The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-01-24
NINETEEN YEARS AGO.
Seattle Was a Little Village
With a Sawmill.
TRAILS TO LAKE WASHINGTON
The University Was in the woods
Ter Hail. the Only Public Build
ing-Pioneer Merchants.

What wonderful change since then!
On the Sth of January, 1872, I came on
the steamer North Pacific from Stella
COON, having been employed in Captain
Hubert c. Wards party of engineers on
the Northern Pacific railroad, landing
here cripple from rheumatism and almost
ut the point of death. | was taken home
TO my parents house, corner of Fifth and
Jefferson streets, in the first public car
mage ever used in Seattle, then only a few
weeks in service.
Our home at that time was almost at the
edge of the town, Humphrey Jones' resi-
dence being the only house between it and
the woods.
But two roads led to Lake Washington,
one up Mill street, terminating at Flea
burg and the other reaching MeGilvra's,
now the end of Madison street railroad.
The university was in the woods to the
northward. and a trip over the old narrow
gauge coal road, running from the foot of
Pike street to Lake Union, was literally
through the primeval forest. The coal
mined on Lake Washington was brought
across the lake by steamer, thence
across the portage between the
lakes by rail, run by mule power,
thence by steamer across Lake Union and
again by rail, although this time by loco
motive, TO the bunkers at the foot of Pike
street. There the cars were run down to
the wharf on an inclined plane
his coal wharf vas so far out of town
that II was favorite place for the Seattle
small boy to battle in the summer time. ]
have enjoyed that pleasure many times
myself. Lake Union was also great
place for bathing, but owing to cold streaks
IN the water from springs at the bottom of
the lake and the quantity of old dead trees
on the bottom, it never was as well patron
lied as the Sound.
From the Puget Sound Dispatch OF Janu-
ary, s. 1872, find the principal merchants
were: Crawford & Harrington, Stone &
Burnett, Schwabacher Bros d. Co. and
John A. Woodward, all located on Com
mercial street; NJ. r. Maddocks and NJ. A.
Kelly, drugs. on opposite sides of Mill
street; Miss NJ. V. Bell (afterward Mrs.
George Washington Haln, millinery. and
toys, on Cherry, near Second III. g. jamie
son and Charles Naher, jewelers., both on
Commercial street; Coombs & Humphrey,
books and stationery, Mill street; Russell
& Shorey, furniture, Commercial street;
Booth, Foss d Borst and F. V. Snyder &
Co., supplies, meats and vegetables, on
Commercial and Mill streets, and HaIz-
man & Murphy on Fourth, between
Main and Washington; r. Abrams
had livery stable; DR.. Grasse, dentist
A. Mac kintosh, Mcknight & Leary, and
{. II. Larrabee & Co., the only real estate
dealers. S. T. Andrews and Waddell 81
Miles kept us in stoves and tinwarc. Stu
art Crichton brewed excellent beer. The
principal attorneys were Mcknight and
Leary, McConaha & York, John J. McCiil-
vra and Larrabee & White Hon. Orange
Jacobs was judge of the United States dis
trict court
The following were the county officers:
David L. Denny, county judge; l.. V.
Wyckof, sheriff; Gardner Kellogg, audi
tor; o. c. Shorey. treasurer; George r.
Whitworth, surveyor; William Fl. Shoudy,
assessor; Josiah Settle, coroner; Peter
Saar, II. L. Yesler and Francis McNatt,
county commissioners.
In the city John r. Jordan was mayor;
George McConaha, clerk; Charles H. Bur
nett. treasurer; c. G. Perkins, recorder;
J.. V. Wyckof. marshal; Beriah Brown,
city printer; and Frank Matthias, Corliss
Z. Stone, Amos Brown, Samuel f.
Coombs. ;. 7. Andrews, l.. B. Andrews
and Charles W. Moore, councilmen.
the time of arrival and departure of mails
To Oregon and the East via Tacoma,
Steilacoom and Olympia, arrive Mondays
and Thursdays; depart Tuesdays and
Fridays.
Victoria, Madison, Gamble, Ludlow and
Townsend, Tuesdays and Fridays; depart
Mondays and Thursdays.
Whatcom and way ports, arrive Wednes-
Franklin, White River and Slaughter,
arrive Wednesdays; depart Tuesdays
Snoqualmie via Black river, arrive
Wednesdays; depart Tuesdays.
Port Orchard via Blakeley, arrive
Tuesdays; depart Monday.
The only public hall used for court ptir-
poses. balls, theatres, public meetings,
etc, vas " The Pavilion" or. as after
wards named. +" Yesler hall" In this hall
. fancy drcss-ball and masquerade was
given on Washington's birthday, 1872 b.
t'atzert, G. Il. Stone, L. :. RUSSELL s. Il.
COombs and William II. Gillian were the
committee in charge. In March, 1872, Mr.
J. w Sweeny opened the tlrst skating
rink In Seattle in this building.
In August, ls72. the firfn of Brown Il
Son tBeriah Brown and Edward ii.
Brown was formed for the publication of
the daily and weekly Puget Sound Dtsnotch.
l.
1871, By Larrabee Il Company &C. I'll. LARA
bee and Beriah BROWN. A small daiiy
was run 4 few weeks in 1S1t by Hall e
Wilson, Judge Isaac Hall being the senior
partner and editor. but it died an early
death. The Dispatch therefore was really
the first daily published in Seattle The
IIltsIligencer began its daily edition IN 1873.
] remained with the Dispatch until 1874,
when the arm was changed TO Brown, Bell
& Brown (Beriah Brown, Austin A. Bell
and Bcriah Brown, jr.)
The ail-abSorbing topic during the spring
of - was the location of the terminus of
the Northern Pacific railroad on Puget
sound, and tie following from the Pttoet
SQUAD Courier. published at Olympia. in
January, -, is, think. worth republica-
tion. ! ana sorry that / do not know the
name of the poet.
HUNTING TIRE TERMINUS.
desire 20 relate some very queer facts
That Mapped long since In a Quartette OF Mes:
Mel. and Nee, Men. and Mex,
And how 1t occurred was Just this way;
These four gentlemen, not strange 10 relate,
Were engaged down town IN railroad debate,
When stranger stepped IA from the stage at
the door,
And these were the words-bus, Oh, how he
swoEe-
"Ive crossed the great plains, showed in was
I've brsyed the great deep. laid of at the Bar,
But, al these were triaes-what words can en-
To speak my inlI mind of your dsrned corduroy.
"But now that I've come to thi. great Puget
sound,
The kat OF creation the whole world turns
round,
Explain to me quickly what's all Of this fuss;