Ohio — the Chillicothe Leader. 

He has been a resident of Washington for twenty-five 
years, and has resided in Seattle for the past fourteen years. 
He is married, having three children, and his home is at 1723 
Harvard Avenue. He is a large property owner and taxpayer, 
and politically a life-long Republican. 

Mr. Carrigan's career in this state has been one of great 
activity, both in private and public life. Directly after com- 
ing to Washington, he became heavily interested in Clallam 
County timber lands and in the development of Port Angeles. 
He was elected mayor of that city in 1896, and was U. S. Col- 
lector of Customs of that port from 1897 to 1901, when he 
resigned from that position to move to Seattle. 

He has been an active, steadfast and helpful friend of the 
Good Roads movement from its inception in this state, and has 
had much to do with shaping the excellent road laws now on 
our statute books. 

He served as county commissioner for King County dur- 
ing the years 1909-1910, and later became a member of the 
State Board of Tax Commissioners, State Board of Land Com- 
missioners, State Board of Equalization and State Capitol Com- 
mission. 

.Mr. Carrigan was again elected to the Board of County 
Commissioners of this county in 1914, for the two-year term. 
He served as chairman of the board, and as chairman of the 
Board of Equalization during 191"i. He devotes all of his 
time to the multitudinous duties of the office, and gives to 
the people of the county the full benefit of his wide experience 
In administering public affairs. 

The past year has been one of notable activity in the office 
of the county commissioners. An unprecedented amount of 
road, bridge and river improvement work has been accora- 
lilished, totaling |1, 200, 000. 

The splendid new Court House at the corner of Third 
and .James Street has been brought to a state of practical 
completion within the bond issue of $1,;:!00,00() voted there- 
for. A twenty-year lease has been negotiated with the city 
for the use of a portion of this spacious building at an annual 
rental of $37,000. 

A fine new Juvenile Detention Home has been erected, 
equipped and put in operation at a cost of $52,000. 

Two hundred voting machines of the latest model have 
been purchased under a plan permitting of their being paid 
for out of the savings effected by their use, as against the 
cumbersome, old style paper ballot system. 

A new Stockade has been built at Bothell, to accommo- 
date seventy-five prisoners, who are working on the county 
roads. 

Important improvements have been made at the County 
Hospital; a Department of Public Welfare has been established 
and is being efficiently administered, and $2,200,000 has been 
distributed in the current business of the county. 



SEATTLE \S RE( IRE AT I OX S YSTEiM 



Seattle is the foremost city west of Chicago in the provi- 
sion of public recreation places. All parks, playgrounds, 
boulevards and public squares are under the Jurisdiction of 
the park commission, which during the last ten years has de- 
veloped a comprehensive plan, involving the expenditure of 
approximately $6,000,000 of public funds, of which $4,000,000 
was authorized in bonds voted by the people. 

The net result of this investment has been to provide 
Seattle with an ertensive recreation system, embracing ap- 
proximately 2,000 acres in area and including practically 
every feature of a modern recreation system, municipal bath- 
ing beaches, bath houses, public golf course, social centers, 
equipped and supervised playgrounds and the usual parks and 
boulevards. 

The small park idea has been carried out by the location 
of community parks in every district of the city with several 
large parks for general use. There are thirty-eight parks in 
the city, of which more or less are improved and of service 
to the community. Seattle has twenty-five playgrounds, not 
including children's playgrounds in parks. Twenty of these 
playgrounds are improved and in use, and twelve of them 
liave modern outdoor gymnasium apparatus and equipment 
and are provided with trained svipervlsors during the sum- 



mer months. Four of these playgrounds are provided with 
social center buildings of field house, which operate the year 
around, and are provided with reading rooms, club rooms, 
public gymnasiums, baths, assembly halls for social functions, 
etc. Seattle ranks third of the cities of the United States, 
regardless of size in the provision of playground facilities. 

Seattle boulevards are novel in that they are constructed 
largely through wooded areas, serpentine in fashion, connect- 
ing many of tne parks and practically belting the city. The 
boulevards follow along the shores of lakes along high ridges, 
overlooking the lakes and salt waters of Puget Sound with 
panoramic views of mountains, lakes or beautiful landscape 
always in view. These scenic driveways, thirty miles in length, 
are the crowning feature from the tourist's viewpoint of 
Seattle's remarkable recreation system. 

Fresh water bathing stations on Green Lake, Lake T'nion 
and Lake Washington and a salt water bathing beach half a 
mile in length and a modern bath house at Alki Beach afford 
delightful facilities for bathers. 

At Jefferson Park on Beacon Hill an eighteen-hole mu- 
nicipal golf course is maintained, which, on account of its 
scenic surroundings, is regarded by visiting golfers as the 
most beautiful golfing site in the United States. 



1 X G 



(1 () IT N T Y, w ASH I N ( rr o n 



' \v .■ 11 1 y-t h : 



KRIST KNUDSEN 

r(niiit\' ("oiniiiissioiu'r for North l)istrict 

Krist Knudsen, the present member of the Board ot 
County Commissioners from the North District of the county, 
was born in Norway Aiiril 2G, 1S6(). At the age of twenty 
years he came to America, and after sojourning in the states 
of Connecticut, New Yorli, Illinois, Kansas and Colorado, he 
came to the state of Washington, arriving in Seattle, April L'O, 
1S87. In May of the same year he was married and shortly 
alter took up a homestead at Juanita, then a wilderness at 
the north end of Lake Washington, but now almost a suburb 
(if the City of Seattle. 

In the fall of lS!t2 he was elected road supervisor for 
King County in the district in which he lived, and for nine 
years thereafter was reelected each year. Through legisla- 
tion the office of road supervisor then became one of appoint- 
ment by the Board of County Commissioners, and he was 
appointed and reaiipointed for nine successive years, by the 
different Board of County Commissioners, serving in the!.- 
turn. 

In the year of lill2, he decided to become a candidate 
for county commissioner from the North District, and was suc- 
cessful, being elected for a term of two years. At the close 
of this term he became a candidate for reelection, and in No- 
vember, 1914, was reelected to serve four years. 

Mr. Knudsen's record as commissioner during his three 
years' service has been along progressive lines, working in 
harmony with Chairman M. L. Hamilton and Commissioner 
M. J. Carrigan on all measures of county legislation required 
to keep pace with the rapid development that has taken plarf 
in recent years. His familiarity with the roads and bridges 
of his district gained from his long service as road supervisor 
has enabled him to render very efficient service in that Mno 
of his duty as commissioner. He superintends the expenditure 
of approximately $600,000 each year on the various hignways 
and bridges within his commissioner's district. His term will 
expire in January, 1919. 

Krist Knudsen is a living example of what a man may 
accomplish in this land of the New West. Coming to Amer- 
ica as an unlettered, but not an ignorant foreigner, he has 
steadily climbed the ladder until he has attained a place 
in the community of which he may be justly proud. Great 
credit is due Knudsen for his tenacity and honesty of purpose. 




THE LEGAL PART OF THE GOLRT HOUSE BOND ISSUE 

By ROBERT H. EVANS, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney 



In November, 1912, the Board of County Commissioners 
submitted a bond issue of $950,000 for the erection of the 
new Court House on Block 33, C. D. Boren's Addition to the 
City of Seattle, at the intersection of .lames Street and Third 
Avenue. 

This bond issue carried by a heavy vote over the neces- 
sary three-fifths. Subsequently the county commissioners 
offered the bonds for sale and they were readily luirchased. 
Prior to delivery, however, an injunction proceeding was 
brought restraining the commissioners from proceeding with 
the sale of the bonds or with the letting of any contracts in 
connection with the proposed construction. 

On June 6, 1913, Judges Everett Smith and R. B. Albert- 
son of the Superior Court of King County granted an injunc- 
tion permanently enjoining the county commissioners from 
proceeding with the delivery of the bonds or the construction 
of the Court House on the theory that the people had been 
misled as to the character of the building which could be con- 
structed with the funds available. This case was carried to 
the Supreme Court of the state by the prosecuting attorney's 
office, the case being argued and presented by Robert H. 
Evans tor the board. A decision was rendered December 6, 
1913, reversing the opinion of the trial court holding that the 
proceedings leading to the bond sale were in strict compliance 



with the statutory requirements and that the cotnmissioners 
had in all respects complied with the law in conducting their 
proceedings. 

Subsequently the bonds were resold and a contract was 
entered into with the Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Com- 
pany for the construction of a court house to cost approxi- 
mately the amount of the bond issue. The contract contained 
a clause securing to King County the option of requiring the 
contractor to erect two additional stories to the building in 
the event the commissioners saw fit to go ahead with the 
additional construction. 

In 1913, the Legislature passed an act authorizing cities 
of the first class and counties to jointly construct and own 
public buildings. At the state election in 1914, the commis- 
sioners submitted a further bond issue of $350,000 for the 
liurpose of securing funds to construct two additional stories 
upon the building as originally planned. The bonds were sold 
and the construction was carried out under the contract with 
the Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Company. 

The city then entered into a contract of lease for the 
joint use of the building, separate offices being assigned to 
the various departments of the city. This lease runs for 
twenty years from the completion of the building and is con- 
sidered highly advantageous to both city and county and city 
affairs under one roof will save much in the way of rentals. 



]* a g" f T T\" f n I y-f n u r 



H I S 'IM ) R V A X I ) P KM ) ( i R K S S o f 




NORMAN M. W'ARDALL 

Deputy County Auditor and Clerk Board ot Commissioners. 

Norman M. Wardall was first appointed deputy county 
auditor and clerk of the Board of County Commissioners in 
January. 19uy, by County Auditor Otto A. Case, and has served 
continuously ever since, having been reappointed by County 
Auditor Byron Phelps in 1913. 

All the details of the commissioners' office falls on his 
shoulders, one of the principal items being that of the large 
number of bonds voted by the people of King County during 
the past six years, amounting to over $G, 000,000. Every dol- 
lar of this vast sum must depend on the correctness of his 
records for its validity. The preparation and sale of the bonds 
themselves are details that require the most accurate and 
efficient service and knowledge, for no set of men in the 
world are so exacting, so critical and gun-shy as are bond 
buyers. Not only must the pedigree of the bond be perfect 
and without a flaw or blemish, but the appearance and neat- 
ness of execution in lithographing it, must meet their dis- 
criminating fancy. 

When the validity of the bonds voted for the erection of 
the new Court House was questioned and taken into court 
by the advocates of a Civic Center, it was largely due to Mr. 
Wardall's records and testimony that they were finally de- 
clared legal by the Supreme Court, and made possible the 
construction of the new county building. 

The drawing of all contracts for the construction of 
county buildings, roads and bridges running into many mil- 
lions of dollars, are matters that come under his supervision 
and require his signature. 

The compiling of the County Budget, calling for some 
$2,500,000 each year and the adjustment of the annual tax 
levy to raise that sum, are matters that demand painstaking 
work and intimate knowledge of county affairs. 

The vouchers on which this money is expended all pass 
through his hands and are shown on his office records, many 
of which must have his approval before being allowed and 
l)aid. 

It is he who meets the general public, and the calls for 
information on every conceivable subject relating to the county 
average over fifty per day, most of which he is able to answer 
on the spot without reference to files or records. 

By reason of his long service in his present position, Mr. 
Wardall is considered by many as the best informed man in 
the city on county affairs. 

he was born in Mitchell County. Iowa, in 1S70, and came 
to Seattle from South Dakota in 1900. He lives in West 
Seattle, is married and has one daughter, who is attending 
the University of Washington. 



DEISCRIPTIOX OF THE COL'RT llOL'SE 



The building in design is commercial rather than monu- 
mental; classical forms and ornaments are introduced and a 
pleasing result is obtained, in a manner characterizing the 
best commercial work of the leading buildings of the country. 

The utilitarian purposes of the building are given the 
major consideration, and therefore large window openings 
versus massive wall construction Is the keynote of the struc- 
ture, and yet, the design is so well balanced as to possess 
dignity and good proportions. 

While the structure is of the sky-scraper type, and strict- 
ly fireproof throughout, it cannot be called a stilted or un- 
stable looking structure, but with its granite base, and col- 
umnar lower stories, it impresses the beholder as a public 
building. 

The upper stories, the topmost one being typical of addi- 
tional stories, are faced with glazed terra cotta in imitation 
of the granite, and though a reasonably good match is ob- 
tained, it is to be regretted that the design could not be car- 
ried out in granite for the full height, giving the added dignity 
and durability of that superior material. The building, as 
now constructed, is provided with foundations to carry seven 
more stories, anu with additional five stories, when completed, 
will make a handsome and pleasing structure. 



The interior arrangement provides for the various de- 
partments of the city and county, along the practical lines 
of large business corporations. City and county treasurers 
are located on the ground floor, and fitted up after the man- 
ner of large counting houses to expedite the public business. 

Throughout the plan is that of a first-class business 
structure with partitions so arranged as to be flexible, allow- 
ing of easy removal when larger areas are desired, or sub- 
divisions can be made to accommodate most any demand. 

The interior is simple and i)ractical throughout. The 
walls of court rooms require some mural decorations, which 
it is to be hoped will be applied in the future, such as would 
be in keeping with the marble wainscotted corridors, and the 
general dignity of the structure. 



In this building, it can truly be said that the taxpayers 
receive more for their money than any other public building 
of equal cost, throughout the country. It was constructed at 
a time when building materials were at their lowest cost, and 
labor was plenty. This coupled with the design conceived on 
lines of economy and practicability, have made possible this 
achievement. 



K I N G C O U N T \'. N\' A S H I X ( ; T O X 



Pa i 



T w e n t y-f i V e 



Proceedings of the Early Day Commissioners 



The writfi- lias little or no imagination: he I'jin write 
little else than an epitome of that which eomes within 
his actual range of vision. Of romance he knows noth- 
ing; of ancient history little, so he may not take up the 
excerpts copied from the musty County records and 
weave about them the romance that justly is their due. 

Think of the possible thrillers; of the exciting per- 
iods; of the items of intense interest even to us of the 
present day, were one able to dream back into the re- 
cent Past. 

Think of Port Orchard, tlien within the bounds of 
King County, sening men in a crude canoe to Seattle for 
rifles to defend its citizens against the ravages of the 
red man ! White men, who are indigents are sold into 
slavery for their upkeep to the one who would agree 
to feed them for the least money! 

From the organization of the Board of County Com- 
missioners down to 1H80, a jieriod of nearly 30 years, was 
probably the most interesting in King County's history. 

If you do not care for the romance of youi- own 
county, do not read the "minutes of tln' boards" which 
follow : 

"Be it remembered that on this 5th day of March, 
A. D. 1853, the County Commissioners' Court of King 
County was convened at the house of D. S. Maynard in 
the town of Seattle and duly organized in accordance 
with the act of the Legislature Assembly of Oregon Terri- 
tory." 

"Present, L. M. Collins and A. A. Denny, Commis- 
sioners, and H. L. Yesler, Clerk." 

"The following business was transacted: Ordered 
that the following named persons be summoned to serve 
as grand jurors, to-wit : George Holt, Jacob Mapel, 
Samuel :\Iai)el. Henry Pierce. Henry Smith, David A. 
Clark and James Wilson. And as petit jurors, David 
Denny, Wm. Bell. John Sam])son, John Mass, Wm. Carr, 
David Maurer, John Strole and Henry Van Asselt." 

"Ordered that the Court adjourn to meet on the first 
Monday in April. 

"Signed, A. A. Denny, L. M. Collins, Commissioners." 
***** 

April 4, 1853. Wm. I'.ell was appointed supervisor 
of Road District Xo. 1. George Holt, supervisor of Road 
District Xo. 2. 

Ordered that all of King County lying north of the 
Duwamish River be included in District No. 1 and all ly- 
ing south of the same be included in District No. 2. 

L. M. Collins was the first to secure a license for a 
ferry on the Duwamish River, i>aying the sum of 2.00 as 
the first year's tax and by giving a bond in the sum of 
$100.00. 

The meeting of July 4th, 1853, was adjourned to 



July 5. L. y. Wychoff appointed assessor for King 
County. J. X. Ayers appointed treasvirer. 

Jacob Mapel ami E. C. Terry appointed Justices and 
Henry Smith, Constable. 

September 5, 1853. Ordered that a tax levy of four 
mills on the dollar be levied for County revenues. 

July 5tli, 1854. 1). L. Maynard was appointed super- 
intendent of schools ill King County. 

December 4, 1854. Coui't ordered H. Butler paid $25 
for boarding Indian pi'isoners. 

C. D. Boren paid $75 for keeping Indian prisoners 
and acting as Sheriflf. 

January 15, 1855. Ordered that Joiin Henning, Wm. 
Gilliam and C. E. Brownell be appointed viewers of a 
road to be laid out running from claim of John M. Thomas 
to Joseph Foster, tiience down the Duwamish River on 
the south side to ci'oss near the east side of the claim of 
Ilenr.y Van Asselt. 

March 5. 1855. Dr. J. Williams paid for services to 
Mr. Xurve, a pauper. 

The election for the town of Seattle was held in the 
office of D. L. Maynard, July, 1855. 

June. 1855. David Maurer appointed Road Super- 
visor for District No. 1. John Henning appointed super- 
visor for Road District No. 2, Henry Fee for Road Dis- 
trict No. 3, Moses Kirkland for Road District Xo. 4, Ed- 
ward Carr for Road District No. 5, Wm. C. Webster for 
Road District No. 6. 

Roads from Seattle to Ross and Strickless :\lill and 
also from Henry Van Asselt claim, east line to intersect 
the Territorial i-oad at the claim of John M. Thomas ap- 
proved ami lawfully opened as county road. 

Ordered that the Road Supervisor be required to en- 
ter bond with the County Commissioners with securities, 
the sum of $250. 

March, 1856. Eleven muskets ordered sent to Port 
Orchard for the use of the citizens. 

Owing to the Indian War road matters were stopped 
in the County. 

New election precinct was established at the home of 
Renton O. Howard at Port Orchard and the precinct at 
Alki be annulled. 

The Treasurer's report was found correct and a bal- 
ance of $183.42 still found in the tresaury of the schools. 

June 3, 1856. Ordered that Edward Moore, the pau- 
per now in Seattle, be sold at public auction to the lowest 
bidder for his maintenance to be paid out of the County 
Treasury, said bid to be left with the commissioners to 
E. A. Clark, Clerk. 

September 1. 1856. Ordered that a tax of two mills 
be levied for scliool, four mills county tax, one mill terri- 



Page Twent y-s i x 



HISTORY AND PROGRESS 



of 



torial tax. Slieritt' cliH-tcd in 
the next regular election. 



for Kine CoinitA- until 



road leading from Free])ort 
we.st line. 



.Mills to tfriiiinate at Holt's 



December 1, 1856. Thomas Jlereer appointed Chair- 
man of Board of County Commissioners. 

January 8, 1857. Ordered that the following officers 
be elected at the July election, : One delegate to Congress, 
one joint councilman, with Slaughter County; two repre- 
sentatives, one Probate Judge, one assessor, one Coroner, 
one Wreckmaster, two Justices of the Peace, one Con- 
stable, one Superintendent of County Schools. 

Ordered a tax of three mills on County, two school 
and one territorial tax be levied, also twenty-five dollars 
road tax on each one hundred dollarss, and nine dollars 
on each person liable to pay road tax, also one mill of 
county tax to be paid in cash for court funds. 

Ordered that County Script be received by Super- 
visor and Treasurer in payment for road tax at par for 
the year 1858. 

Dec. 6, 1858. Petition of ('. C. Lewis and B. S. Johns 
asking for a license to run a ferry on the Duwamish 
River was granted for the term of one year for the sum 
of $1.30, and the rates shall be as follows: 

Man and hoise 5Uc, footman, 25e, loose cattle, excejjt 
hogs and sheep, 15c, hogs and sheep 10c, wagon and span 
of horses 75e, each additional span 37 %e, yoke of oxen 
50c. 

April 19, 185il. Assessor appointed to fill vacancy. 
Appointed Butler P. Anderson, prosecuting attorney. 

May 2, 1859. Ordeied that H. Butler's bill as sheriff' 
in arresting and conveying Wm. Sharp, a prisoner, to Fort 
Steilacom, $21, paid. 

June 6, 1859. (!ounty Assessor, W. White. David 
Hillorey Batters paid $11.50 foi- furnishing jail for pris 
oner Wm. Shai'p. 

November 2, 1863. Report of viewers on account of 
county road from PJaek Rivei- Bridge No. 1 to ]\Iilitaiy 
road leading to Seattle accepted and road established. 

Ordered that A. G. Terry be and is hereby licensed to 
sell spirituous liquor for three months and keep one bil- 
liard table for the term of six months from Dee. 10, 1858, 
to March 10, 1860. 

October 3, 1863. Ordered that the election precinct 
known as Snoqualmie voting precinct be so enlarged as 
to include the Sanuimish or Squak Valley and that the 
election be held at the house of E. Walsh in the Squak 
Valley. 

Sept. 10, 1863. License granted N. B. Judkin to keep 
grocery and billiard table for six months. 

February, 1864. E. Richards paid fifty dollai-s for 
county map. 

May 2, 1864. Ordered that Freeport be made a voting 
precinct and elections to be held at the Miller's store in 
said precinct. 

Ordered a new road district to be known and num- 
bered No. 11 and to include the Alki Point road and the 



Total assessment for 1864, $300,966.00. 

May 3, 1864. That an order be drawn on the County 
Treasurer for the sum of $300 in favor of S. V. Combs, 
to be expended as soon as can be negotiated for — in the 
purchase of a safe for the use of the county. Said S. V. 
Combs to pay all freights on the same from San Fran- 
cisco or from any place where it may be brought, pro- 
vided he has the use of the same. 

Xov. 3, 1864. Ordered that a notice for sale of all 
school lands in section 36 neai' Iladan's donation claim 
be made pursuant to law. 

Ordered that E. Richardson be and is hereby appoint- 
ed to locate all school lands that have been taken by do- 
nations and prescriptions pi-ioi' to the survey thereof. 

Nov. 15, 1864. Ordered that a committee be apitoint- 
ed to select a location and make arrangements foi' build- 
ing a concrete jail. 

March 3, 1865. Ordei'ed that O. C. Shovey be paid 
$70 foi' making a corriu foi- .loliii liuck. 

Taxes for the yeai' 1865: County, 4 mills on the dol- 
lar; school, 2 mills on the dollar; territorial, 4 mills on the 
dollar; road, 2 mills on the dollar. 

Nov. 14, 1865. Mr. Hall was appointed attorney or 
legal advisor for the county. Appointed for one year at 
a quarterly sum of $50 to be j)aid at the end of each quar- 
ter by the County Auditor. 

Oi'dered a committee of three, D. L. Denny, James 
J. Jordan and Frank Mathias, to find a suitable place for 
the court house and county jaiL 

Xo\-. 13. lS(i6. Hill of Kellogg and Maddocks for 
iiirclicinc for roiinty sick allowed. Amount, .$129.25. 

()i-drrt'<l that the amount of school funds in the hands 
of the ( 'ounty Treasurer in County Script be exehangefl 
for greenbacks and deposited as a school fund. 

Dec. 22, 1866. Ordered that in case H. J. Stevenson 
fails to serve as surveyor of roads, Mr. Richardson serve 
ill his stead. 

>May 7, 1867. Ordered that 30 per cent of all money 
paid into the County Treasury for county purposes be 
set aside as a road fund for luiilding bridges and roads in 
King County. 

May 25, 1867. Contract awarded to Daniel Braekett 
for constructing the Snoqualmie wagon road. His was 
the lowest and best bid, being $120 per mile, making a 
good pa.s.sable road. 

Thomas Mercer, Probate Judge, gave bond for $1,000. 

P.ond of Sheriff being $5,000. 

Justice of Peace, H. N. Steele, of the Seattle precinct. 

Bills allowed for the keep and medicine for the pau- 
pers, by name of ("I'ew and Charles Curtis. 

February, 1868. Roards ordered to be 30 feet wide. 
Board ordered all persons through whose land the Sno- 



K I X ( J ( ' () r X T V. ^^^ a s h i x ( i t ( ) x 



P a g- e T w e n t y-s even 



(lualinio road I'lms on the Siiopvuilinie Rivci' or Raiigi^r's 
Prairie, be autliorizcd to keep gates across said road for 
one year from date. 

Ordered by the J^oard that tlie rate of taxation in 
King County, Washington Territory, for the year 1868 
shall be as follows, to-wit : Poll tax for county purposes, 
$2.00 per poll: poll tax for road purposes,* $4.00 per poll; 
county tax, 8 mills on each $1.00 of valuation; territorial 
tax, 3Y2 mills on eacii $1.00 of valuation; school tax, 3 
mills on each $1.00 of valuation ; road tax, 8 mills on each 
$1.00 of valuation. 

In accordance with the provisions of the act of the 
Legislature of Washington Territory approved Jan. 28th, 
1867, entitled, "An act authorizing the County Commis- 
sioners of King County, Washington Territory, to l)orroAv 
money for tlie purpose of building bridges and opening 
roads in King County." 

In May, 1868, when the Board of County Commis- 
sioners adjourned at the close of a day's session it was 
to meet again the next morning at seven o'clock. 

June, 1866. Henr,y Ye.sler authorized to keep and 
maintain a whai-f in the town of Seattle at tlie foot of Mill 
Street for tlie term of 10 years, said wharf to run into 
the water a sufficient distance for all practicable and nav- 
igable purposes. Rates for lauding and shipping freight, 
per ton, 50c ; plungers and small vessels, per month, 50c ; 
for the landing of all small vessels of 100 tons and over, 
$5.00; for the landing of all steamers, month, $5.00; for all 
cattle and liorses shipjied or landed, per head, 25c; for 
all hogs shipped or landed, per head, 12Vl>e ; for all sheep 
shipped or landed, per head, 6c; single packages to be 
charged at reasonable rates ; for a horse and wagon, 50c ; 
for other vehicles, including wheelbarrows, 12i/)C. 

Februaiy, 1869. E. Carr paid twenty-five dollars for 
services as county -school superintendent. 

November. 1860. Bridges ordered to be built aei-oss 
Squag Creek. 

February, 1870. H. P. Lewis appointed to select 
and locate lands for school purposes, said land to be 
taken to make up any deficiency that may be in school sec- 
tions by reason of lakes and other lands are at present 
worthless or taken by persons holding lands in school 
sections prior to the public survey. 

May 2, 1870. Petition from Freeport asking to be 
declared a separate voting precinct, including Vashon 
Island, Alki Point and all the settlements on the west side 
of the mainland residing along the coast to Moore's place, 
inclusive. 

Election precinct established at Cedar River, includ- 
ing all the settlements on Cedar River. 

Election pi'ecinct established on the east side of Lake 
Washington to be known as the Lake Washington branch, 
to embrace all the settlements from Black River along the 
lake north. 

At this time Mr. Willes was Bridge Commissioner. 

E. Carr allowed $50 for year's work as County Su- 
perintendent of Schools. County Auditor C. Kellogg paid 
$86 for .year's services. 



1S71. The county received $75, gold coin, for the 
lease of the C'ounty Farm to A. C. Shivey. 

Rate of license for King County inside tiie city limits 
for the future and until otherwise ordered shall be $300 
per annum. 

County road from Snoqualmie River to Seattle was 
accepted and viewers appointed. 

District 10 changed so as to include claim of Henry 
Adams. Di.strict No. 17 divided to form District No. 18. 

Paid $40 to Mr. Yesler for the rent of the court house. 

County Attorney at this time Avas James McNaught. 

In 1871 Samuel D. L. Smith was Justice of the Peace 
for the Seattle Precinct. Wm. Goldmyer, supervisor of 
District No. 19, resigned and Wm. Kenny appointed. 

Bridges ordered across Cedar River. 

An additional appropriation of $200 was made for 
Stuck River bridge. 

A new road district commencing at the north line of 
tile city limits, running tlience north to the noi'th line of 
King County and extending east of the west line of Dis- 
trict No. 19 and west to Puget Sound. Thomas Mercer, 
supervisor. 

The Coroner for 1871 was J. S. Settle. 

County office rented from G. Kellogg. 

Bridge rejiort of bridge over Cedar River accepted. 
M. P. Smith, supervisor. 

1872. O. C. Shorey was Treasurer of King County at 
tliis time. Bill for the care and burial of pauper allowed. 

March 30, 1872. Special meeting called to fill the 
vacanc.v in the office of the County Siirveyor. Ceo. F. 
Whitworth elected to this office. He qualified accoi-ding 
to law. 

Aug. 7, 1872. Gardner Kellogg resigns as County 
Auditor and D. F. Wheeler appointed to fill vacancy, or 
his successor is elected. 

Ordered that an appropriation of $926 be made for 
the purpose of purchasing a safe for King County and 
placed in the Auditor's office. 

Nov. 4, 1872. Ordered all bills under the amount of 
50c be and the same is hereby repudiated by the Board 
of County Commissioners and will not be allowed, and the 
Auditor furnished a certified copy of the order to the 
Clerk of the District Court. 

Resignation of N. S. Bartlet as Justice of Peace of 
Seattle Precinct accepted. 

Bill allowed H. L. Yesler for furnishing money to 
send John Benson, pauper, to Sandwich Islands. 

Nov. 7. D. S. Smith elected as Justice of Peace, 
Seattle Precinct, vacancy caused by the resignation of 
N. S. Bartlet. 

A. W. Malson resigns as Constable of Seattle Pre- 
cinst, vacancy filled by D. H. Webster. 



Page Twent y-e i g h t 



HISTORY AND PROGRESS of 



Feb. 4, 1873. Hon. W. M. York. Probate Judge, asked 
for a furnished office in the Dispatch building, rent to 
be for scrip equivalent to -l^o.OO per month. 

Feb. 7, 1873. Ordered that the proposal of T. F 
Minor, M. D.. for the care and attendance upon the in- 
digent sick of the county for one year at the rate of $1.00 
per day currency for each patient accepted. 

Nov. 3, 1873. The report of the County Surveyor, 
Geo. F. Whitworth, containing notes of the survey of 
the cemetery on the County Farm was accepted and or- 
dered recorded in the record.s of deeds of King County. 

('. D. Perkins appointed agent of county to secure 
quit-claim deed to the lot known as the Seattle Cemetery 
— about five acres — a place for burying the county poor. 

Feb. 4, 1874. In the matter of the location of the 
site for a county jail and other buildings, it was ordered 
that A. Macintosh, Esq., be and is hereby appointed as a 
committee to receive pro])osals for the sale to the county 
of such lands, to repoi't the same with his views at next 
term of this Court. 

S. P. Andrews appointed overseer of the poor with 
full power and authority to contract for board, medical 
attention and all other necessaries for the indigent sick 
of the county. 

TJ. Robinson resigned as Commissioner to take effect 
at the close of February term of court. S. P. Andrews 
ai^pointed to fill vacancy. 

May 11, 1874. 0. C. Shoi-ey resigns as Treasurer. Mr. 
S. C. Harris elected to fill vacancy. He gave a bond of 
!};10,000.00. 

Feb. 5, 1875. Ordered that the stock of the Seattle 
and Walla Walla Railroad and Transportation Co. be ex- 
empted from taxation for 1875. 

May 1. 1876. Carkeek and Doyle awarded the jail 
contract on their bid of $10,196. 

T. McNatt resigned as Commissioner. D. K. .McMiller 
appointed to take his place. 

October 7, 1876. W. W. York, Probate Judge, re- 
signs. Henry E. Hathaway appointed to fill vacancy. 

May 22, 1876. Bon<l of R. L. Thonuis, County Sur- 
veyor, accepted. 

March 7, 1877. Em. Kauten leased the County Farm 
and was to care for the county poor. 

H. B. Bagley appointed medical and surgical attend- 
ant for the county poor. 

May 7, 1877. The county printing was awarded to 
David Higgins of the Intelligencer. 

May 15. Board ordered the Auditor to purchase 
a good, substantial book to be used for a road book and 
that he index in said book all road matter in the old 
road records in such a manner that easy reference may 
be made to any matter of any road, of record in said 
book. The Board hereby agreeing to pay reasonable com- 
pensation for said indexing. 

The Board of Countv Commissioners leased the Coun- 



ty Farm to the "Sisters of the House of Providence," 
Washington Territory, for five years from the first day 
of February, 1878, to" the first of February, 1883. 

A license was granted to C. W. Morse, from Aug, 7, 
1877, to Feb. 7, 1878, for two billiard tables. 

Feb. 5, 1878. There were twenty-four road districts 
at this time. 

Feb. 13, 1878. Henry Lohse was given exclusive priv- 
ilege to mining stone from the stone mine situated on the 
County Farm on the bhiff land for the period of three 
years from tlie 13th day of February, 1878. 

Feb. 15, 1879. "Be it resolved that the Superintend- 
ent be and is hereby instructed to proceed at once in 
placing the wagon road in the vicinity of the Ballard 
track along the beach to the head of Elliott Bay, where 
said wagon road has been encroached upon by the rail- 
road, in as good condition as the same was in, prior to 
the grading of said railroad, and that the contract for 
building a fence along said railroad where necessary, to 
be completed before trains are begun to run over that 
part of the line." 

The first mention of County Hospital was in August, 
1879, when James Bracket was admitted as a charge, 
but afterwards supported by his brother, Geo. Bracket, 
by an order of the Board of County Commissioner!?. 

May, 1880. New voting precincts were established 
in the Cedar River and Green River districts. 

The Hoard of County Commissioners i.ssued an order 
offering a bounty for the scalps with two ears as follows: 
Cougar or panthar, .$3 for each scalp ; black or gray wolf, 
^'i for each scalp ; black bear, i^'3 for each scalp ; wildcat, 
■tl for each scalp. 

For the year 1889 Geo. D. Hill was County Treasurer. 

.May. 1S80. '•It is ordered by the lioard that the 
Weekly Intelligencer, a newspaper published in the city 
of Seattle, in King County. Washington Territory, be 
and file same is hereby d(^signated as the official news- 
jiaper of the County of King, for the ensuing year ending 
April. 1881. 

February, 1881. M. V. :Mills appointed Constable of 
Seattle Precinct. Board ordered Commissioner Colman 
to take charge of the stone quarry on the County Farm, 
and dispose of the stone to the best possible advantage. 

Industrial Association allowed the use of the land 
adjoining the jail yard outside of the inclosure for any 
use that it re(iuired in connection with the Association on 
eondition that they surrender the use of said ground 
wlienever requested so to do by the Board. 

August, 1881. Bounty on the scalps of wild animals 
revoked. 

Feb. 22, 1882. Chas. F. Reitze appointed as overseer 
of the construction of the additional county buildings, 
buildings to be constructed by J. J. Shepherd. 

May, 1882. New school districts No. 32 and 33 
formed. 

Sheriff for the year, John McGraw. 



K I N ( 1 < ' () L^ N T V. W A S H I X ( J T () N 



February, 1883. Contract made with tlie "Sisters of Coiitraet for the County Poor House let to "The 8e- 

Charity of the House of Providence in Washington Terri- attle .Mill Co." for the sum of $2,100. 
tory, " for the leasing of the County Fai-m and care and 

support of the ])aupei's aiul indigent siek and poor, to- A ])oi-ti()n of the County Faiin leased to the " lli.iuse 

gether with a liond with sceurities for the ])ei'formanee for Oiphaiis and Friendless." 
thereof. 

.Ma\-, 188S. Assessor ordered not to list lands, lots or 

J^ebriiary, l>s,S4. Sli.Tilt orden-d to put all prisoners |,|,„.i.^ |,.i„^, ,,.|,„,1,. ,„.|„„. i„„„„larv high tide line as 

to work. ta.xal.le.' 

August 9. County Surveyor ordered to give an esti- 
mate of cost of each road ,sui-veyed and the bridging of March 6, 1889. Salary of the Superintendent of 
.same to the Auditoi'. County Farm raised to $100 a month. 

* * * * * 

King County and Seattle's Beginning — In Paragraphs 



In the otfieial journal of Fort Nesqually, there appears 
this entry: "On Wednesday, October 3, 1849, Kussass and 
Quallawowt were hanged at Steilacooni. near the barracks. " 
The hanged men were Indians. 

This incident clusters closely to the year 18 50. Practic- 
ally the story of King County really begins "when Oregon was 
about to enter the last half of the nineteentn century." Then 
Newniarliet, or Tumwater, the first, had been the largest Am- 
erican settlement of white people north of the Columbia river; 
but Olympia, later in location and settlement, was the only 
American town on Puget Sound. Fort Nesqually was the only 
other white settlement on its shores. There was no Steila- 
coom, no Tacoma, no Seattle, no Port Townsend, no Laconner, 
no Bellingham, no Everett; not a settler dwelt on the shores 
of this great body of inland water from Fort Nesqually north- 
ward and westward to Cape Flattery. No log cabin with its 
humble inhabitant, existed on these shores north of Bolton's 
shipyard, a short distance this side of the present site of 
Steilacoom. 

Since that first year of the last half century Puget Sound 
settlements have increased over a thousand fold. Each fav- 
ored locality has its history; each would furnish a chapter of 
reminiscences of the early settlement; each has its pioneers, 
men and hardy women, its just reason for local pride. In 
1852, so evident has been the progress of settlement on Puget 
Sound, so promising was an early future, that it was conceded 
that Oregon, north of the Columbia river, possessed all of the 
elements that would go to constitute a prosperous state. Con- 
gress, therefore, on March 3, 1853, set off that part of Oregon 
north of the Columbia river, established a Territorial govern- 
ment, and nominated it "Washington." This was a fitting 
name to perpetuate the record of the geographic discoveries 
and commercial ventures of the little sloop, consort of the 
ship Columbia, on the memorable voyage to the Pacific Ocean 
and Northwest America, when for the first time, was carried 
at the masthead of the gallant little fleet the stars and stripes, 
national emblem of the United States of America, as the cre- 
dentials of their seamen. 

The ship Columbia, on that pioneer voyage, was com- 
manded by Robert Gray, the immortal discoverer of the Col- 
umbia river, to which he gave the name of his ship. 

Washington should properly be retained as the name of 
this forest region, if for no other reason that to commemo- 
rate the little sloop Washington and those discoveries made 
in the adjacent seas by Captain John KendricU, that daring 
American sailor who commanded her on her voyage of discov- 
ery, which, from a scientific standpoint were of greater im- 



portance than Gray's discovery of the greatest river of the 
West. 

The establishment of the Territory of Washington was 
hailed as the harbinger of an early brilliant future. Efforts 
to invite immigration immediately followed. Parties were 
sent out to open a road across the Cascade Mountains by the 
Natchess Pass. Handbills were distributed along the great 
emigrant route east of Umatilla and Walla Walla to notify 
the migration of 1853 of the existence of a direct road into the 
Puget Sound basin. A ferry crossing the Columbia at old Fort 
Walla Walla, a boat was built and men stationed there tO' 
induce immigrants to cross the Columbia River and Cascade 
Mountains and come directly to Puget Sound, without first 
going to the Willamette 'Valley. A trail across the mountains, 
nothing more, had been blazed. Over the huge logs bridges 
of small poles had been constructed, passable for horses, but 
obstacles for wagons. Logs of trees, the growth of centuries 
laid across the path made dangerous and steep the river cross, 
ings, as the floods had washed them out. To call it a road was 
an abuse of language, yet over it, through that pass, a part 
of the immigration of 1853 found its way to the shores of 
Puget Sound. With axe in hand the hardy immigrants after 
the wearisome journey across the continent, hewed out their 
way through that pass of the Cascade Mountains. Their labor 
had begun before reaching the summit. From the last cross- 
ing of the Natchess to their descent, consummated by crossing 
the Greenwater, it was work. Some days they accomplished 
three miles. With their wagons they triumphantly crossed the 
Cascade range by a road built by themselves as they marched, 
in one-short season of six weeks. 

In 18 58 Seattle was a small village of not more than 15u 
whites. In 1800 it had increased to 25U; in 1870 it was 1,107; 
in 1880, 3,533; in 1890, 42,837; in 1900, 80,670. Its pop- 
ulation, as estimated by the Chamber of Commerce on Jan- 
uary 1st, 1907, was 221,000; at this date King County prob- 
ably contains 350,000 people. 

Seattle was incorporated as a town in the winter of 
1864-5 by act of the Legislature and Charles Terry was chosen 
president of the board of trustees. It was disincorporated a 
year later. In 1869 it was incorporated as a city by act of the 
Legislature, and so continued until the adoption of the free- 
holders' charter in 1890. Henry A. Atkins was the first mayor 
and Harry White the first under the new charter. 



The corporate limits of Seattle now include hundreds and 
probably thousands of acres of land that were bought at pri- 



r' n s ' 



HISTORY A XI) IMMXiRESS 



vate sale years afterwards, for $1.25 jier acre. The records of 
the land office will show this to be true. A large share of the 
West Seattle lands were so bought in 1870, for currency at 
70 cents on the dollar, making the actual cost to purchasers 
less than 9 cents an acre. In 1890 lands could be bought for 
$2.."i0 per acre from the government within the city limits. 

An early historian says: "The settlement of King County 
was substantially the same as of Seattle. The Snoqualmie 
river, falling into the Snohomish on the north; Cedar river into 
Lake Washington and Black River into the Duwamish, and this 
into Elliott Bay, are the principal water courses. All the 
Eastern shore of the Sound is drained by streams whose 
meadow lands possess a soil of wonderful productivenes. 



Snowden in his History of Washington, says: "The first 
e.xploring party was composed of A. A. Denny, Boren and Bell. 
They set out in a small boat, for which Bell and Boren furn- 
ished the motive power. As the whole shore of the bay and of 
the Sound everywhere, seemed to be about equally well cov- 
ered with timber, their first care was to investigate the depth 
of the water, particularly near the shore, and the character of 
the shore itself. They did not yet know that the most strik- 
ing characteristic of the Sound is its extreme depth, and that 
the next is that its shores are very abrupt. Mr. Denny made 
the soundings as they went along, using for the purpose an 
old horseshoe, or perhaps two or three of them, fastened to a 
strong clothes line of considerable length, and not long enough, 
as they soon found to their surprise, to reach bottom in many 
places. Even close to the shore the water was very deep, and 
for the most part of the bay seemed to be bottomless. They 
soon determined that it would be possible to lay a ship close 
alon gshore almost anywhere. 

"They appear to have begun their investigations on the 
north shore near Smith's Cove. By noon they had coasted 
along toward the east as far as University Street, and here 
they went ashore, climbed the steep bank, opened their din- 
ner pails, and made ready their noonday meal. Mr. Denny 
was pleased with the situation and then or soon after, de- 
termined to make his home on the spot where that first meal 
was eaten, which he subsequently did. 

"After lunch the party continued their journey eastward, 
or southeastward, finding the shore gradually diminishing in 
height, until at last for a considerable space it broke down to 
the level of the tide flats. But before reaching the flats they 
found a small stream with soft, muddy banks, covered with 
salt, marsh grass, and near it a curious mound thirty or forty 
feet high. Beyond it and along the shore southward was a 
rather inviting meadow, the first they had seen, and as it 
promised to afford pasture for their cattle, they determined 
to include it or part of it in one of their claims. 

"As yet no survey had been made north of the Columbia 
River and each settler was therefore entitled to take a claim 
in any shape he wished. If any part of the shore line pleased 
him, he might make it the boundary on that side, and then 
by running lines at any angle he pleased, from either extrem- 
ity of it, include so much land as he was entitled to take, 
whether married or single. He was not even required to make 
his boundaries by regular lines but might vary them so as to 
include some particularly choice piece of land, or to exclude a 
swampy hollow or gravelly hilltop. The members of this 
party therefore had little difficulty in selecting the land they 
would include in their three claims. As they would need the 
little bit of meadow near the head of the bay as a pasture, 
they resolved to make it their southern boundary; they would 



claim a shore line about a mile and a half in length, along the 
northeast side of the bay, and enough of the hill land back 
of it in a regular body to make up their three claims. This 
was a very reasonable selection, for each of them, being mar- 
ried, was entitled to take a whole section, which is a square 
mile, and each might have claimed a mile of the waterfront 
had he so desired. Indeed he might have claimeu two or 
three times that amount had he seen fit to do so, since by 
making his claim narrow he could have lengthened it in pro- 
portion. But these claimants evidently preferred to leave 
something that would attract other settlers, as neighbors were 
at that day more desirable than waterfront. 

"It was then arranged that Boren should take the south- 
ernmost of the three claims, Denny the middle, which would 
Include the spot where they had eaten their first meal, and on 
which he desired to build his first home, and Bell should take 
the northernmost. D. T. Denny was invited to join with them 
in this selection, the others offering to rearrange their claims 
so as to accommodate him, but as he was still unmarried he 
was in no hurry to make his choice, and did not avail himself 
of their generosity. Later he took a claim north of Bell's. 

( Westlake Boulevard now traverses the very center of 
D. T. Denny's claim. I 



On the last day of March the little colony at the point 
received Its first reinforcement. They had been visited in the 
preceding November by Hastings and Pettygrove, who were 
on their way down Sound, but now they had a visitor who was 
to remain and help them to found a city. This was Dr. J). S. 
Maynard, a Vermonter by birth, who had come to Oregon in 
1 8.^)0, and had just spent a winter in Olympia, where he had 
acquired such information as he could in regard to the pos- 
sibilities of the salmon industry, and was now seeking a loca- 
tion where he might make an attempt to get it successfully 
started. He was a man of education and some business ex- 
perience, and also possessed of a temper of his own, as we 
shall see later, for the plat of Seattle bears permanent evidence 
of it. In his search for information about the salmon, the 
doctor had fallen in with an Indian chief of one of the Nis- 
qually tribes, named Seattle, or Sealth, as the Indians seemed 
to pronounce it, who had been very helpful to him, and who 
now accompanid him to this bay, on the shores of which his 
own band, known as the Duwamish, made their abiding place 
during a considerable part of each year. He had assured the 
doctor that salmon were generally abundant here, and had 
also promised that he and his people would catch as many 
for him as he might wish. How much he knew of Wyeth's 
failure to start this business, or the success with which the 
Hudson Bay people had long carried it on at Fort Langley, 
on the Fraser, is not now known. 

"He found no place on the shore of the bay so well suited 
to his wishes as that on the southern side of the tract which 
Denny, Boren and Bell selected and which had been already 
assigned to Boren, but it was so desirable to get this, the first 
industry offering, located in the neighborhood, that the three 
readily agreed to rearrange their claims so as to give Maynard 
what he wanted, and this was accordingly done, although the 
doctor at first thought unnecessary, as he only wanted ground 
enough for his fishing station. 

"Dr. D. S. Maynard, whose donation claim included the 
island, was in 1852, when he settled, an active, experienced 
man of business, past fifty years of age. He determined that 
upon his claim should be the town of Seattle. It was chiefly 
by his efforts that King County was created by the Oregon 



KING O XT N T Y. W A S H I N (} T O N 



1' a 8 e T h i r t y-o n e 



Legislature, the County seat being located upon his claim and 
the polling place in his dwelling house. He started the first 
store, the first fishery, sold the first town lots, was the first em- 
ployer, was one of the first officials, and generally was the 
leader among the men of his time and town. In consequence 
of his activity and prodigality, he had in twenty years dis- 
posed of all his three hundred and twenty acres, and had upon 
them the business quarter and a fair proportion of the resi- 
dence section as it now stands. 

"On April 3d, most of the party removed from the first 
temporary houses they had built for themselves at AlKi Point, 
to their own claims, now covered by the city of Seattle. They 
had built no houses or even cabins as yet, and so far a consid- 
erable time lived in camp, as they had done while crossing the 
plains. Boren fixed his camp on the southerly part of the town- 
site and Bell on the northern part. Mr. Denny did not remove 
to his claim until some days later, being still troubled with his 
old-time enemy, the ague, which indeed still afflicted several 
other members of the party. Befor he was ready to move over, 
the other members of the party had built a hut for him on the 
site he had selected. But here he found difficulty in getting 
water. He dug a well in a neighborhood gulch, to a depth of 
more than forty feet, but found a quicltsand bottom which 
discouraged him, and finally he chose another site near what 
is now First Avenue and Marion Street, and here he built his 
first home. A satisfactory supply of fresh water was secured 
here and access to the Sound was also more convenient. This, 
at that time, was a very desirable consioeration. 

The settlers spent their first summer in Seattle in building 
their homes, and making such improvements on their claims as 
were most necessary. They were visited meantime by two 
vessels, the brigs Franklin Adams and John Davis, both of 
which had come to the Sound for piles. From these ships they 
procured some of the supplies they were in need of, and it was 
a great convenience to be thus provided for. In the succeed- 
ing winter so few ships came that there was almost a famine 
in the land, and for a time all were very much concerned 
about their food supply. Pork and butter came around Cape 
Horn, flour from Chile and sugar from China, and the supply 
in the country was not large. "That fall," says Mr. Denny, 
"I paid $9 for two barrels of pork and |20 for a barrel of 
flour. I left one barrel of the pork on the beach, in front of 
my claim, as I supposed above high tide, until it was needed. 
Just about the time to roll it up and open it, there came a high 
tide and heavy wind at night, and like the house that was built 
upon he sand, it fell, or anyway it disappeared. It was the 
last barrel of pork in King County, and the loss of it was felt 
by the whole community to be a very serious matter." 



Just as this hard winter was beginning — in October, IS Si 2 
— Henry Yesler arrived. He was a native of Maryland, though 
after becoming of age he went to Ohio, where he remained for 
several years, and in 18 51, accompanied by his family, crossed 
the plains to Oregon. After working for a time at his trade as 
a carpenter and millwright he went to California, where for a 
short time he engaged in raining. There he learned something 
of the attractions of the Puget Sound country, and perceiving 
that California would for a long time to come furnish an ex- 
cellent market for the timber that the Sound could so abund- 
antly supply, he returned north to build a mill and engage in 
the lumber trade. The little colony on Elliott Bay quickly saw 
the value to them of what he was proposing to do, if he should 
locate his mill in their neighborhood. It would make a market 
for the timber of which they had an abundance, and also 
furnish them constant employment in cutting it. 



On the ground thus assigned the first steam sawmill in 
Washington was soon after built. Either at the beginning, or 
soon afterwards, its capacity was 15,000 feet per day. Indian 
laborers were employed for the most part during the earlier 
years, in and about it, and Mr. Yesler managed these people 
so successfully as to be able to keep about him all the laborers 
lie required, and to so far win the confidence and esteem of 
their tribesmen that he was able to go among them without 
much risk to himself during the troublous times that soon after 
followed, and he was very useful to Governor Stevens, for this 
reason, in the negotiations at the close of the Indian war. 

Near the mill was a cookhouse that became famous in 
the early days, and is still remembered by many old settlers 
who took their meals there in early days. Every wayfaring 
man got a meal there as he passed, if he required it, and some- 
times he lodged in or near it. Officers and men from such 
ships as visited the harbor were often seen there. Occasionally 
the officers from some war ship, or from the fort at Steilacoom 
visited it. Around its broad fireplace many stories of adven- 
ture by land anu sea were told. For several years it was the 
one place on the Sound where news from the world was surest 
to be obtained. At the outbreak of the Indian war the volun- 
teers made it their rendezvous. Judge Lander had his office 
in one corner of it, and the county auditor also had his office 
there. It served, as Mr. Yesler has said, "for town hall, court 
house, jail, military headquarters, storehouse, hotel and church. 
Elections, social parties and religious services were held under 
its roof. The first sermon preached in King County was de- 
livered there by Clark, and the first suit at law, which was 
the case of the mate of the Franklin Adams for selling the 
ship's stores on his own account, was tried there before Justice 
Maynard." Many people, not only in Seattle, but in other 
parts of the territory, were sorry when it was torn down, in 
18 65, to make room for a larger building. 

There being nothing in the trade there was almost nothing 
in the shipping. Small steamers began coming to Seattle from 
Portland about 1869, and from San Francisco in 1875. The 
few who traveled during the first ten or fifteen years of Se- 
attle's existence paid from five to ten dollars for going to Olym- 
pia, ten dollars or more for going to Victoria, twenty-five dol- 
lars or more for a hard trip to Portland, and about seventy- 
five to San Francisco. Canoes and sloops were of necessity 
frequently resorted to. The sail vessels coming to Puget 
Sound in the early 50s were veritable traders. They were 
stocked with provisions, liquors, clothing, hardware and knick- 
nacks to sell to the Indians and whites, and their masters 
were commissioned to buy timber, oil, fish and vegetables in 
exchange for the San Francisco markets. From the goods on 
these vessels principally brigs, the first stores and people of 
Seattle were supplied. Almost the only meats consumed were 
fish, salt pork and the like. Seattle's fir^ butcher shop was 
not opened until 1859, and like the first and only shop in the 
small towns generally, was not noted much for variety and 
quality of its stock. Eggs were scarce and sold usually at 
from 50 cents to $1 a dozen, and sometimes higher. Butter 
was worth as much as eggs or more. Wages were not high, 
as now, while eleven hours was a day's work. 

Boren, Denny and Maynard agreed together early in 1853 
to lay out a townsite on their claims, but they apparently did 
not agree in all respects as to the details of the plant. They 
did agree, however, to file their plats for record at the same 
time. Mr. Denny, who was a surveyor, thought the principal 
streets should run, as nearly as possible, parallel with the 
shore of the Sound, and the cross streets straight up the hill; 
Maynard made his plat with the streets running due north and 
south and east and west. Both used the boundary between 



II r S 1M^ R \' A XI) P R O (J R E S S <, f 



Boren and Maynard's claim as a base line, and along it laid 
out a street which was known for many years as Mill Street, 
but is now Yesler Way. North of this line Mr. Denny laid out 
twelve blocks, of eight lots each 60x120 feet with an alley 
sixteen feet wide between them. There were three streets. 
Front, Second and Third, running parallel with the 
shore line, and five cross streeets, James, Cherry, Columbia. 
Marion and Madison. The first block north of Yesler Way 
was triangular and was bounded by Yesler Way, James and 
Second streets. This plat was filed some time in the afternoon 
of May 23, 1853. 

This is a tradition that Maynard was displeased, for some 
reason, with Denny's action, and that he changed his plat, 
which covered only a few squares south of Yesler Way, so that 
tne streets would not be continuous. At any rate they do not 
meet with those on the north side of Yesler Way, as every- 
body familiar with the city knows. His plat was filed on the 
same day as Mr. Denny's, but later in the afternoon. 

After the fire the name of Front Street was changed to 
First Avenue, and a right-of-way was purchased, or condemn- 
ed, through enough of the Denny Way plat to unite it with the 
principal street in Maynard's plat to make a continuous 
thoroughfare. The remainder of the block was dedicated to 
the public as Pioneer Square. It is a curious fact that the land 
on the west side of First Avenue opposite this little park, and 
for some distance northward, has never been platted. It is 
now very valuable and is owned by many different people, be- 
ing rescribed in their several detds by meets and bounds. 



Early in 18 53 Thomas Mercer and Dexter Horton arrived, 
and later John C. Holgate returned to find that the claims he 
had selected three years earlier, for himself and his sister's 
family had been taken by others. He accordingly made a new 
choice, taking the claim next south of Maynard's while Edward 
Hanford, his brother-in-law, and Lemuel J. Holgate, his broth- 
er, and Samuel Hanford selected claims adjoining this, getting 
hill land which became a part of Seattle much earlier than the 
farms he had hoped to get in the Duwamish Valley. 

Mercer brought the first wagon to Elliott Bay. When it 
arrived there was not a piece of road in King County long 
enough to receive it, but road-making began soon after its ar- 
rival, and for a considerable time it was used to do all the 
hauling done on the bay. 

Dexter Horton was a native of New York, from which 
State his family early removed to Illinois. He came to Ore- 
gon in 1S52 with his wife and one daughter, and thence over 
the Cowlitz trail with Mercer and others to Seattle, where he 
arrived without a dollar in his pocket, and fifty dollars in debt. 
He soon found work at the new sawmills then building on the 
Sound, and in clearing land at Port Townsend. He quickly 
paid what he owned and accumulated a little capital with which 
he, for a time, engaged in trade, and then started a bank, the 
first in the territory, and which still exists as Dexter Horton & 
Co., the name he gave it. He seems never to have taken a 
donation claim. 

Those who took donation claims on the site of, or in the 
neighborhood of Seattle were the following: W. N. Bell, April 
3, 1852; C. C. Terry, May 1, 1852; D. S. Maynard, April 3, 
1852; C. D. Boren, May 13, 1852; A. A. Denny, June 12, 1852 
John C. Holgate, Jan. 21, 1850; Edmund Carr, August 8, 1853; 
K. M. Smithers, Dec. 1, 1853; Edward Hanford, March 1, 1854 
1.. J. Holgate, March 26, 1855; David Stanley, April 15, 1855 
John H. Nagle, Sept. 29, 1855; H. L. Yesler, Nov. 20, 1852 
D. T. Denny, Jan. 24, 1853; H. A. Smith, Sept. 5, 1853; Wm 



Strickler. Feb. 1, 1854; Thos. Mercer, July 13, 1854; Jno. Ross, 
March 26, 1855; Ira W. Utter, July 3, 1855. 



The Moran Brothers' machine and repairing shop was 
established in 1882 in a small building on Yesler's wharf. 
Robert and Peter Moran were the owners, and their enter- 
prise and skill so advanced their business as to necessitate a 
new building, which they proceeded to erect on leased ground 
on Yesler Avenue. 

Seattle in 1822 boasted of but little in the manufacturing 
line. During that year a company was formed by Moran 
Brothers with the small capital of $1,500. In 1889 the works 
were destroyed by the great fire and $40,000 went up in 
smoke. The enterprising proprietors were not daunted but 
immediately set to work on their tideflat property, and one 
week later had a furnace at work. Over that furnace now 
stands a magnificent plant, an honor to the city and state. 
The plant consists of machine shops, boiler works, foundry 
and blacksmith shop. The Moran Brothers Company, aside 
from these, owned and operated an extensive machinery depot 
on West Yesler Avenue, and controlled and managed the 
Seattle Dry Dock & Ship Building Company. The Morans 
sold for a great fortune to an Eastern concern and this plant 
is now the Seattle Construction & Dry Dock Company. 



The battleship "Nebraska" was launched October 7, 1904, 
at Moran's. The business men of Seattle subscribed $100,000 
to make possible the construction of the "Nebraska" in a 
Seattle shipbuilding plant. 

The rolling stock for the trolley system of the Seattle, 
Renton & Southern Railway Company were the first to be 
manufactured on this coast, and were designed and built at 
the yards of the Moran Company in 1909. 

Seattle Construction & Dry Dock Company organized with 
$1,750,000 new capital in January, 1912. 



A brass and bell foundry was established before 1886 
by John E. Good, near the foot of Commercial Street. 

The Seattle Hide & Leather Company was formed in 
188 6 by Mr. David Kellog. 

The cigar factory of Wa Chong was the first in the city, 
but in 1886 another was established by A. C. Miller who em- 
ployed only white labor. 

The Seattle Soap Works were established in 1886 by 
Messrs. R. M. Hopkins and C. B. Bussell. They fitted up an 
old grist mill at the foot of Seneca Street. 



(i.AS l.\STAL,LKD IN SKATTLK. 

A small tank was located on the tide flats and from it 
gas was distributed in 1874 to the business houses and resi- 
dences. The franchise was granted on June 6, 1873, to lay 
mains in the city streets for a period of twenty-five years. 

The gas supply of Seattle a few years ago was controlled 
by a corporation operating under a perpetual franchise. 

A new company entered the field in 1901, securing a 
fifty-year franchise by offering cheaper gas and holding out 
the prospect of competition in business. As should have been 
expected, however, competition was short-lived, the old com- 
pany soon being absorbed by the new. At the expiration of 
its franchise the city has the right to purchase the works at 
an appraised value. 




COUNTY HOSPITAL AT GEORGETOWN, A SUBURB OF SEATTLE, AND IN KING COUNTY 



King County Hospital 



The history of the King County Hospital begins with the 
year 1S77. Prior to this time the poor of King County were 
taken care of through an arrangement with the Sisters of 
Charity, by which they received a certain sum each day for 
the care of each patient. In 1877, however, the county hav- 
ing secured possession of the farm, which is now occupied by 
the Almshouse and Hospital, they placed Mr. Merrick and his 
wife in charge of them through an arrangement whereby they 
were enabled to utilize the services of such patients as were 
able to work for the sum of twenty-five cents per day with 
board and lodging included. The care of the sicK and the 
poor was rather prefunctory during the time of Mr. Merrick, 
as there was no regular medical attention provided and it was 
not until 1892 when Dr. F. B. Whiting was placed in charge 
of the Almshouse and Hospital, that any systematic care of 
a medical or surgical nature was given to the patients. 

The next year, 1S93, through the influence of Dr. Whiting, 
the commissioners began the erection of the main portion and 
one wing of the present hospital building. In 1894 it was 
first occupied and at that time had a capacity of 12.t beds. 
Singularly enough. Dr. Whiting, the first superintendent of 
tne hospital, is now one of the leading surgeons on the staff 
of the hospital. Some ten years ago another wing was built, 
which increased the capacity of the hospital to 225 beds, while 
the Almshouse has a capacity of approximately 140 beds. The 
growth of the hospital in efficiency has been gradual but con- 
tinuous, each superintendent in charge having added to its 
betterment, until at the present time the patients receive as 



efficient care and treatment as may be obtained in any hospi- 
tal in the city. 

A few facts concerning the amount of work done at the 
hospital, together with the amount of money expended by the 
county through its commissioners for the support of the poor 
and sick, may be of interest: 

Last year the number of patients admitted to the hospi- 
tal was 1,676; the number of surgical operations performed 
was .542, with only twelve deaths following. The total num- 
ber of deaths, however, from all causes was 165. The sur- 
gical operations, as well as the services of the entire staff, 
are performed by the leading physicians, surgeons and special- 
ists of Seattle, who cheerfully give their services without 
money and without price. The staff is appointed by the med- 
ical director and rotates each three months. 

The average number of employes, exclusive of the work 
done by the convalescent patients, is sixty. 

The pay roll for the Almshouse and Hospital for the past 
year was $28,000. There are fourteen trained nurses to care 
for the patients, five stewards and three house physicians. 
The entire cost for maintenance for both Almshouse and Hos- 
liital the past year was $86,000. 

The amount of supplies for the same period will be in- 
teresting in the way of totals. During the year these institu- 
tions consumed 53,000 pounds of meat, 5,100 pounds of fish, 
46 tons of potatoes, 10,000 pounds of butter, 6,200 dozen of 
eggs, 200 sacks of sugar and 19,000 gallons of milk, besides 
various other minor supplies needed. This will give the tax- 



Thirl y-t our 



1 1 I S T ( ) IvM' AND 1' R O ( i R K S S (• f 



payers a general idea of the way in which their mone 
ing expended for the care of the sick and poor of the 

Under the present management, and conducted 
ection with the Almshouse and Hospital, is also the 
Crematory, which takes care of the unclaimed dead fro 
institutions. In addition to this it also cares for priva 
at a nominal charge. The expense of conducting the 
tory for the past year was $2,000, which was nearly 
by the revenues from private cases. 

It may be said in closing that the hospital has h 
is having, a continuo\is growth in efficiency and that t 
and sick of King County are being as well cared for 



y is be- the same class of unfortunates in any part of the country. At 
county. the present time the hospital is \inder the following manage- 
in con- ment: 

County • 

m these DR. JAMES H. LYONS, Medical Director, 

te cases WILL A. CARLE, Business Manager, 

crema- KATHERINE MA.JOR, Supt. of Nurses, 

covered HARRIETT DEARBORN, Housekeeper, 

F. W. ELLIS, Chief Engineer, 
ad, and GEORGE C. EVANS, Storekeeper, 

he poor HARRY MITCHELL, Chef, 

as are LOUIS CARD. Supt. of Almshouse. 




FRONT VIEW OF COUNTY LAZY HUSBAND STOCKADE. "UNDER THE LAW HUSBANDS WHO WILL NOT SUPPORT 
THEIR FAMILIES MAY BE IMPRISONED AND FORCED TO WORK, THEIR EARNINGS GOING TO THE WIFE' 



Purchase of the New County Farm 



In their wisdom the Coiuity ('oiiiniissioiiers have seen 
fit to i)t]i-('iiiise for County purposes "'The Willows,"' a 
beautiful farm in a fertile valley east of the further shore 
of Lake Washington. 

This was purchased from C. D. Stimson and contains 
420 acres, mostly in a high state of cultivation. This 
jiurehase was made in the face of strong protest largely 
from people who did not or would not understand the 
situation, i. e., that the county should raise for its wards 
all the meat, fruit and vegetables now bought at high 
jirices in the public markets. 

Not inchuled in the main purchase was the blooded 
dairj' and swine herds that the firm of Augustine & Kyer 



had for its own uses and for wliicli they had leased "The 
Willows." These herds, and all the tools and imiileinents 
used on the farm were taken over by the comity, so that 
the County farm starts oft' as a going concern. The "lazy 
husband" buildings which were recently erected near 
Uothell have been moved to the new farm, and tlie lazy 
men will help the county's indigent and its pi-isoners in 
the farm work. 

King County, as well as other counties in Washington, 
now legally takes the man who will not support his fam- 
ily, introduces him to a farm or a road rejiair job, and 
gives the family the benefit of iiis earnings, a miniiiunu of 
one dollar per day. 




SECTION OF GREAT PACIFIC HIGHWAY BETWEEN SEATTLE AND TACOMA 



King County's Indian War 



King County, at the (.■oiniiu'iu't'iiu'nt of the Wliitc 
River massacre, October 2S, 185.'), was in a fairly prosper- 
ous condition but now all was in ruins. The entire pop- 
ulation was compelled to seek shelter and safety in Seattle 
or elsewhere, and a great nuiny wei-e so discouraged that 
they left the country. 

* :ii * * * 

The first volley firetl by the hulians showed that theii' 
line completely encircled the town, on the land side, and 
that while not one of them could be seen, they were pres- 
ent in large numbers. Iliuloubtedly they might have cap- 
tureil thi' town, in spite of tile Decatur, if they had at- 
tacked it moi'e boldly. Its defeiulers were not more than 
175 in all, 120 of whom wei'e from tiie ship, the remainder 
being citizens. Hut for the presence of the vessel the 
town would liave been easily taken, even if its inhabi- 
tants had been on their guard, as they were not, and all 
would have been massacred. 

But it was not possible for savage warrioi-s to over- 
come the opjiosition they met. Concealed and pi'otected 
by the timber, they made a vigorous but inetfectual fight 
during most of the day. Volley after volley from theii' 
rifles was poured into the town, but their bullets did 
little injury, most of its defenders being either beyond 
range or effectually concealed in the houses, or behind 
stumps and other objects, which saved them from injury. 



Meantime the guns on board the Decatui', and the howit- 
zer at the soutiici-n end of the jjeninsula, continued to drop 
shells and solid shot, or to scatter charges of grape and 
shrapnel, at points along the Indian line where the smoke 
from their rifles indicated that such messengers would be 
most useful. All the forenoon the roar of the cannon and 
tiie shai'p crack of the rifles continued. The ground 
along the hills beyond Second Street was torn up by 
exploding shells, and many of the trees along the edge 
of the forest were splintered by the grapeshot and 
shrapnel. Still the Indians held to their work and, above 
the crack of their rifles, theii' yells and whoops were fre- 
(|uently heard, mingled with the screams of their women, 
who were everywhere urging them on to greater eft'orts. 

There was a lull in the battle about noon, the In- 
dians apparently having withdrawn to refresh tiiemselves 
with a feast which their women had prepared by slaught- 
ering the cattle belonging to the settlers, which they had 
captured early in tiie tight. During this short respite the 
women and children were removed from the blockhouse, 
and other jilaces in which they had taken refuge, and 
taken on board the Decatur, and the ship Brontes, which 
was then lying in the harbor, where they were eared for 
until all possibility of danger was past. Among these 
children was C. H. Hanford, a former judge of the federal 
court, who was then about seven years old. 



H I S 



V AND P R ()(i H K SS 



Tile old bl(K-k liDUSf, used as a refuge froui Indians, 
stood on the west side of First Avenue opposite Cliercy 
Street. It stood thei'e as late as 1S58. 

The fighting continued, with more oi' less vigor, dur- 
ing the afternoon, but without an>' noteworthy result on 
either side. Occasionall.v when a shell would be droppetl 
at some point on the attacking line where the Indians 
were thickest, its explosion would be followed by ilemon- 
strations indicating that some unusual danuige had been 
done by it, and the marines and citizen-soldiei's would 
take new courage. These shells were something entirely 
new to the Indians, and they were ([uite unprepared for 
them. They had never before seen guns which tired bul- 
lets that would shoot a second time aftei' they had landed 
in their own innnediate neighl)orhood. To their savage 
minds this was a very great medieiiie, for wliich no In- 
tlian necronuineer could ])rovide a counteracting influ- 
ence. 

As the afternoon advanced, and the shadows of even- 
ing began to gather, it was discovei'ed that the Indians 
were making preparations to burn the buildings wliidi 
were nearest their line, as it was expected the,\' would, 
aiul it was feared that as darkness gathered they might 
buin the town. To prevent this Captain Gansevoort's 
gunners continued to shell the woods, and dispei'sed the 
incendiaries before their work was fairly begun. Firing 
along the Indian line gradually ceased until about ten or 
eleven o'clock in the evening, when it was discontinued 
altogether, and when the nioi'uing of 1 )eceiid>i'i' l!7th 
dawned the Indians had all disappeared after having 
burned a few of the houses which were nearest tlie tim- 
ber, and taking with them most of the cattle belnnging 
to the citizens. 

During the battle ordy two persons weri' killed on 
the side of the defenders of the town. ()iu' of these was 
a young man named Robert Wilson, who had been fight- 
ing behiiul the safe shelter of a stump; he was hit by 
an Indian bullet while changing his position for one 
further from the Indian line. The otliei- was ^Milton G. 
Holgate, a brother of Lenuiel J. Ilolgate and Mrs. E Han- 
ford, who was shot and instantl.v killed, near the dooi- of 
the blockhouse, early in the battle. None were wounded, 
although several had narrow escapes. How many of the 
enemy were killed or wounded was never known. Lieu- 
tenant Phelps says the Indians afterwards admitted 
twenty-eight of the former and eight of the latter. That 
some were killed and more wounded i.s certain, but as is 
usual with Iiulians in battle, they were carried away and 
their number carefidlv coiu-ealed. 



The nuudjcr of the Indians engaged in this attack has 
been variousl.v estimated, but of course has never been 
acciirately known. The Indians themselves probably did 
not know how many warriors were present, and if they 
did they did not then or afterwards give an.v informa- 
tion about it. Lieutenant Phelps, who was an officer of 
the Decatur, and took an active part in the fighting, 
thinks there were at least a thousand ju'esenf. But he 
is inclined to magnifv the service rendered by the De- 
catur, and the dangers her officers and men encountered. 
Others have jilaced the nuudjer nuich lowei'. It is cer- 
tainly known only that the attacking party was largely 
composed of Klikitats, and other Indians from east of 
the mountains, and that there were a h-i-u lot of I hem. 

During the night of the '26th they disajipeared as 
quietly as they had conu'. Many of them possibly retired 
across Lake Washington, and reerossed the mountains to 
their own counfi-y. Some followed Leschi and his war- 
riors U]) the White River Valley, plurulering and Inirning 
the deserted homes of the settlers as they retreated. Two 
da.vs later there was not a hoiise standing in King County, 
outside of Seattle, excejif at Alki Point. 

A few days aftei- this battle Leschi sent word to 
Captain Gansevoort that he would return in another 
month and destroy the town, but this thi'eat was hardly 
uecessaiy to adiuonisli the citizens that it was now time 
to make lu'eparafions for their defense. The woi'k was 
begun inuiiediately. 

Mr. Yeslei' furnished a ship's cargo of hunber which 
he had recently sawed for shiiiment, to be used for forti- 
fications, and with this and other material a bai'ricade 
five feet high and sui'i'ounding the town, was constructed. 
It consisted of two Vioard walls about eighteen inches 
apai't, with the space between packed with dirt aiul saw 
dust. This made a faiidy reliable wall of defensi'. 
Another blockhouse, near the first was built, and the two 
were connected by a passage with a strong stockade on 
either side. These blockhouses were provided with two 
small cannon, one of which was obtained from the Active. 
Many of the stumps that still cumbered the .streets were 
dug u]i, or burned out, to clear the ground in ease of 
second attack, and so the first public improvements in 
Seattle were begun. A company of volunteers numbering 
fifty-one, of which Chief Justice Lander was made cap- 
tain, was organized and the defense of the city committed 
to its care. From that time forth the settlers felt that 
they were secure against an.v attack, and so they con- 
tinued until fhi' end of the wai'. 



First White Child Born 



Orion O. Denny was the first white boy boi'n in King The cabin where he was born stood on the jiresenf 

County. Born in a log cabin on the shores of Elliott Bay site of the Hotel Stevens at Fii'st and Mai'ion. On Novem- 
less than two years after the first families had settled ber 13, 1851, his father A. A. Denny had settled at Alki 
here. His boyhood days wei'c spent along the trails that Point, 
are now First and Second Avenues; his schooling was ob- 
tained in such institutions as the city boasted and later 
in the Territorial liniversity ; his early manhood was 
spent on Puget Sound as engineei- of one of the first 
steamboats that plowed its waters. Mr. Denny died February 26, 1916. 



:\lr. Orion Denny built the Seattle Athletic Chd) 
Building about eleven years ago and took a promiin'ut in- 
terest in civic affairs. 




NEW JUVENILK DBrPENTION HOME, BROADWAY AND SPRUCE STREET, SEATTLE. 

MODERN IN EVERY RESPECT 



COST $30,(100. 



Tablet to Henry L. Yesler 



King' ('oiiiity alwiiys fcady to rrvcmicr tlir iiiciiiorics 
of Wasliiufjtoii ]iioiiccrs, will not ovrrlnok tlu' t'listoiii 
when tlie new t!oiirt House is eoiui)lete(l. The iiiiiiieiise 
pile of granite and terra cotta stands over the spot where 
was situated the residence of the late Henry L. Yeslei', 
who built Seattle's tirst saw mill, back in 1S52. And when 
the building is completed and houses its family of hun- 
dreds of county and city employees, its main corridor will 
contain a bronze tablet to the memory of the pioneer. 

This was deeidiMl liy the King County Commissioners, 
when they adopted a I'esolution authorizing M. P. Xielson, 
a Seattle sculptor, to make a tablet on wliich will lie a 
medallion poi'trait of Mr. Yesler. 



The tablet \vill cost .'|;.'")00, and its dimensions will be 
'24 inches by 26 inches. The medallion which will be full 
face, will occu|)y the upper pai't of the plate, and above 
the heail will be entwined a border of (Oregon gi'ajie leaves. 
At the bottom of the plate will be anolher border of either 
Oi'egon graj)e or salal. 

ISelow the uH'dallion will be the following inscription : 
"In Memoi-y of the honored pioneei' 
IIKXRY L. YESLER, 
whose houH' Avas on the site of this l)uilding, this tablet 
is erected by the people of King County in recognition of 
his public spirit and helpful generosity." 











CorXTY STOCKADE ERECTED UNDER THE LAZY HUSBAND ACT. LOCATED AT THE NEW COUNTY 

FARJL •■THE WILLOWS" 



"Mercer's Girls" — The Story of Pioneer Womanhood 



The Seattle Gazette of May 28, 1864. piiltlislied tlic 
following; "We neglected last week to notice the return 
home of our highly esteemed fellow citizen, ilr. Asa L. 
]\liTecr. from the East, where he has heen on a visit for 
the greater part of the past year. It is to the efforts of 
Mr. ]\Iercer, joined with the wishes of the darlings them- 
selves, that the eleven acconaplished and beautiful young 
ladies whose ari'ival was lately announced, have been add- 
ed to our population. We understand tliat the inimber, as 
at first reported, would have been fifty, l)ut many were 
not able to pi-epare for the journey this season. The 
thanks of tlie whole community and of bachelors in par- 
ticulai', are diie to Mr. Mercer, for 'his efforts in encour- 
aging this nuieh needed kind of immigration.'' 

Judge Asa S. Mercer about 1863 collected private 
contributions towards a iwnd which enabled him to go to 
Boston and there place a proposition before the public 
for a lot of girls and young women who liad been made 
orphans by the Civil War to accompany liim to the State 
of Washington. Quite a number evineeil a desire to go. 
but when tile time came to start only eleven had found 
courage to leave their friends and make a journey of seven 



tliousand miles into a wildciiit-ss but tliinly settlcil with 
entire strangers to them. 

A few of these had to avail themselves of the means 
pioviiled by ^Ir. fiercer but most of them paid theii' own 
way. Thi'V left New York in .March, 1864, came by tin- 
way of the Isthmus of Panama and San Francisco. At 
the latter place quarters were secured for the party on 
the bark "Torrent" which brought them to Port Gamble, 
then called Leekalet, and from there the sloop "Kiddei'" 
brought them to Seattle, May 16, 1864. Judge Mercei- 
sailed again from New Yoi'k January 6, 1866 witii up- 
wards of two hundred war orphans, vouching for the in- 
telligence and moral character of all the persons accom- 
panying him. 

The undertaking was approved by the President and 
Cabinet but not officially. Ninety-six days on the pro- 
peller "Continental."" a 1600 ton ship, brought them to 
San Francisco via the Straits of ^lagellan. Tiie i)eoi)le 
were then sent North in bunches of ten to forty, on the 
lumber ships trading between Sound ports and the Cali- 
fornia metropolis. 




Tllb; OLD POOR FAR.M lUU.DlXG AT 



GEORGKTUWN STILL BEING USED TO ACCOMMODATE THE 
COUNTY'S INDIGENT 



washix(;t()X-s i 

Major Isaac I. Stevens was the first goveriior of thf 
territory. l>,v iiroelamation made from the summit of tlie 
Rocky Mountains. September 29th. 1853. he announced 
his assumption of the duties of the governorship. Stevens 
County, in this state, was named in his honor, and when, 
in 1889, the state governuuMit was organized, this large 
county was divided and the new ])art named "Ferry 
County,"" in honor of Elislia P. Feri'v, the first Governoi- 
of tlie State of Washington. 

The State is divided into f-wo parts \>y the Cascade 
Mountains. Eastern Washington contains an area of over 
40,000 square miles and Western Washington about 25,000 
square miles. Tlu' climate east of the mountains is a little 
colder in winter and slightly waruu^r in summer than it is 
in the western part of the state; there is also less rainfall 
in the eastern part. 

The genesis of names in Westei'u Washington is a 
iimtter of interest. In 1592 a Greek navigator claimed to 
have discovered tlic straights that bear liis name — "Juan 
de Fuca." In 1790 a Spanish exjiloring exjiedition en- 
tered tlie sti'aits. 'I'hcy added something to the informa- 
tion previously obtained and left the impress of their 



'^IRST (i()\'KRX()l^ 

woi'k liehind tlu'iii in the namrs tliey gave to tlie waters 
they visited. Thus we have Canal de Haro, Se(|uim Kay, 
Rosario Strait and the names Camano, Texada, Port An- 
geles, San Juan, Lopez, Guemes and Fidalgo, and other 
names of a kindred sort. In 1792 Capt. George Vancouv- 
er, commander of the British sloop "Discovery," entered 
these waters. He had a crew of 100 men, many of whom 
were officers and experts ai)pointed by the P>ritish Gov- 
ernment for special service in the exjiedition. He named 
the waters now known as Puget Soiiiul after one of his 
officers, Peter Puget. He named Hood Canal after Lord 
Hood. Mt. Baker was named in honor of Lieut. Baker, 
one of his officers. I\It. Rainier, whose snow-crowned 
lieights rise to an altitude of 14,444 feet — the mountain 
that has stood as a sentinel along the pathway of the years 
and silently witnessed the incoming and outgoing of the 
centuries, he named in honor of Admiral Rainier, of the 
British navy. He gave us the names Protection Island, 
Marrowstone Point, Foulweather lUuft', l)ece|)tion Pa.ss, 
Port Orcliard, Cypress Ishiiid and \'aneouver Island. 
King County leans righ1 up against the foothills of ^\t. 
Rainier. 



P a g I 



11 r STORY ANT) PROGRESS of 





Public Library j) 




frovide 
Hospital 0" 



Kiiio' County owes no apology for its public buildings 
and parks. They are second to none others in the United 
States. They are modern in every re.s])ect and a credit 
to the people who ])aid for them. 

Those buildings belonging to the (.'ity of Seattle, the 
Federal (xovernment, and Public Service Corporations 
are uniformly of thi' best and most sei-vicealile ty]ie. 



THE FIRST POSTOFFICE. 

Until Augu.st 27th, 1<S.")8, the settlers in King County 
had to deiiend upon uncertain chances for either letters 
or papers. At that date national recognition of Seattle 
was given by the establishment of a postotfice and the 
appointment of Mr. Arthur A. Denny the first postmaster, 
who opened the office in liis dwelling hoiise, which was a 
log building, situated at the corner of wliat is now known 



as .Mai-ion Street and First Avenue. A man had been pre- 
viously employed to go to Olymina to jirocure whatever 
mail matter was thei-e foi- parties i-esiding hei'e. He re- 
turned on August 16, and brought twenty-two letters and 
foui'teeii newspapers, but what was brought on the 27th 
he does not remembei- oidy that it was a very small 
aiiKHint. 

ilail was delivered in Seattle by boat until the year 
1M67, when a contract for the "overland" delivery of 
mail by waj' of Puyallup was let. From Puyallup it was 
broTight on pony by trail, a distance of forty miles. The 
contract was taken by C. H. llanfoi'd then a young man, 
later a federal judge, who "rode the mail" for one year 
at a consideration of $500 per annum, after which he was 
iinderbid on the job. Postmaster Pumphrey, in 1875, 
moved the oifice to the corner of Mill Street, now Yesler 
way. and Post Street. He was succeeded by Thomas W. 
Pi'osch on July 18, 1875. After serving tM'o years, Prosch 
was succeeded, on June 25, 1877, by Ossian J. Carr. Mr. 
('air held the office nine years, the longest continous ser- 
vice of an a<lministration since the beginning of Seattle's 
postal sei'vice. 

John ]\I. Lyon was appointed on January 5, 1887, 
seived little over a year, and was succeeded on April 5, 
1.S8!), by Albei't M. Brookes. Mr. Lyon (uoved the office 
to the lioston Xational Bank Block, on Second Avenue 
ni'ar Columbia Street. It was located hei'e when the fire 
occui'red. Because it was rt'garded as being too far out 
of the luisiness district at this point, Postmaster Brookes 
moved the office to the north side of Columbia Street be- 
tween Second and Third Avenues, and on this site it re- 
mained until the rapid growth of llie thriving cit.y made 
it necessary in 18iS;t to seek largei' ipiarters. 

(Ji-itfith Davis became ])ostmaster on February 14, 
1,S!)1; (iilbcrt S. .Aleem on April S, 1895, and George M. 
Stewart on .March 3, 18;)!l. At the time of Mr. Stewart's 
appoiiitmiiit the quarters of the postoffiee were being 
moved to the Aldington P>lock, at the corner of First Ave- 
nue and University Street. At that time there was al- 
most constant com|)]aint that the office was situated too 
far aw;iy from the business center. 

Several yeai-s latei'. or aliout 1!)02, the sur|ii-ising 
growth of the district north of Madison brought the post- 
office in the center of the luisiness district and there it 
remainetl until the occupation of tlie present Federal 
Building, at Third Avenue and Union Street, on November 
1, 1901. Postmaster Stewart was succeeded in November, 
1908, by George F. Russell, who prior to that time had 
served as city treasurer of Seattle. Edgar Battle, the 
present postmaster, was apjiointed by President Wilson 
on September 10, 1913. 

The carrier service of the Seattle postoft'ice was put 
into effect on September 1, 1887, with F. C. Henry, John 
P. Jones, Andrew J. Snyder and R. H. Brooks as the first 
carriers. 

The Seattle post off'ice is now twenty-first in size 
among all the oft"ices in the United States. It is one of 
the five exchange off'ices in the country for handling for- 
eign mail. The present building is already so crowded 
that the government will secure a site for a branch 
off'ice near the depots, in the south end of the city, and it 
is here that the foreign mail will be handled. Of this sort 
of mail 20,012 sacks were dis])atched from Seattle during 
1913. 

Spread over the city are now fourteen civil-service 



K I X ( i (' O U N 1^ Y, WASHINGTON 



r • !i s ' 



r t y-o n e 



postoifice stalioas and t'orty-sevcii (•oiitract offit^es i'or tlu- 
convenience of the piiblie. With one exception, all the 
postoffices of tlie State of Washington and of Alaska re- 
mit surplus postal and money order funds to the Seattle 
institution. This amounts to ^5,000,000 annually. Its 
payroll covers 300 rui-al carriers in the state. ^'2^) railway 
mail clerks and the :520 employes of the office, the 745 
persons receiving $1,400,000 eacli year. 

An act of appropriation March 2, 1899 gave $300,000 
for the erection of a Federal building at Seattle. Two 
years later it was increased to .$750,000. By June 2, 1902, 



$!I00,000 was appi-opriatc<l under condition that the site 
sliould not be more tiian $200,000. 

James linox Taylor was supervising ai-chitect for the 
Government department. Fi-anees W. (iiant supervising 
architect in charge. It has a frontage of 196 feet on 
Third Avenue and 153 feet on Union Street. Area of site, 
one acre. The site was purchased from Jules RedelsheiiTi- 
er February 24, 1902, for the sum of $174,750. 

* :i: ::: :;: :j: 

Contractors Megrath and Dnhamel. Work commenced 
November, 1903. 



Architect — A. Warren Gould. 

A. Warren Gould, of Seattle, architect, was born January 
15, 1872. 

Mr. Gould received a public school education and studied 
architecture under professors of the Massachusetts Institute 
of Technology. His first employment was in connection with 
the enterprises of his elder brothers in the contracting and 
building business in Boston. At the age of twenty-two he 
embarked in that city independently in professional work. 
He continued there twelve years, achieving success and an 
enviable reputation. During that iieriod he executed the de- 
signs for many public and private buildings, including the 
Women's Prison on Deer Island, Boston Harbor, the Phillips 
Brooks School, the Benjamin Gushing School, and the City 
Stables for the city of Boston; the Dudley Club at Roxbury, 
and the Women's Club at Dorchester, Boston, Mass. 

Removing to Seattle, in 1904, Mr. Gould continued his 
individual practice there until 1909, designing among other 
structures, the American Bank and Empire Buildings, the 
Standard Furniture Company's Store Building, the Georgian 
Hotel, etc. From June 1, 1909, a partnership with E. Frere 
Champney under the firm style of Gould & Champney existed 
for two years during which period the Young Women's Chris- 
tian Association Building, New Richmond Hotel and the Seattle 
Electric Company's Building were designed. Since dissolving 
this partnership, Mr. Gould has received many additional com- 
missions, chief among which is the New King County Court 
House. 

Mr. Gould is married and resides at the Washington 
Hotel Annex, and is a member of the Rainier Club, Seattle 
Golf and Country Club, Seattle Automobile Club and Seattle 
Commercial Club. 



Pioneer Square and Its Totem Pole. 

Pioneer Square was donated to Seattle, Pioneer Building 
now occupies the site of the old Yesler Mill. The Totem pole 
was brought from Tongas Island in 1897. The Indian chief 
for whom it had been carved had paid $2 5 for it, and its 
history dates back 110 years. The party of tourists bringing 
it to Seattle did so at an expense of $1,750. 
***** 

In 18 90 Judge Austin came to Seattle and built the ele- 
vator in West Seattle of which he was the manager. He 
shipped the first cargo of grain from Seattle, sending it on 
the "Mary L. Burrell." 

si: * * * * 

The Seattle Feed Mills was an enterprise established in 
1886 by Mr. J. H. Walker, an experienced miller from Oregon. 
The various meals and graham flours were turned out and 
the great excellence of Puget Sound oats was fully developed. 

* * * * * 

The Pioneer Boot & Shoe Dealers — as a separate line — 
was commenced by H. Jones & Co. in 1867. 



Water Works — Ancient and Modern. 

Water was first delivered by the gravity system from 
Cedar River late in 1900. 

The first pipes laid to carry water were to the old Uni- 
versity grounds, now occupied by the White, Henry, Stuart, 
Cobb and P. -I. Buildings and the Arena, from a spring about 
•')00 feet to the eastward. 

The first water system was begun by the installation of 
very crude contrivances by Henry L. Yesler. It consisted in 
the building of a very small tank just north of Yesler Way 
between Third and Fourth Avenues. The water was con- 
ducted to the Yesler Mill at the foot of the street in an open 
trough which was later replaced by a wooden pipe made from 
boring twelve-inch logs in six-foot lengths. This system was 
also used to furnish water power to Wooden's Tannery, which 
then stood on the present site of the Prefontaine Building. 
The water was obtained from a stream of some size that 
originated in a depression at a point near Eighth Avenue and 
Madison Street. Another source of supply was at Seventh 
and Columbia called the Lowman Spring. The spring at the 
corner of Seventh and Cherry is still flowing through a 
three-fourths inch pipe and is used in emergencies. 

The Union Water System on Queen Anne Hill was pur- 
chased by the city In 1891. 

The Spring Hill Water Company, incorporated in 1881, 
was purchased by the city in January, 1890, for $352,265. 

The pipe known as No. 1 was put into commission Jan- 
uary, 1901, giving twenty-five million gallons per day. 

Pipe No. 2 delivered water on June 21, 1909, in Volunteer 
Park Reservoir. Combined delivering capacity is sixty-six mil- 
lion gallons a day. 

* * * :;; * 

In 1883 Seattle had its first real estate "boom." Prices 
advanced rapidly. 

Snoqualmie Falls is 270 feet in height. From it, both 
in Seattle and Tacoma, has been generated a 17,500 horse- 
power force that has materially assisted in making Seattle 
attain some of its well deserved reputation as a splendidly 
lighted city. 

The current generated by the company at Snoqualmie 
Palls entered the city July 31, 1899. 

* * * * * 

At Latona a tunnel has been dug beneath the bottom of 
Lake Union to carry the water pipes and electric wires under 
the lake out of the way of the ships using the Lake Washing- 
ton Canal. The tunnel lies between 30 and 4 feet below 
the bottom of the lake. It is a tube 12 feet from floor to 
ceiling walled in two feet of solid concrete and 900 feet long. 
The contract was let for $183,000. Completed, it cost the 
city over a quarter of a million dollars. George H. Worley 
was the contractor on the job. 



1' a R (■ Fort y-t w i 



H 1 S 1M ) K Y A X 1) PR ( ) (> R E 8 S n f 



Electric Light and Power 



The first central station incandescent electric lighting 
plant west of the Missouri River was delivering current in 
Seattle on March 23, 1886. 

(From annals of the American Academy of Political and 
Social Science, Vol. 27, page 222.1 

The fifty-year franchise under which the Seattle Electric 
Company supplies power and light to private consumers was 
granted in 1902. The plant which the company owns though 
erected primarily to furnish the power to generate its street 
car system, supplies the greater part of the light and power 
consumed by private users. 

The Seattle-Tacoma Power Company is operated under 
a thirty-six-year franchise granted in 1903. 

The Everett & Interurban Railway Company was incor- 
porated by Fred E. Sander, Mary 29, 1902. In 1905 the line 
had been built to fifteen miles north of Hall's Lake. The 
property was re-incorporated under the name of the Seattle- 
Everett & Interurban Railway and in 1907 sold to the interests 
represented by Stone & Webster and changed by them to the 
Pacific-Northwest Traction Company. 

The only street railway companies which had not been 
in the hands of the receivers, before the consolidation of 190 3 
were the Madison Street and the Union Trunk Line in the 
original consolidation in March, 1900, were 66% miles of 
mileage, increased to 78 in March, 1902, and 95 miles at the 
end of 1903. In 1915 the street railway company had 197 
miles of single track on 111 miles of street; over 500 cars for 
passengers were in use. 

The current for the electric company comes from three 
plants, on the Snohomish River, White River and at Electron. 
The Puget Sound Traction, Light & Power Company's 
vast interests in this section of the state are also shown by 
the following data: In 1913, in the whole system — which 
includes the street railways in Seattle, Tacoma, Bellingham 
and Everett, and the various interurbans — 492 miles of single 
tracks were operated over 33 7 miles of streets and other rights- 
of-way. The total number of cars was 1,073, of which 623 
were passenger cars. The total number of employes in 1913 
was 3,799, 2,538 of them being on the Seattle division. The 
total number of passenger car miles operated during the year 
in Seattle was 12,701,151, and for the entire system 20,231,- 
067. Including the freight and work cars the total number 
of car miles for Seattle was 13,087,936, and the entire sys- 
tem 21,534,221. In Seattle, passengers were carried during 
1913 as follows: Revenue passengers, 76,726,857; transfer 
passengers, 23,431,345; free, 4,885,508, making a grand total 
of 105,043,508. The Seattle division, therefore, carried the 
equivalent of the entire population of the United States and 
without a single fatality among its passengers. 

^ ^ =!= '^ $ 

Street and Commercial Lighting Munici- 
palized. 

In course of its civic expansion the municipal ownership 
idea became popular. So Seattle decided to go into the electric 
business as a public undertaking. The municipal system owes 
its existence largely to the efforts of George F. Cotterill and 
R. H. Thomson, the latter city engineer from 1892 to 1911. 
They brought the need of such a plant, in order to secure the 
best and most economical street and municipal light, to the 
attention of Seattle's citizens and were instrumental in secur- 
ing the necessary state legislation and the incorporation in 
the city charter of the provisions which made it possible for 



the city to undertake this enterprise. As the outcome of this 
work in behalf of a municipal lighting and power system, the 
city council submitted a bond issue to the voters of the city, 
who, on March 4, 1902, decided in favor of the first issue of 
$590,000. The source of power was to be Cedar River, in 
King County, and little time was lost in starting work. The 
work on the first plant was finished in 1904 and in January, 
iyu5, the city took over the street lighting system, which 
had been operated prior to this time by the Seattle Electric 
Company. 

In 1904, with the voting of another bond issue, this time 
of 1250,000, the city undertook to enter the field of commer- 
cial lighting in competition with the private electric company. 
The first municipal light was furnished to home and business 
houses in September, 1905. 

In January, 1905, the city took over the street lighting 
system, which had been operated prior to this time by the Se- 
attle Electric Company. 

In 1904, with the voting of a bond issue of $250,000, 
the city undertook to enter the field of commercial lighting 
in competition with the private electric company. The first 
municipal light was furnished to homes and business houses 
in September, 1905. Bonds for an extension were authorized 
by the voters on March 6, 1906, for $600,000. Further neces- 
sity of extending the distribution system to all parts of the 
city resulted in the voting of $800,000 more bonds on Decem- 
ber 29, 1908. In April, the lighting department was made 
separate from the water department by charter amendment. 

In 1910 there appeared a demand for more power and it 
was planned to develop the Cedar River site to its full ca- 
pacity, by the use of a large concrete dam. Work begun 1912. 



First Electric Lighting Plant. 

In 188 6 a small electric light plant was started in a board 
shack on Jackson Street between Occidentl and Second South. 
In 1888 the installation was completed. The Seattle Electric 
Light Company was organized and J. M. Frink became presi- 
dent. The gave Seattle its first electric light on March 16, 
1888. In 1889, early, an extension was made in the basement 
at the corner of Post and Seneca Streets. The plants were 
wiped out in the fire of 1889. Another plant was started five 
weeks after on Eighth Avenue and Charles Street. 



On Monday, March 4, 1890, Dr. E. C. Kilbourne was given 
a franchise, that day he leased the old power house of the 
Seattle Consolidated Electric Railway Company at the foot of 
Pike Street. A contract for tse pole line was let to Baker & 
Balch. Within sixty days Dr. Kilbourne was delivering light 
in Seattle. There were no meters in those days, so a flat 
rate was charged, being $1.50 per month for a 16-candle- 
power lamp burning from starting time untid 10:30 p. m. 

On October 1, 1892, the Seattle General Electric and the 
Home consolidated as the Union Electric Co!iipany. In 1899, 
the Stone & Webster interests acquired a controlling interest 
and the big Boston corporation got its first foothold in Seattle 
by so doing. 

The city nas a 1,500-kilowatt water power generating 
plant on the shore of Lake Union which is fed by the overflow 
of the high service reservoir of the water department. It was 
finished in 1912. It serves the purpose of an auxiliary in 



K 1 N (} < ' O r X T Y. W A S H 1 N (_l T N 



case of accident to the main plant. 

The city plant has an investment of more than $5,000,000, 
employs 240 men, and does a business of approximately $900,- 
000 annually. 

Develoi)iiieut of Siio((ualinit' Falls. 
In 1898 Charles H. Baker, a civil engineer whose father 
was a prominent Chicago broker, designed and built a plant 
at Snoqualmie Falls with a capacity of 6,000 kilowatts and 
supplied power from this plant for lighting and power pur- 
poses in Tacoma, Seattle and, later, in Everett. They also 
served a number of small towns adjacent to those cities. This 
plant was acquired in 1911 by the Puget Sound Traction, Light 
& Power Company, which also acquired at the same time all 
of the properties under the management of the firm of Stone & 
Webster. 

***** 

The Puget Sound Traction, Light & Power Company, of 
which Jacob Furth was president at the time of his death, 
controls and operates all of the light, power and railway prop- 
erties in Seattle, the interurban between Everett and Seattle 
and the interurban between Seattle and Tacoma, the only ex- 
ception being the municipal lighting plants of Tacoma and 
Seattle, the lately constructed municipal railway in Seattle, 
completed in 1914, consisting of about three miles of track 
running from Ihird and Pine to the south shore of Lake Wash- 
ington canal, near Ballard; the Lake Burien line, seven miles 
long, running from Spokane Avenue in a southerly direction 
to Lake Burien, and the Loyal Heights Railway, incorporated 
March 24, 1906, by Harry W. Treat, and running cars over 
about two miles of tracks between Twenty-fourth Avenue 
Northeast and Sixty-seventh Street. 

***** 

Seattle Chamber of Commerce organized on April 17, 
1882. J. R. Lewis, president; Bailey Gatzert, vice-president. 

:|c 4: * * * 

Seattle Commercial Club formed November 6, 1904. G. H. 
Revelle, president; Homer L. Bull, Secretary. 
***** 

First Paved Street. 

First Avenue was the first street to be graded and side- 
walked in the city of Seattle or King County. The contract 
for it was let July 10, 1876. It was also the first street to be 
paved with brick. 

The relative magnitude of the first improvement of Front 
Street was great. From near the foot of Cherry Street to Pike 
Street a high strong bulkhead of logs was put in on the south- 
west side of tne street twenty-five feet high in places. At 
several parts of the street at high tide the waters of the bay 
reached into the east or inland side of the street before this 
improvement was made. Nearly every bit of the Colman 
Block stands where the tide flowed fifty-flve years ago. 

The trees from which the logs for the cribbing were cut 
grew on the hillside between where the Washington Hotel now 
stands and the bay south of Virginia Street. The city en- 
gineers at that time were Eastwick, Morris & Co. 
***** 

Street Railways. 

The Front Street Cable Railway Company was incorpor- 
ated October 24, 1880, with capital of $600,000, and the offi- 
cers in 1890 were Jacob Furth, president; H. G. Struve, vice- 
president. 



The first street railroad was built by F. H. Osgood about 
1883 and horses were used to haul the cars. The south end 
of the track was at the intersection of Yesler Way and James, 
and it went up James to Second, thence to Pike, thence to 
First Avenue and down that to Battery Street. Service hourly. 

The office, car barn and stables were combined as one 
in a building upon the site of the Masonic Building, corner of 
Second and Pike. 

There was much complaint even in those days over the 
service. Something had to be done. It seemed to Mr. Os- 
good that this something was electricity. In the face of the 
ridicule of the Boston men, despite the fact that its possi- 
bilities were practically unknown, Mr. Osgood took what is 
now known as a gambler's chance and gave orders to equip 
his line with electricity. In place of the four "bob-tail" cars 
he ordered five new electric cars. In place of the car barns 
he installed a power plant. In place of the "mule skinners" 
who drove his horses he engaged motormen. The line was 
ready in 1888 and began operation during the winter of that 
year. 

***** 

The first electric street car line in Seattle started on 
Second Avenue March 30, 1889, being the date service was 
begun. It was the fifth elec-tric carline in the United States 
to begin operation. 

* * * * * 

The South Seattle Cable Railway Company, J. M. Thomp- 
son, president. 

West Seattle Cable Railway Company was incorporated 
February 2.5, 1890. Lewis Ervine, president. 
***** 

The Metropolitan Electric Railway Company was incor- 
porated July 19, 1890, with a capital of $300,000. 

The Green Lake Electric Railway was incorporated in 
November, 1889. W. D. Wood, president. 
***** 
The West Seattle & North End Electric Railway Company 
was incorporated November 2 6, 18 89. D. H. Oilman, president. 
***** 
The Yesler and Jackson cable line was first built in 1887, 
the cars running out Yesler Way to Lake Washington around a 
loop and back on Jackson, with a loop on Occidental Avenue. 
Before this only horse cars were used. 
***** 
The Seattle City Railway Company was incorporated in 
August, 1890, with a capital of $600,000. F. J. Grant, presi- 
dent. 

***** 
The Madison Street Cable Railway Company. H. G. 
Struve, president; A. B. Stewart, vice-president. 
***** 
The James Street Construction Company was incorpor- 
ated June, 1890, with $200,000 capital. E. G. Witter, presi- 
dent; J. F. Eshelman, vice-president. 

***** 

When it became apparent that 20,000 people living on 
the north side of Lake Union could no longer be accommo- 
dater with respect to either street car or teaming facilities 
by the existing zig-zag of streets between Pike and Denny 
Way, an active agitation began which in 1900 resulted in the 
creation of the Westlake Avenue extension, and it has become 
one of the busiest thoroughfares in the West. 



Page Fort y-f o u r 



HISTORY AND PROGRESS of 



The Telegraph and Telephone 



The first telegram reached Seattle and King County in 
August, 1864, 

In 1856 the Western Union Telegraph Company was 
formed by the union of two Eastern companies. Its lines were 
not extended to the Pacific Coast until 1861. In October it 
was completed and in operation to San Francisco. In 18 6 4 
it reached Puget Sound. 

The Postal Telepgraph Company made its first connection 
with Seattle in January, 1887. 

In 1873, as an evidence of civic spirit, the following is 
interesting. The whole country was suffering from financial 
depression at that time. The company owning the telegraph 
line which served the coast from San Francisco decided to 
discontinue the service north of Portland. Headed by Arthur 
A. Denny, always in the lead in matters of public interest, 
eighteen men contributed |100 each as advance payment on 
tolls. The telegraph was important to the mills in the vicinity 
and the town did not wish to be cut off from communication 
with the outside world. 

The telephone had not been proven successful in the East 
long before Seattle wanted it. When an opportunity to se- 
cure a system was offered the town eagerly seized it. The 
Sunset Telephone Company was organized in 1883 and imme- 
diately secured a franchise to install a system in Seattle. The 
telephone was first exhibited to the people of Seattle in the 
same year. The exhibition took place in a hall, where the 
townfollf had gathered. E. H. Larabee sang into the line 
at some point outside the building and was heard by those 
within. The service was Inaugurated in 1884, with the main 
office in the telegraph headquarters in the Yesler Building 
at Second Avenue and Cherry Street. For many years the 
Sunset Company had the Seattle field to itself. Then a gen- 
eral feeling of dissatisfaction with its service culminated in 
the establishment of a second system in 1901. The competi- 



tor was called the Independent Telephone Company. In the 
eleven years of its existence the new company developed a 
system of 16,000 telephones. In the meantime the original 
company had become reorganized and made a part of the Bell 
system. Its service had so improved that when in 1912, it 
took over the entire plant of the Independent Company there 
was a general feeling of relief throughout the city. 

Today, with a population of probably 3.50,000 people, 
King County has more than 60,000 telephones, which means 
one instrument to every six persons within its boundaries. 
That Seattle is better equipped with telephones than the ma- 
jority of cities in the United States is shown by telepnone 
statistics. The average number of telephones in use in Amer- 
ican cities of more than 100,000 population is 11.4 to each 
hundred people; in Seattle there are seventeen phone in use 
to each hundred people. The system here is one of the most 
highly developed in the entire country, and its management 
is infused with that i)redominate note that is now being struck 
by all enlightened public service corporations — a desire to 
please the public. From his home or his office a Seattle citizen 
can get in touch with 674,000 phones on the Pacific Coast, 
and in 1916 to be able to speak across the continent was an 
accomplished fact. There are 150,000 telephones in the state 
of Washington, and of this number Seattle has considerably 
more than one-third. The city is a district center of the great 
Bell interests — on this coast organized under the name of the 
Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Company — and approximately 
2,000 employes are attached to the Seattle division. C. O. 
Myers is manager. The district commercial superintendent 
is F. L. McNally. It will be noted that since Mr. McNally was 
installed in the Seattle district there has been very little com- 
plaint as to the service. 

The work of connecting Seattle with Alaska by cable com- 
menced in 1901 and now the matter of cable communication 
with Alaska is not as momentous as was telephoning with Ta 
coma a few years ago. 



Railways 



We have at least six from the Atlantic to the Pacific in 
operation, and others projected. It was not until the Northern 
Pacific was completed to the Sound that King County began 
to grow. This was accomplished by 1885, and in 1887 it 
reached Seattle; since which time the growth of the state has 
been rapid. The entire length of the main line of the Northern 
Pacific from St. Paul to Seattle is 1,911 miles. 

The Great Northern reached here in 1893. Its main line 
from St. Paul to Seattle is 1,828 miles. 

Both of these roads united in the building of the Union 
Depot. 

First railway connection was made in 188 3 when the 
Northern Pacific Railway was completed to Wallula where it 
joined the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company's lines thus 
making a through line to Portland. In 1884 the Union Pacific 
completed the second direct line to Portland. In 1885 the 
Northern Pacific reached Puget Sound at Tacoma afterward 
extending the line to Seattle. Then the Seattle & Inter- 
national Railway Company built a line from Seattle to the 
Canadian boundary line at Sumas to connect with the Canadian 
Pacific Railway. The Southern Pacific Railway was completed 



from San Francisco to Portland in 1887. The Great Northern 
Railway reached Seattle in 189 2 and its lines have been ex- 
tended north along the east shore of Puget Sound to Van- 
couver, B. C. 

The first depot of the Seattle Lake Shore & Eastern Rail- 
road was erected at the foot of Columbia Street, or near it, 
on Western Avenue. 

It soon became apparent that for sidetracks and storage 
room not nearly enough ground was available. At this junc- 
ture Judge rianford and Judge Burke appeared before the 
City Council and secured the passage of an ordinance creating 
Railroad Avenue which was 120 feet wide designed to afford 
an entrance to all transcontinental railroads coming to Seattle. 
Railroad Avenue is now built over what was then high water 
mark. 



Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroads arrived in Se- 
attle March 19, 1909. They used the Snoqualmie Pass. With- 
out any flourish of trumpets the road commenced its western 
journey on April 15, 1906 and in 1909 the last rail was laid 
and the line put in operation, a feat in railroad construction 



K 1 N G C O V N T Y. W A S H I X (I TON 



Paj 



Fort y-f i v e 



that probably has not been equaled elsewhere in railroad his- 
tory. 

^ Jj: :;: ^c * 

The Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad, under the name 
of Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad, became by lease a portion 
of the Milwaukee. The road is now owned by the Pacific 
Coast Company. 

Jji :J: sj: ^ ^ 

On January 1, 1910, the Oregon-Washington Railroad 
ran its first train over its own tracks into Seattle. The Harri- 
man system appreciated the importance of reaching Seattle 
and in 1907 its desire to do so became known by the purchase 
of lands for terminals on the tide flats in the south end of 
the city. 

* ^ ■'.- * ♦ 

An extraordinary boom in tidelands occurred and for- 
tunes were made over night. A great number of lots changed 
hands at figures they have not been able to bring since. With 
J. D. Farrell as president, the construction of this link in the 



Union Pacific System proceeded without interruption. It 
broke ground for its depot in 19 09 and it was completed and 
occupied on May 1, 1911. The company used a temporary 
depot at Railroad Avenue and Dearborn Street. The new- 
depot is also used by the Milwaukee line, running their first 
train in on May 25, 1911. 

* * * * * 

The first Great Northern train arrived in Seattle in 1S93. 

The rate for lumber was then ninety cents a hundred. 
Mr. J. J. Hill reduced it to forty cents a hundred. The result 
on King County's lumber business was magical. 

The commencement of the Great Northern tunnel under 
the business district of the city and with an outlet on the 
tide flats was commenced in 1902 and completed in 1905, and 
contains two tracks. It is now apparent that the city would 
surely have committed commercial suicide if the project of 
the Northern Pacific to erect a depot on the waterfront had 
been i)erniitted. 



The Coming of the Steamboats 



The first steamers owned and operated here were the 
.1. B. Libby and the Mary Woodruff, about 1862. Both were 
sidewheelers. 

The first wharves were built by Yesler at the foot of 
Mill Street (Yesler Way), by Plummer at the foot of Main 
Street and by Butler at the foot of Madison Street. 

:Js r;; * * * 

The schooner "Mary Taylor" arrived on the 19th day 
of February, 1852. The "Mary Taylor" left Portland early 
in the summer of 1852 with the first newspaper outfit north 
of the Columbia River, which was in charge of T. F. McElroy 
and James W. Wiley. This paper was issued at Olympia on 
September 11, 1852, and called The Columbian. The plant 
used was the first plant of "The Oregonian." It was taken 
to Portland from San Francisco in the fall of 1850, and the 
first issue of that paper (founded by Thomas J. Dryer, a 
strong Whig), was December 4, 1850. 

:!: * :ic * * 

In early times we occasionally saw the Hudson Bay 
steamers, "Beaver" and "Otter," passing to and from the 
station at Nisqually, but as yet no American steamer had ever 
navigated these waters. 

The first American steamboat was brought to the Sound 
by her owners, A. B. David and Warren Gove, on the deck 
of the bark, "Sarah Warren," in October, 1853. She was a 
small sidewheeler called the "Fairy," and made several trips 
to Seattle and occasionally lower down the Sound, taking the 
place of our canoe express in carrying the mail. But she 
proved inefficient as a sea boat on the lower Sound, and a 
small sloop called the "Sarah Stone" was tor a time put on 
the line by Slater & Webber. 

The first regular steamboat company was incorporated 
in 1855. 

In February, 1891, John Leary organized the Columbia 
River & Puget Sound Navigation Company with a paid-up 
capital of $500,000, and began running steamers to Tacoma. 
This company built and operated the "Flyer," well known 
to all old-timers as the boat with the world's record for miles 
traveled. 

Seattle's first share in the Oriental trade, save that ob- 



tained by transshipment via other jiorts, was given in 1896 
when the Nippon Yusen Kaisha established a fleet of steam- 
ships in connection with the Great Northern Railroad. Since 
that time the China Mutual began in 1900 a steamship service 
to Liverpool and return that added facilities for Oriental com- 
merce; the Boston Steamship Company and Boston Towboat 
Company put on a fleet of American ships in 1902. 



Puget Sound is a system of waterways with numerous 
bays, straits and inlets extending for hundreds of miles (in 
the aggregate 1,600 miles) of shore line all navigable for the 
largest ships. Within the limits of King County there is a 
salt water frontage of about forty miles. The rise and fall 
of the tide is from nine to eighteen feet. There are no shoals, 
sunken reefs or other dangerous obstacles to navigation and 
vessels of any size can enter safely at all times and stages 
of the tide. Owing to the fact that it is protected on every 
side by high hills and mountain ranges it forms one vast har- 
bor. It is open for shipping all the year. The climate being 
mild, unlike the Atlantic coast where there are numerous 
harbors, there are only two upon the Pacific Coast where the 
biggest vessels can enter and depart with a full cargo. These 
are San Francisco Bay and Puget Sound. Columbia River 
accommodates vessels which draw less than twenty-five feet. 

Following the great struggle in the railroad world in 
1901, for the control of the Northern Pacific Railroad, in 
which Mr. J. J. Hill and his associates secured control of the 
road, the Great Northern Steamship Company constructed the 
steamships Minnesota and Dakota, the largest freighters in 
the world, to operate on the line between Seattle and the 
Orient. The Dakota was destroyed on the Japanese coast 
several years ago. It is reported that the Minnesota has been 
sold to parties in England, for which country she left carrying 
16,000 tons dead weight last fall. Trouble with her boilers 
occurred off the western coast of South America and she now 
lies in San Francisco harber undergoing repairs. 

:!: * ^: ^:: * 

The Minnesota was launched at the New London, Conn., 
shipyards April 16, 1903. 



Page Fort y-s i x 



HISTORY AND PROGRESS of 



T. Ryan & Co. Oldest Contractors 



One of the most reliable contracting firms of the 
early days was that of Timothy Ryan, who did bnsiness 
as T. R.yan & Co. Years ago "Tim" Ryan, as his friends 
loved to call him, served as one of the commissioners of 
King Oonuty. 

No man ever lived in King Connty who served it 
more faithfiill.y than "Tim" Ryan. He built and paved a 
great many miles of its splendid roads, as well as many 
blocks of Seattle's bnsiness ,streets and avenues. 
Plis woi-k will be a monument foi' all time to a good 
anil faithful servant. For "Tim"' Ryan has gone 
to his reward. The great brick highway shown on page 

* * * 

Pioneer Wholesalers 

The Schwabachers were established in Seattle in 
1S()I), with Bailey Gatzert as resident partner. They were 
the pioneer merchants in Seattle. The store was first 
oi)ened on the site of the old New England hotel. In 
1872 they erected a building on the west side of Commer- 
cial Street, at the corner of Mill Street and Yesler Way. 
Theirs was the first brick struetui'e in Seattle. It was 
30x120 feet, two stories in height. In the course of ten 
years their business had so increased as to demand a new 
building and in 1883 they put up a second building of 
bi-ick 44x56 feet, three stories and basement, fronting on 
Yesler Way and abutting at the rear on the old building, 
thus giving them two fronts. From this they cari'ied on 
a most extensive trade in all parts of Washington, having 
bi'anch houses and numerous business connections, until 
the buildings were destroyed in the great fire. With vrry 
little delay, howevei', new buildings were erected. 

A Quarter of a Century's Progress 

In 1881 Mr. E. R. Butterworth came to the Territory of 
Washington, and in the following year established an under- 
taking business in what is now the City of Centralia. Ten 
years later he moved with his family to Seattle, and established 
the firm of E. R. Butterworth & Sons. Since that time, nearly 
a quarter of a century ago, the firm has grown until it is now 
recognized as the largest and best equipped establishment of 
its kind in the Northwest. The Butterworths were the first 
to own a hearse between Columbia river and Puget Sound. 
They were the first to build their own private crematory and 
Columbarium, and can care for ten thousand memorial urns. 
Since their beginning in King County they have handled nearly 
18,000 funerals. They were the first to own their own prop- 
erty and pay more taxes than any other undertaking firm in 
Washington. They operate the largest private funeral motor 
equipment west of the Mississippi, which was all built to the 
order of the firm. The ambulance service Is entirely separate 
from the other branches, and a day and night service is main- 
tained for the removal of the sick and injured. This depart- 
ment responds to more calls during the course of a year than 
all other ambulance companies in King County combined. 

The personelle of the firm consists of E. R. Butterworth, 
president; G. M| Butterworth, manager; C. N. Butterworth, 
secretary and superintendent of Crematory; F. R. Butter- 
worth, treasurer and B. K. Butterworth, auditor. 



35, was the last important contract completed by Ryan & 
Co. The Secoiul Avenue paving was done by him last 
year, and it is the finest jiiece of street work ever laid 
in this country. 

<C S|! *j' ^ ^ 

The firm foiuuled by Mr. Ryan still does business 
in the same old offices, under the same old name, and 
performs its contracts in the same old manner that gave 
"Tim" Ryan his standing in this community. The firm 
even retains the sauu' number telephone and the same 
otfices in the Lowman lluilding. Joseph W. Pettinger 
is the firm's manager. 
* * 

Oldest Stationery and Printing House. 

In 1.S77, at that time being twenty years of age, .lames 
D. Lowman came to Seattle, where he secured employment 
as assistant wharfmaster on Yesler's wharf and was thus em- 
ployed for four years. He then purchased one-half interest 
in the book store of W. H. Pumphrey, which for two years 
was continued under the firm name of Pumphrey & Lowman. 

He then organized a stock company by absorbing the job 
printing plant of Clarence Hanford, established the corpora- 
tion known as the Lowman & Hanford Stationery & Printing 
Company, which today is one of the most substantial firms 
in Seattle. 

In 1886 Mr. Lowman was appointed trustee of all of 
Henry L. Yesler's property and assumed its entire control 
and management. Through the large enterprises which he 
had been carrying on and the general stagnation of business, 
had become heavily encumbered, and he required the assist- 
ance of a man of more than ordinary business sagacity to 
bring his affairs to a successful issue, and within the space 
of four years, from a condition of almost insolvency to be 
the most valuable held by anl individual In Seattle. 

After the fire Mr. Lowman erected on Pioneer Place, in 
the very heart of Seattle, three of the finest buildings in the 
city. 

Seattle's Big Store to Celebrate Its Twenty-sixth 
Birthday 



Public Invited to Share in Month-Iiong Event and to Share 
Mammoth Birthday Cake. 



In a recent issue of a newspaper appears an anniversary 
advertisement of Seattle's big store. The Bon Marche, and 
the public is invited to join with this large merchandising 
concern in the celebration of its Twenty-sixth Anniversary, 
beginning May 1. 

The mention of the Twenty-sixth Anniversary of The 
Bon Marche will call up for review many intensely interesting 
memories of pioneer days in Seattle. The older residents of 
Seattle, in particular, will remember when The Bon Marche 
was making its modest start at the corner of First Avenue and 
Cedar Street — in that section of Seattle then known by the 
several names of Bell Town, North Seattle and Stump Town — 
Second Avenue, the present location of the now large depart- 
ment store, was little better than a corduroy road. 



K 1 N G C O U N T Y, WASHINGTON 



Pa g e Fort y-s even 



In those days. The Bon Marche was a typical general 
merchandise store, such as one might find in many Western 
country towns. The man in overalls was made to feel at 
home, and the lady of fashion was not adverse to taking ad- 
vantage of the bargains offered. 

This store is now one of the show places of the city, 
being the third largest cash store in the United States. It 
has assumed proportions of which Seattle may justly be proud. 
But even today its management has the happy faculty of main- 
taining the same homey atmosphere on a large scale that was 
so much in evidence in a small way in those far-off pioneer 
days, when a mother with her babe in arms visiting that 
infant Bon Marche to make some small purchase was made 
to feel at home; and it was no crime for her baby to cry aloud. 
The small boy or girl or aged person was served with delicate 



and painstaking care; and each visitor in his turn went away 
from The Bon Marche, a satisfied customer. So, after all, when 
we behold today this immense merchandising establishment 
catering to the innumerable needs of its many thousands of 
patrons, we see but the natural result of a cause coupled with 
an opportunity which was recognized and seized. And the 
same close attention to the business of giving to each patron 
of this big store, absolute satisfaction is making it still larger 
each year; and it will continue to grow and flourish exactly 
in proportion to its ability to maintain the high standard of 
service required by the public. The Bon Marche seems to 
realize that its success is due to the loyalty of the people of 
Seattle, and so today It extends a general invitation to the 
public to join in the month-long celebration of its 26th Anni- 
versary. 



Dalk & Lindberg 



Phone North 835 



Sash and Door Factory 



Ewing and Woodlawn 



Meese & Gottfried 

Elevators, Conveying 

and Screening Machinery 

558 1st Avenue South 

Elliott 1093 



GEO. MILTON SAVAGE 
Pres. and Genl. Mgr. 



D. I. CONELL 
yice-Pres. and Secy. 



Washington Paving Co. 

GENERAL CONTRACTORS 

GOOD ROADS l^ETTER PAVEMENTS 

1915 CONTRACTS SECURED-27 

Consisting of 

359,612 Square Yards Pavement 
150,000 Cubic Yards Excavation 
170,000 Lin. Feet Curbing 

Cleaning Sev^ers, Sidewalks, etc. 

MATERIALS USED 

40,000 Barrels Cement 
92,685 Cubic Yards Sand and Gravel 
15,500 Cubic Yards Crushed Rock 
1,000,000 Brick 
18,000 Barrels Asphalt and Bitumen 



SEATTLE 

1704-17 L. C. Smith Bldg. 

Phone Elliott 246 



TACOMA 
606 Savage- Scofield Bldg. 
Phone Main 414 



BELLI NGH AM 

4 22 Bellingham National Bank Bldg. 
Phone 204 



Page Fort y-e i g h l 



HISTORY AND PROGRESS of 







■iittv^^aiini 







^r^ Group 

' of (^CftOOLS^T 



■Ny 




,^ran/f///7 j¥/gj^ 



Tilt' schools oi King County are among her proudest 
possessions. Education of the child is certainly not neg- 
lected in ("ity or County. 

The matter of the schools, however, is too large to be 
treated in this booklet and will lie the subject of a new 
work soon to be i-sued. 



Seattle, and one may not speak of King Count}' 
without encompassiug its great capital, is not merely a 
city of sordid and cold business houses, and consequent 
homes, but it might properly be termed "the City of 
Churches." On her many hills are scattered beautiful 
religious edifices. All the denominations are repre- 
sented by houses of worship of the most classic design. 




KTX(; ("orXTV. WASH IX (IT ON 



I'"" () r I \--ii i n ' 



J. D. Ross, and His Plant, and His Record 




THE Scuttle Muiiicipal Ligiit & Power 
Plant is known throughont the coun- 
try as America's forenmst municipal 
plan I. Keginning' in 1902, when tlie first 
boiuls were voted, the plant has grown until 
it serves 42,000 consumers with ligiit and 
power and earns over |1,000,00 yearl\- 
Credit for securing the plant for the city is 
due to R. H. Thompson, who, as city en- 
gineer, pointed out the need for sucli a plant 
as early as 1803, and who led the campaign 
to secure the plant. Superintendent J. D. 
Ross, wlio was with the plant as designing, 
constructing and opei'ating engineer from 
its ince]ition, is resjionsible in a great meas- 
ure for the successful administration of the 
affairs of the plant. 

In 1902 Seattle citizens were paying 20 
cents per kilowatt hour for light, and pay- 
ing for their own extensions. Wlien tlie 
plant was assured, the company's rate caim' 
down to 12y2 cents. In 1905 the first cus- 
tomers of the niTinicipal plant were served 
at a maximum rate of 8Y2 cents. The rate 
has been reduced three times since, and r)ij 
cents is now the highest rate charged. In 
every instance the city plant made the re- 
duction, and the oitposition met the rate. Se- 
attle rates ai'e as low as any in the country, 
with the possible exception of Niagara Falls, 
and the service is the best in the country. 

The main generating station is at Cedar 
Falls, forty miles from Seattle, where gen- 
erators of 10,500 kilowatt capacity are 
turned by water. poAver. The same water 
is later turned into the city water system, 
actually improved by its passage through 
the wheels. A modern steam generating 
station of 7,500 kilowatt normal capacity, 
located in Seattle on the east shore of Lake 
Union is used as an auxiliary source of 



|Hiwer at time of heaviest <li'manil and iji emergencies. The city lines 
cover the entire city with thcii' network, j)roviiling- light anil ])ower 
to the remotest citizen. 

The street lighting system lights 700 miles of streets of which 28 
miles are served by the finest ornamental cluster lighting system in 
.Xmerica, and the remainder by the new nitrogen-filled tungsten lamps. 

At a conservative estimate, the municipal plant is saving the citi- 
/-.cns $1,000,000 pel- year in light and power bills comparetl to the 
rates i-luu-ged in surj-ounding cities whicli do not iiavc municipal com- 
petition, in ailditidii, the sci'vice furnished gives Seattle the basis 
fdi- licr chiim In he " Ameri<M 's best lighted citv. " 




H I S 'P ( ) IM' A X I ) 1' IM ) < i R K S S of 



Public Prosecutor and Corporation Counsel 

A Pair of Clean, Reliable, Clear-headed Lawyers 





ALFRED H. LUNDIN 
Prosecuting Attorney for King County 

Oil March 17, 1884, in the mining oamp of Lead, South 
Dakota, where the Home Stake Gokl Mine is located, 
Alfred II. Lundiu was born. Immediately after graduat- 
ing from the University of Nebraska in 1906, where he 
received both college and law degrees, he began practicing 
law in Seattle. From Jannary, 1909, until December, 
■1911, Mr. Lundin was deputy prosecuting attorney of 
King County. In tlie fall of 191-1 he was elected Prosecut- 
ing Attorney, which position he now holds. 

Mr. Lundin has selected as his deputies and able 
assistants Jlessrs. Frank P. Helsell, S. I\I. Rrackett, John 
I). Carniody. Edwin ('. Ewing, Everett ('. Ellis, Lane Suin- 
luers, Erven II. Palmer, T. H. Patterson, .Tose])h .V. ISarto, 
and Miss Anna r'avanaugh. Chief Clerk. 



Hugh JI. Caldwell. Cori)oration Counsel for the City 
of Seattle was boiii in Kiioxville, Tenn. He is a grad- 
uate of the Xatidiial I'liiversity Law School in Wash- 
ington. I). ('., and has practiced law in Washington for 
eleven years. Mr. Caldwell was the first president of 
the ;Muiii<'ipal League of Seattle, and Avas formerly Cliief 
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney of King County. He pi-oin- 
ised if electe(l eoriioratiou counsel to conduct that di'- 
partraent of thi' city strictly as a law office, and during 
the l>rief period that he has held this office appears to be 
fulfillhig his promise. The office handles an immense 
volume of work and in carrying this on Jlr. Caldwell has 
able assistance in tiie following: Assistant Corporation 
Coun.sel, Walter F. ^leier, Robert II. Evans, Howard 
A. Hanson, P'raiik S. Griffith, James A. Dougan, Patrick 
Tammany. City Attorney, Thomas J. L. Kennedy. R. 
P.. :MeCliiiton, chief clerk: George A. Meaghei-. \V. D. 
Coviimtoii. II. i\. Kullertun. 




HUGH M. CALDWELL 
Corporation Counsel City of Seattle 



KINO COrXTV. AVASHIX(JTON 



!•' i f I y-o n I 



Seattle's First Railway 



The story of tlii' Columbia & Puget Souinl Railway- 
Seattle's tii-st — (now the Paeifie (.'oast Railroad) is really 
a part of the histoi-y of Kiiio' Comity, so I am priutinji' a 
sliii-y liy my rrieiid .Merteiis which is much iiuirc iiilcrcstiiii;- 
than I miijiM w rite myself : 

JUST FORTY YEARS AGO RAILS WERE LAID Koli 

WHAT IS XOW THE PACIFIC COAST RAIROAI) 

(FORMEHIvY C. & P. S. R. R.) 

By G. \V. MERTENS 
Superintendent Pariflc Coast Railroad Company 



Poor XalhaiiicI 1 



liveil ill 
storv L. 



the year PHI 
C. Smith \'>ni 



aw'thoi'iie ! If he i-oiihl only have 

and stodcl in the tnwer of the 4"J- 

diiig, Seattle, and IVom theri' writ- 

I'" 



ten his "Sights From a Steei)le 

No ihiuht this (dassie sketch then wouhl have at- 
tracted everlasting attention to the great network of 
steel rails shimmering in the summer sunlight far to the 
southward. He would have seen how these threads of 
steel, spreading out like a fan, converge and gradually 
merge into the blue haze and disajipear as if through one 
little ojiening in the foothills. 

Put this little gap is no illusion. It's no trick of the 
atmosphere to deceive the eye. The fact.s are this nari'ow 
opening — the Duwamish Valley — holds the key to the 
transportation problem of Seattle from the south. 

It is because of this that the first Seattle railroad was 
built through the gap to lUack River to reach the coal 
mines of Newcastle. Such prominent men in the early 
history of Seattle as A. A. Denny and J. i\L ( 'olman con- 
ceived and carried out the idea of giving this city its first 
rail line. The comph^ion of this narrow guage system 
in 1S76 marked an epoch in the development of the Puget 
Sound country, and this year Seattle is celebrating the 
fortieth anniversary of its first railroad. 

The line was then the proper- 
ty of the Seattle & Walla Walla 
Railroad and Transportation 
Company. After the organiza- 
tion of the Oregon Improve- 
ment ("ompany by Henry Vil- 
lard in ISSO. this concern 
bought the road from the Seat- 
tle interests headed by J. M, 
Coliiian, and renamed it the 
Coluiiibia & Puget Sound Rail- 
road ('ompany. P]xteiisions 
were made to the Plack Dia- 
mond and Franklin mines and 
a little later to Tavlor. 




J. M. COLMAN 

A leader in the building 

iif the Seattle & 

Walla Walla 

Railroad 



PLANNED TO CONNECT LINE WHTH 
NORTHERN PACIFIC 

If ill his (h'V(dopmeiit of western I'ailroads ilr. X'illard 
had been entirely successful the Seattle & Walla Walla or 
Columbia & Puget Sound would have been extended to 
Pasco and there connectetl with thi' Northern Pacific. This 




H ISSKtij^'i^fk^ ]it^&JK. 



ICiL^ine No. 1. which brought to Seattle the first passenger train 
oviM' the ti"acl<s of The Coliimbia ^ Piigret Sound 



would have given Seattle instant supremacy in the early 
struggle of tile Puget Sound cities, but this plan was doom- 
ed to failure. 

Seattleites, however, were not satisfied with anything 
short of a transcontinental connection. Next, the Puget 
Sound Shore Line w'as constructed, which connected the 
Columl.iia & Puget Sound with the Northern Pacific be- 
tween Hlack River Junction and Stuck Junction. 

In order to accommodate the standard e(piii)ment of 
I he Northern Pacific a tliirtl rail was laid outside the nar- 
row guage track and for years both kinds ol' ei|uipment 
tiMvi'led over the same roadbed. 

Ill 1884 the first trainload of lUack Diamond coal ar- 
rived in Seattle. Since then tliousands of trainloads have 
passed through Seattle or been unloadeil for local use. 

^|: :|: :!: ^ ^ 

In 1!I14 the Pacific (.'oast (.'oal Company erected a 
l>i-iquetting ])lant at Renton on the line of the Pacific Coast 
Railroad which is one of the largest manufacturing 
industries of King (Jounty, engineers having pronounced 
it the most modern Briquetting plant in the world, and 
today Diamond IJriquettes have become a household word 
throughout the Pacific ('oast. The vessels of the Pacific 
Coast Steamshi]) Company have taken tliousands of tons 
of Diamond hi'iqiiettes to thi' California country. 




The Hyak, one of the first locomotives on Seattle & Walla Walla 
Railway, now Pacific Coast Railroad of Washington 



' a s e F i f 1 y-t w o 



HIST O UY A X D PRO G R ESS o f 




County Eng^ineer Lays Out and Superintends 
Work Costing Millions 

.%' Artliur P. Dcntdii is Cmiiity EiiuriiU'ci' foi' Kins' Coinity. He has made a very ae- 

ci'ptahli' otficifil, aiul has heeu in chai-iii' "f its eiiii'iiiciTiii" iluring tiie days of its greatest 
exi)aiision. Mr. I)i'iit(iii lias sii'ved the ('miiity :is |)iiiici|ial I'di' two tenns, ami prior lo 
his eh'ctioii was cliicf deputy. 

Mr. Denton eaidy in his term suri'oun(hMl himself' with a e(ji-ps of thi- ahlesT engi- 
neers and technical men in the Xortliwest and too mneli cannot lie said of liis and their 
spleinli<l work for King County. 

The good roads, easy gi-a(h^s. and sjilendid jiavements speak am)ily foi' theii' ability. 



HOME OF THE 

Seattle-Astoria Iron Works 

Located at 601-657 Myrtle Street on the Duwamish Waterway 




The largest plant on the Pacific Coast devoted to the manufacture of Salmon Canning 
Machinery and Sanitary Can Making Machinery for Fish, Meats, Vege- 
tables, Fruits and other products. 



KIN(i CorXTV. \V A S II I \ (; TON 



K i f t y-t h 



ISiiiik (lr|)(isits ill kiii,u' ('ouiit,\' 
art' iii)i)roxiiiiati'l.\- One HiimliTd 
aiillion Dollars. 

The Comity itsi-if cai'i'ii's a iiank 
l)alaiief of ahoiil .+.'), 0(10, 000. 

Kiliy ( 'oilllty rlijoys liiorr luilrs 

of paved sti'eets than any other 
County in America of like pojni- 
latioii. 

"The soil of the many valleys 
of King County is e(|ual to the 
famed dike lands of Holland."' — 
Tiovi'mment Report. 

Seattle and its Port contains the 
second largest dock in America — 
that at Smith's ( 'ovc On a recent 
suivcy .tlS.OOO, ()()(( worth of goods 
ill transit lay in its sheds. 

Next to San Francisco Seattle 
has the greatest system of public 
docks and warehouses on the Pa- 
cific ('oast. They are owned hy 
the whole pr'0]ile of King County 
and ari' managed liy three (Com- 
missioners. Messrs. liridges, Rems- 
herg and Ewald. 

"The Wealth of a nation is 
largely ill its farming lands." No 
more so. however, than the wealth 
of a county. liesides its great 
fisheries, coal mines, ela.\- deposits, 
daii'ying, fruit raising, lumbering, 
and othei- devtdojied industries we 
are almost in a virgin state as re- 
gards our farms. Time and intel- 
ligence, and knowledge of its pos- 
sible resources, will do much to 
add to oiii' farm \\ealth. 

King Count.N- is I'apidly develop- 
ing into a iiiainifacturing commu- 
nity. Inducements in the way of 
practically free factory sites, and 
veiy cheap ])ower rates are doing 
much t I forward tlie "gi-eater pa\-- 

I oir ' lllo\el||( III . 




HIRAM C. GILL, MAYOR OF SEATTLt: 
Now Serving His Pourtli Term 



'I believe in the consolidation of the City of Seattle and the County of King." — Mayor Gill. 

STATEHOOD FOR WASHINGTON 



On Xovember 11, ISSI), President Benjamin Harrison 
issin-d his iiroclamation, signed for him b.v Secretary of 
State -lames (i. lUaiiie, declaring all pndiminary statehood 
conditions had been fulfilled and thai the Slate (if Wash- 
ington was admitted into the Cnion. 



On November 18, Justice John P. Hoyt administered 
the oath of office to Governor-elect Ferry. The Legisla- 
tiiie was already in session, and Washington had finally 
entered upon its career as a sovereign State, and began 
the real progress of a great state. 



The NEW MONOLITHIC 

VITRIFIED BRICK PAVEMENT 



T 



The Allen Type of Monolithic Construction Produces the 
Ideal Brick Pavement for City Streets and Country Highways. 
In this Type of Pavement is Secured Economy, Durability, 
Safety, Smoothness, Noiselessness, and Lasting Satisfaction. 

HE new type of pavement is called Monolithic because the brick are 

laid in cement mortar on, the soft, unset concrete Ijase. the whole operation being completed 
within a few hours after the sjjreading of the concrete base. When the concrete hardens the 
strength of the brick and concrete is combined in a solid mass, thus forming a true monolith. 




A KING COr.VTV VITKIFIKD ORICK HIGHAVAV. 

Tlie cross-section in the fore-ground is drawn by the Artist to illustrate liow brick and 
concrete form a solid arch under Monolithic construction. 

The Old Method Compared With the Nevf 

ISfick pavements have generally Ijcett constfiicteil in the past by putting a layer of 
sand on the concrete base, on which the brick are laid. Cement grout is poured between the brick 
and, when the grouting sets, the brick are cemented together in the form of an arch. The brick sur- 
face then supports the entire strain of the traffic. 

If the cement gi-tniting gives \va\-, the afcli In-eaks, allowing a section of the i)avi'iiient 
to sink into the layer of sand, when the strain of traffic is shared by the foundation, but the result 
is that the pavement becomes uneven and the brick loosened 

With ]\Ionolithic eonstfuction. there is no breaking of the arch, iirick and concrete 
form a solid mass supporting traffic with their entire combined strength. Brick will not loosen and 
chip. The Jlonolith forms a durable, smooth pavf-ment and, unlike many improvements, it costs 
less to construct than the old style. 

Denny -Renton Clay & Coal Co. 

General Offices: Hoge Building, 
Seattle, U. S. A. 




^ \ 



y^ 



( TtTia Cotta Cartonchi- ov<t Main (.■lUianc*:' of the Nt\v (.'oiirl House i 

Art in Building 

has an able ally in 
Terra Cotta 



THIS material solves the problem of giving beauty of ornament and color 
ti) buiklings witliout ineun-iiig prohibitivi' exiieusc It solvrd tlie probleiii of the 
Citizriis" Coinniitti'r in charge of the coiistnictioii of the new (.'oiirt House, who wished 
111 give Si'Mlilr ii he,-iiii ifiil hnilding at a iiiiiiiinuin of cost. 

The two ii|(|M>i- riiiois of the .New (oiiit House ai'e la<-e(l 
with Terra t'otta prodiieecl in the Terra t~'otta Plant of 
the Denny-Kenton Ch»j' <V' t'oal t'onipany. 

Tei-ra Cotta has the appearance and durability of stone withoitt its weight. The beauty 
of the hand-carved or chiseled stone can be reproduced in Terra Cotta at a saving of thirty-flve 
to forty per cent. It is practical in a variety of colors impossible to find in building stone. It 
makes ornamental color and design practical and economical in commercial building. 

Terra (.'otta adapts itself most pierfeetly to the modern method of construction, — the 
steel frame building. The steel furnishes the desired strength; the Terra Cotta the desired orna- 
mentation. The famous Woolworth Building, in New York, which is faced with Terra Cotta 
from the third to the fifty-second story, is the most notable example of steel and Terra t'otta con- 
si ruction. 



Denny -Renton Clay 8c Coal Co. 

General Offices : Hoge Building, 
Seattle, U. S. A. 



( Paid Advertisemenl 1 




Vote For 

Norman M. Wardall 

for 

County Auditor 

.Mr. \V<n-(lHll lias l)t'eii Dt^puty ("oinity Aiiditdr for 
llif i)ast seven years, lieiiig assigned to the ('oiinty ('oiii- 
missioiiei's" office as their Clerk. lie has hail pei'soiial 
supervision of all the detail of that ott'iee, which includes 
the issuing of over .+6,000,000.00 in ('ouuty bonds and the 
adjustment of the annual tax budget and levy. 

If you want couijietency and efficiency in County 
office, vote for Wardall. 



Colman Creosoting Works 

Piles and Timber Creosoted for All Commercial Purposes 




Capacity of Plant 7.3,000 Feet Lumber, 
5,000 Lineal Feet Piling. 

WORKS: FLORIDA AND RAILROAD AVE., WEST SEATTLE 
OFFICE: 527 COLMAN BLDG., SEATTLE, WASH. 



•s:n^j. 



\-c,-..i. I .M-.-.i, I -Nt;^:i. I uzr.-.i. i Nir.j. i xo,-:.!. 



.^x^2^^ vx,:iHO 



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I 













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N19n-.l. I NCTTj 



FREDERICK & 
NELSON 



''The Store of Quality" 



YENAWINE & SEIBERT 

Manufacturers of 

AUTO BODIES 

1006 East Pike 

Phone East 1876 



The publishers of this book 
are indebted for many favors to 
Mr. J. F. Douglas and the Metro- 
politan Building Company, who 
have erected in a group the 
finest office and business build- 
ings in Seattle. 



THIS BOOK WAS PRINTED BY THE PIGOTT 
PRINTING CONCERN, EIGHTY-THREE PIKE 
STREET, SEATTLE. WASHINGTON. 

THIS PRINTING CONCERN HAS THE MOST 
COMPLETE PLANT IN SEATTLE FOR THE 
PRODUCTION OF THIS CLASS OF WORK. 

IT NOT ONLY PRINTS ADVERTISING LIT- 
ERATURE, BUT PREPARES AND WRITES 
THAT SORT OF STUFF WHICH MAKES PEO- 
PLE SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICE. 

CAN WE SERVE YOU IN ANY CAPACITY? 

THE H. C. PIGOTT PRINTING CONCERN 
MAIN 1487 83 PIKE STREET 



Western Smelting and 
Power Company 

<icn. Offices, (ilO-11 Northern Bank BIdg., Seattle, Wash. 



Smelter, Sawmill, Power 

and 

Lighting Plants 

COOKE, PARK COUNTY, MONTANA 
G. ij. Tmiy-er, Pres. and Geii, Mgr. J. J. Black, Secretary 



Our plants are located in the heart of the New World 
Mining District, Park County. Montana, which is considered 
by government ofBcials and hundreds of expert mining engi- 
neers as one of the richest camps in the world. Over a mil- 
lion tons of ore on the dumps and blocked out in many 
mines of the District, are ready to be taken to the smelter 
at the first blow of the whistle. 

Prospective investors are cordially invited to visit the 
office of the company and inspect the books of this corpora- 
tion in order to convince themselves of the stability of the 
enterprise. 



The Lighting Fixtures 



In this 



Court House 



were 



Designed 



Manufactured 



and Installed 



ty 



The Cascade Gas and 
Electric Fixture Co. 



SEATTLE 



Tclc|ilioiic Main r)<)42 



Pacific Commercial 
Blue Co. 



BLUE PRINTERS 



Manufacturers of 



Sensitized Papers 



Litho Prints Our Specialty 



STUART BUILDING 

SEATTLE 

WALLACE C. BEHAN, Manager 



D. H. KING 



Plumbing, 

Heating, 

Ventilating 

214 Columbia Street 
Main 7308 



Latest and Largest Instal- 
lation of note : Nev/ King 
County Court House 



The Seattle Cornice Works 

Phone Main 1544 1730 First Avenue South 

MANUFACTURERS 

GALVANIZED IRON AND COPPER CORNICE, UNDERWRITERS' METAL WIN- 
DOWS AND DOORS, GRAVEL, SLATE AND SPANISH TILE ROOFING 



LITHOCRETE FLOORS 

Are Sanitary — Noiseless — Non-Slippery — Fireproof 
In all Colors and Designs 



Our Contracts on the New King County Court House Amounted to $300,000 



GEO. J. DANZ, M. A. ARNOLD, PHILIP KITCHIN, JAMES F. HOWIE, 

President Vice-President Secretary-Treas. General Manager 



Hofius Steel & Equipment Co 

STRUCTURAL STEEL 

Plain and Fabricated 



RAILS, RAILWAY SUPPLIES, LOCOMOTIVES, 
SWITCH MATERIAL, CARS, 
MACHINERY 

Main Office and Plant 

Atlantic Street and Railroad Avenue, SEATTLE, WASH. 



1200 Fourth Ave. S., Seattle, Wash. 



Phone Main 7060 



"VULCAN'^ 

Manufacturing Co. 



Castings Forgings Bolts 
Structural Steel Work 

Most Complete Plant of its kind on Pacific Coast 



C. H. Nelson 
& Son 

Plastering 

We did all the plastering for New King 
County Court House in record time 



i 




d 


tt 



Residence: 5223 39th S. 

Phone: York 28 



REXTOX 



Phone 72-J:i 



Banderett Bros. 
Road 
Builders 



fiRADEI) MAXY MILES OF KIXG rOlXTV KOADS 



HOWE Ball Bearing Scales 

STANDARD Computing Scales 

AUTOMATIC Howe Dial Scales 
SCALES for Every Purpose 

Electric Coffee Mills Cheese Cutters and 
and Meat Grinders Meat Slicers 

Store and Warehouse Trucks 

We i'ei)ali' all makes of scales and guarantee oui' woi'k 

Pacific Scale & Supply 
Company 

70 Marion Street, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 
Phone Main 1043 

40-48 Front Street, PORTLAND, OREGON 
Phones A 4255, Broadway 1966 



•hone, Oft ice, Elliott 2270 Phone, Residence, East 232 
S. COMPTON, President and Manager 
J. E. GALBRAITH, Vice-President 



Richmond Beach Sand 
and Gravel Co. 

Producers of Sand and Gravel for 
Concrete Mix 

Our concrete material used to construct the Court 
House, also used in the construction of practically every 
large building in the city, including the Smith Building, 
the Hoge Building, the Leary Building, the American 
Bank & Trust Company Building, the Metropolitan 
Building Company, including the Henry, White, Stuart 
and Cobb Buildings, and all Port Commission Docks and 
Elevator. 

The offices of the Richmond Beach Sand & Gravel 
Company, ai'e at 

303-304 Marion Building 
Phone Elliott 2270 



Andrew Peterson 

RAILROAD CONSTRUCTION 
ROAD BUILDING 
PAVING 



IJuilt 15iick Paved Highway Seattle City Limits to 
Snohomisli County 



Pioneer Building 
Main 1077 



Established 1869 



The Founders of the 



Schwabacher 

Hardware 

Company 



Were among those who helped make Seattle 

It served the earliest settlers in King County 

Its history is part of King County's 



First Avenue South and Jackson Street 




Atlas Fuel 



19th and East Madison 



Phone East 366 



We Deliver Anywhere \^^ii^^ 
in Seattle 



LAKE 
GRA VEL 
COMPANY 

Telrphoiie, IzJeacon 1068 

FRESH WATER MATERIAL 
Furnished all the 

Plastering Sand 
Brick Sand 

Special Finishing Sand 
used in the 

King County-City Building 

Also 
All concrete material used on construction 
of Redmond-Snoqualmie permanent High- 
way and Kent-Auburn Highway. 



Victor Fuel 

Beacon 1068 

Ship via P. S. T., L. & 1>. Co. 

New Castle Lump 

New Castle Nut 

Black Diamond Lump 

Black Diamond Nut 

Diamond Briquetts 

Black Diamond Furnace 



H. S. WORTH EN 
President 



O. L. MARTIN 
Sec'y and Treas. 



Phone Sidney 740 



WORTHEN-MARTIN CO. 

Cabinet 
Works 

"MADE IN SEATTLE" 

1500 Maynard Avenue, Seattle, Wash. 




LR. 

Butterworth 

&Sons 

MORTICIANS 



1921 FIRST AVENUE 
SEATTLE, U. S. A. 



PRIVATE CREMATORY, COLUJIBARIUM 
AND MAUSOLEUM 



DAY AXD \TGHT AMBULANCE SERA^CE 
IX COXXECTIOX 



Cable Address: "Buttei-^vorth" 







SHOW CASES, BANK, STORE and OFFICE FIXTURES 
Designed and Manufactured 

Shaw Show Case Co., Inc. 

L. C. SHAW, Manasei- 

Phone Main 1086 2215 First Ave. 




Greatest Light and Power Plant in America 



THE Lake Union Auxiliary Steam-Electric Plant of the Seattle Municipal Light and 
Power System, a view of which is shown above, is a thoroughly modern steam gener- 
ating station, of which any city might be proud. The plant was constructed in 1914 
to be used as an auxiliary source of power in conjunction with the Cedar Falls station of 
the Lighting Department, and forms an excellent safeguard to the service given by the City 
plant. It is held ready to take the load at all times of day and night, — and it has had 
steam up without interruption since it began service in September, 1914. The plant con- 
sists of a 7500 kw. turbo generator with a maximum capacity of 10,000 kw. fed by four 823 
H. P. oil-fired boilers, with every modern appliance and equipment, installed in an impos- 
ing reinforced concrete building. An idea of the power of the big turbine may be obtained 
from the fact that it has the strength of thirty modern railroad locomotives rolled into 
one. Yet so nicely is it balanced that the only indication of what load it is carrying is 
furnished by the electric meter that shows its output. 




IN THE DANCING FLAMES 

4^TS there a man who does not like to dream before an open fire? 
I If one there be, he must be a peculiar individual, without memor- 
ies, hopes or ambitions. 

"Dreams! Dreams! They round out the commonplace sum of hu- 
man life for millions. They turn the sharp edge of adversity ; they tem- 
per the bitterness of disappointment; they feed the famished soul with 
thoughts and aspirations. 

"At no time are waking dreams so calm, so uninterrupted as when 
the dancing flames play hide-and-seek with the shadows in a room's cor- 
ners and the brisk ci'ackling of the fuel fills the silent chambers with a 
pleasant suggestion of warmth and life. 

"How many memories fly up the black-throated chimney — kind 
ones trooping, all gay with flowers, from the halls of recollection — sad 
ones that come, slow-footed and somber-veiled, from the tombs of the 
mind ! 

"How many pictures are painted by the tncky flames — of loved 
faces, and pleasant scenes — or sorrow, defeat and failure — the average 
experiences of the average man! 

"Many a secretive or sensitive soul, who hides self from himself in 
the garish light of day, sits down before his own fireplace and holds com- 
mune with that inner man, whose guardian angels are memory and con- 
science. 

"The long nights of winter! These are the hours for self-appraise- 
ment. When nature holds a solemn wake over the dead leaf, the fire- 
place is the home of a kindly genius whose power it is to wake the hidden 
monitor in every man — the monitor who is, at once, man's closest friend 
and sternest judge." 

VICTOR FUEL COMPANY 
Beacon 1068 14th Ave. S. and Main St. 



TV 





THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY 
REFERENCE DEPARTMENT 

This book is under no circumstances to be 
taken from the Building 
















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