LATE 19TH CENTURY
DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 8
In 1800, the Native Americans were the only
people living in present day Washington. The
region’s interior was unexplored by whites.
Between 1800 and 1850, several groups
arrived. They were the overland explorers, fur
traders, missionaries, and early settlers. The
region’s population grew from only 14,000 in
1850 to 1,093,000 in 1900. By 1890, the
Oregon Territory was divided into three states.
They were Oregon (1859), Washington (1889),
and finally Idaho (1890).
Why did Washington’s population grow
so rapidly between the end of the Indian Wars
and Alaskan Gold Rush? Economic growth in
Washington was the reason. Timber, farming,
mining, shipbuilding, and fishing provided jobs.
the 19th century closed, Washington had
become an important contributor to the United
States economy. Washington was no longer
considered just an outpost of frontier life.
Economic Cycles
Historically, our state economy mirrored
the national economy. In periods of strong
economic growth, life was great for loggers,
miners, farmers, merchants, and businessmen.
Greater profits allowed farmers and
businesses to buy new equipment. Workers
made more money. With the extra money, they
bought more goods and new homes. Their
standard of living improved.
When an economic downturn occurred,
conditions got worse. Depressions and other
economic slowdowns seriously impacted the
economy of Washington. Consumers could not
purchase as many goods and services.
Workers were laid off, businesses failed, and
farmers went bankrupt. The standard of living
in Washington declined during these
downturns.
When a country has serious economic
problems, people tend to move. They seek a
better life. This happened in the Panic of 1837.
People left their homes and headed west.
During the mid 19th century, there were
economic and political problems around the
world. These problems were especially true in
Western Europe. As a result, hundreds of
thousands of Europeans moved to the United
States. Many of these immigrants moved west
to fill the available jobs.
The economic panics of 1873 and 1893
made it hard to find work. To make matters
worse, several long and cold winters during the
1880s also hurt the nation’s economy. The
only bright spot around the country was a new
state called Washington. Our growing
economy offered work to anyone who would
move west. People came by the thousands
seeking jobs and a better quality of life. How
did these people get to Washington?
Early Transportation Systems
Transportation is a key to a successful
economy. In a large country like the United
States, people, resources, and manufactured
goods must move great distances. The
development of a faster and easier
transportation system helped Washington’s
economy.
European and American explorers first
came by sea. These explorers sailed around
Cape Horn and along the Pacific coastline.
Their journey around Cape Horn was long,
dangerous, and very expensive. The overland
explorers used boats, canoes, pirogues, and
keelboats. However, they primarily traveled by
foot or horseback. The explorers mapped the
landscape. Their maps were an important
resource to groups who followed them. The
pioneers sought even safer and quicker routes
west. A few major land routes were
established: The Lewis and Clark Trail (18041806, the Astorians’ Route (1811-1812), the
Oregon Trail (1840), the Barlow Road (1846),
and the Mullan Road (1858-1862). By far the
most popular route west was the Oregon Trail.
Overland routes were nothing more than dirt
paths and trails. These routes crossed the
Great Plains and several rugged mountain
ranges. They wound their way through
semiarid and desert areas. Somehow the trails
even penetrated the dense forests. The
pioneers walked, rode, and traveled by
covered wagon. Your air-conditioned car,
paved highways, and roadside motels were not
even a vision of the early travelers to
Washington.
in 1873. One section was completed from
Duluth to Bismarck, North Dakota. The western
section was completed from Kalama to
Tacoma, Washington. Others, such as Henry
Villard, would benefit from Cooke’s failures.
Water Transportation
Waterborne trade has always been a
key to Washington’s rapid growth. Ships
transported furs, lumber, and minerals to
markets in Europe, Asia, and the eastern
United States. Washington’s terrain and dense
forests made overland travel difficult. Our
numerous harbors, bays, and rivers made
water the obvious transportation choice.
Sternwheelers and steamers transported both
people and freight. The Oregon Steam
Navigation Company controlled a majority of
the shipping on the Columbia River from 1860
to 1880. The company operated as many as
26 sternwheelers on the river. They also
operated two short rail lines that were needed
to bypass Celilo Falls. Henry Villard, a railroad
tycoon, recognized the value of controlling the
shipping of goods on the Columbia River. He
purchased the Oregon Steam Navigation
Company for five million dollars. This would
prove to be a brilliant decision by Villard.
Transcontinental Railroads
During the American Civil War,
Congress chartered three companies to build
transcontinental railroads. These railroads
crossed the entire continent. The three railroad
companies were the Union Pacific, Northern
Pacific, and Central Pacific.
Railroads were very expensive to build.
Transcontinental railroads were even more
costly and took much longer to build. To lower
the costs, the federal government offered huge
land deals to these companies. Three men
staked their financial future on these new
railroads.
Jay Cooke
As a result of the 1864 Pacific Railway
Act, Jay Cooke was chartered to build the
Northern Pacific Railroad. This railroad would
run from Duluth, Minnesota to Tacoma,
Washington. Cooke completed only two of the
segments of the railroad before going bankrupt
Henry Villard
Henry Villard earned a fortune by
purchasing other rail and shipping companies.
In fact, he made three major deals. First he
obtained the Wallula-Walla Walla Railroad
from Dr. Dorsey Baker. Next, he purchased the
Oregon Steam Navigation Company from Jay
Cooke. His final major deal saw him acquire
the Oregon Central Railroad from Ben
Holliday. With these purchases, Henry Villard
controlled commerce along the Columbia
River.
He also now controlled the interior of
the region. His control of trade and commerce
earned him a personal fortune. He used this
wealth very wisely. Villard had a sense of
timing. He purchased a company for example
when it was near or ready to file for
bankruptcy. In 1881, Jay Cooke’s Northern
Pacific Railroad went bankrupt. Villard paid
very little for this bankrupt railroad!
Villard set out to finish the partially
completed Northern Pacific Railroad. The rail
line from Duluth to Tacoma was joined
September 8, 1883. Soon after its completion,
freight and passengers began moving east and
west along the route. St. Paul, Minnesota and
Portland, Oregon were the two cities that
benefited the most from the new rail line.
Seattle, understanding the importance of the
line, eventually was connected to Tacoma by
1890.
James Hill
James Hill, “The Empire Builder,”
believed Seattle had a lot of potential as a
seaport and lumber center. Hill decided to build
a privately financed rail line from St. Paul,
Minnesota to Seattle, Washington. Hill
completed the Great Northern Railroad in
1893. Hill’s vision and his business savvy
nearly drove Villard’s Northern Pacific Railroad
out of business by 1900.
Railroad Era Results
Everyone in Washington benefited from the
completion of the transcontinental railroads.
Washington’s farmers, lumbermen, miners,
and fishermen sent their products by rail to the
eastern United States. The railroads
transported goods cheaper and quicker than
any other form of shipping. What different
types of shipping do you think are most
popular today?
The completion of the transcontinental
railroads allowed Washington and the rest of
the West to grow rapidly. Our growing
economy was in great need of people and
materials. The railroads were the main
transportation network for these “tools.” Finally,
people and goods could move into and out of
the growing regions of our state.
Now, people could move west in one to
two weeks instead of the five or six months it
took on the Oregon Trail. Not only was their
journey quicker, it was also much safer and
cheaper. This helped the Pacific Northwest
population grow from 100,000 in 1870 to more
than one million in 1900. What did these
newcomers do when they arrived in this unique
and beautiful land?
Farming
The opportunity to claim land attracted
many American settlers to the West. Others,
however, needed incentives to move west. So,
the federal government sponsored two
programs which granted land to the settlers.
The two programs were the Donation Land Act
and the Homestead Act. Both programs
provided land to people who moved west.
The Donation Land Act of 1850 gave 320
acres to any adult willing to settle and improve
the land. A married couple received 640 acres,
or one square mile of land — free!
The Homestead Act of 1862 was the
second successful land program. Each adult
received title to 160 acres at only $1.25 per
acre. The homesteader was required to live on
the land for five years. Thousands of pioneers
took advantage of these two land programs.
Once the settlers arrived and claimed their
land, they had to decide what to plant. Some
areas had fertile soil but no water. Other areas
had plenty of water but infertile soils covered
with dense stands of forest. Remember most
settlers knew little about this new land. They
also had much to learn about the climate, soil,
and the best crops to grow. Many settlers
made the wrong choice!
Early Farming
Farming has been an important
economic activity for only the past 130 years in
Washington. Early pioneers were subsistence
farmers. This means that they farmed only
enough to provide for themselves. These
settlers cleared the land, plowed their small
fields, planted crops, and harvested in the late
summer and early fall. They only needed to
produce enough food for their family.
Initially these pioneers could produce
enough food for their family and livestock.
When extra was grown, they had a surplus.
Soon the farmers raised more food than their
family needed. They sold or traded the surplus
food to others who lived nearby. One of the
first groups to have a surplus in Washington
was the cattle rancher.
During the 1820s to the 1840s, the
Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Vancouver
controlled the sale of cattle for profit. When a
settler purchased a cow, all calves it birthed
had to be returned to the Hudson’s Bay
Company at Fort Vancouver. This policy
created a monopoly until the arrival of Ewing
Young.
Ewing Young, an American
businessman living in the Salem, Oregon area,
brought 600 head of cattle from California to
the Willamette River Valley. Young sold each
head of cattle for a higher price than charged
by the Hudson’s Bay Company. However,
each farmer could keep his calves. This
allowed a farmer’s herd to grow. Ewing Young
became the wealthiest pioneer. Young broke
the company’s cattle monopoly. Commercial
farming in Washington grew slowly until the
1880s when the transcontinental railroads
were completed. During the late 19 century,
western Washington’s moderate climate
and the fertile river valley soils attracted
farmers. Farming was a real challenge. In
western Washington, farmers had to clear the
dense forests. They would then have to plow
th
the field. All this would have to be done before
a single seed was planted. Farmers harvested
a variety of vegetables, fruits, berries, and hay.
They also raised dairy cows, chickens, pigs,
and horses. Wheat, and other grains were not
widely grown because of western ashington’s
moist climate. Grains require a warmer, drier
climate, like that of eastern Washington.
During the 19th century, commercial
farming grew very slowly in eastern
Washington. The Indian Wars (1847-1877) and
the very dry climate were two reasons for the
slow growth. The invention of refrigeration, the
completion of the transcontinental railroads,
and the construction of irrigation systems
greatly increased commercial farming east of
the Cascades. Three different types of farming
methods were popular in eastern Washington.
These were dryland, irrigation, and ranching.
Dryland farmers grew field crops without the
use of irrigation. Most of eastern Washington
farmers used dryland farming methods. These
farmers produced a variety of crops. These
crops were wheat, barley, oats, and hay.
Irrigation farmers needed access to water to
help their crops grow. Water was pumped from
a well or nearby river. These farmers produced
a variety of specialty crops such as corn,
alfalfa, potatoes, and fruits.
Ranchers just needed the abundant
grasses and short scrub brush of the foothills.
These plants provided feed for livestock.
Ranchers let their horses and cattle graze and
roam over the highlands of eastern
Washington. One 19 century rancher, Ben
Snipes, owned more than 100,000 horses and
125,000 head of cattle in eastern Washington.
Sheepherders also used the grasslands to
graze their sheep.
th
Irrigation Projects
Irrigation was used at the Waiilatpu
Mission by the Whitmans in the 1830s. The
Okanogan Valley was the first area to build
and use an irrigation system. In 1877, ongress
passed the Desert Land Act. This act gave 640
acres of desert land to any settler willing to
farm it. Desert areas had to have an irrigation
system for the land to be productive.
In 1889, Walter Granger bought 90,000
acres in central Washington’s Yakima River
Valley from the Northern Pacific Railroad. He
paid only $1.25 for each acre. Granger’s
privately owned irrigation company built the
Sunnyside Canal by 1893. This provided
irrigation water to 36,000 acres of cropland.
How do you think Granger made a fortune from
this project?
In 1894, Congress passed the Carey
Act. This gave control of millions of acres of
desert land to Washington for development.
The state and the federal government also
developed several irrigation projects. In 1902,
the Federal Reclamation Act passed
Congress. This act allowed two dams to be
constructed on the Yakima and Okanogan
rivers. These dams allowed water to be taken
from rivers and used for irrigated farming.
Problems
Farmers prospered during the late 19th
century and into the 20th century in ashington.
However, farmers did not always enjoy
prosperity. Washington’s early farmers faced
many problems associated with nature. There
were high windstorms and flooding. Heavy
rains and severe snowstorms would wipe out
entire crops. Periods of prolonged drought and
diseases left farmers helpless. Grasshoppers
and other pests also destroyed entire crops.
brought thousands of miners north to
Washington. Many then moved on into Alaska.
Prospectors combed the streams and hills for
the next great gold or silver find. If they
discovered precious metals, they were certain
to be rich. Upon discovering a mineral deposit,
individual miners staked their legal claim. This
means they bought the mineral rights to the
land they claimed.
When large or rich ore deposits of gold,
silver, or coal were found, rumors spread
quickly around the country. Hundreds of
miners quickly moved into the area.
Boomtowns would spring up almost overnight.
These boomtowns disappeared almost as fast
when the deposits played out. Ghost towns
remained where roaring boomtowns once
stood.
The discovery and removal of gold,
silver, coal, lead, zinc, and other minerals
created jobs. Other workers supplied food,
shelter, supplies, and entertainment for those
who worked the mines. When the minerals
were gone, these people simply moved to the
next boomtown.
Commercial Fishing
Salmon was the most valuable food
harvested from the sea. Oysters, clams, crabs,
abalone, and halibut were also important, but
salmon has always been king in Washington.
During the late 1800s, commercial fishers used
many new methods to catch salmon in larger
numbers. The popular purse seine method was
used after 1886. Traps were used from 1888
until 1912. Since then trolling has become the
preferred method of commercial salmon
fishing.
Salmon spoiled easily. It was preserved
by either packing the fish in ice or by canning.
Both methods of preserving allowed our fish to
be sold to local and national markets. In 1867,
the first salmon cannery was built and
operated by the Hume brothers.
Their cannery was located on the
northern side of the Columbia River at Eagle
Cliff. Robert Hume expanded the fresh and
canned salmon markets to Australia, South
America, China, and Great Britain. By 1881,
more than 30 salmon canneries were in
operation along Puget Sound and the
Columbia River.
Salmon canneries employed thousands
of Chinese laborers. By 1903, the use of
machines improved the cannery processes.
This reduced the need for Chinese workers. By
the beginning of the 20th century, the market for
processed, canned, and fresh salmon had
grown to include the entire world!
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding has been an important
economic activity for two centuries in our area.
Native Americans were excellent canoe
builders. Explorers built and repaired their
wooden sailing ships. British explorer and
trader, John Meares, even built two ships in
the 1780s. Many Washington cities were
important shipbuilding centers in the 19th
century. They included Port Townsend,
Tacoma, Everett, Bellingham, Olympia, and
Seattle. The shipbuilding centers were
important because they built ships near the
main manufacturing, mining, and timber areas
of Washington. After the ships were finished,
they were then loaded with cargo and sailed
for destinations around the globe.
Timber
The timber industry has always been a
major factor in the growth of Washington’s
economy. Conifer trees grow throughout
western Washington and the Cascade
Mountains. Conifer forests also grow in the
Okanogan Highlands, Blue Mountains, and the
Rockies. Coastal Indians used the forest and
its products in a variety of ways. They
constructed their longhouses from cedar
planks, clothing from cedar bark, and they
made dugouts and canoes from trees. They
also made weapons, tools, utensils, and
ceremonial masks from wood.
European and American explorers,
British and American fur traders, Protestant
and Roman Catholic missionaries, and
pioneers all used wood. They built forts,
blockades, trading posts, blockhouses, homes,
sheds, barns, fences, furniture, and ships from
our trees. John Meares built a sailing ship in
1788 and loaded it with furs and lumber for
China. In 1827, Dr. John McLoughlin of the
Hudson’s Bay Company built the first sawmill
at Fort Vancouver. The mill produced a variety
of building materials for the arriving pioneers
and the fort itself.
During the period of the 1840s to
1890s, the timber industry grew slowly. Lumber
and shingles were sold to California, but most
products were used locally. Two major events
greatly affected the growth of the timber
industry in Washington. The first event was the
immigration of Scandinavian lumbermen from
the upper Midwest. They brought their
experience and energy to the dense virgin
forests of Washington. They also were strong,
hard-working men famous for their rough way
of life. The second event was the completion of
three transcontinental railroads. The railroads
allowed forest products to be transported to the
growing markets in the eastern United States.
From the 1860s to the early 20th century,
thousands of immigrants from the eastern
United States and western Europe worked in
Washington’s timber industry. Of course, these
people filled thousands of jobs.
Timber companies harvested the rich
stands of Douglas fir, western red cedar, Sitka
spruce, western hemlock, and pine. They also
built logging camps, saw and lumber mills, and
pulp and paper factories in the forests of
Washington. Lumber, paper, pulp, and
shingles were popular wood products. Forest
products were sold in the Northwest as well as
around the world. It was a boom time for the
timber industry.
Timber Issues
From 1880 to 1920, four major issues
caused trouble for the timber industry. These
issues involved labor disputes, ownership of
the forest, price fluctuations, and forest
management. All of these issues are still valid
today.
Labor disputes occurred when
thousands of Chinese, Scandinavian, and
Canadian laborers moved into Washington.
For most of history, timber workers were not
organized. There were no labor unions. Wages
were low and working conditions were often
dangerous. Since there were more lumbermen
willing to work than there were jobs, wages
and working conditions did not improve. With
more machines coming into the timber
industry, the need for labor declined and
violence increased. Fewer jobs were available,
so competition brought out the worst in those
in need of an income.
Eventually the workers organized into a
few labor unions. These labor groups included:
Shingle Weavers, International Union of
Timber Workers, and the International
Brotherhood of Woodsmen and Sawmill
Workers. Two large labor organizations also
became involved. These were the American
Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Industrial
Workers of the World (IWW).
Ownership of the forestlands was
another critical issue for the timber companies.
Each company had to purchase timberlands to
provide their mills with trees. The three major
timber companies were Weyerhaeuser, St.
Paul and Tacoma Lumber Company, and Pope
and Talbot. In reality, the railroad companies
owned a large percentage of the forestlands in
Washington. Clearly, the most aggressive
buyer of timberlands was Frederick
Weyerhaeuser. He purchased 900,000 acres
from his friend, James Hill, who owned the
Northern Pacific Railroad. He purchased the
land for a very low price of just $6 an acre. By
1913, Weyerhaeuser owned over two million
acres. The third major issue was the price of
lumber. When consumer demand was strong,
prices increased and the timber industry
prospered. Eventually production became
greater than what was needed. Prices for
timber fell sharply in those times. The low
timber prices forced many of the smaller
companies out of business. The fourth timberrelated issue concerned management of the
forests. Early in the 1900s, the West Coast
Lumbermen Association was formed. It
controlled and regulated 90% of the lumber
production. It controlled the amount and quality
of lumber produced. The quality and prices of
wood products finally improved and became
more stable.
Chapter Summary
During the later 19th century,
Washington grew slowly. As new methods of
transportation improved, especially the
completion of the transcontinental railroads,
the West was opened to settlement. As
settlement and opportunity increased, so did
Washington’s population.
Fur companies and missionaries first
settled in the region. The pioneer followed
shortly thereafter. A pioneer had all kinds of
opportunity. They could be a farmer,
lumberman, fisherman, or even a rancher. One
thing was for sure, they all came with the
purpose of providing themselves and their
families with a better life. They came from all
over to claim the untamed land called
Washington. These early pioneers were
establishing the foundation for all future
generations of Washingtonians. This
oundation will be important to Washington’s
success during the next century.
CHAPTER REVIEW
ACTIVITIES
1. Use either a dictionary or the glossary to define
each of the following terms:
Bankruptcy irrigation monopoly
refrigeration commercial farming keelboats
panhandle stern wheeler freight
labor union purse seine subsistence farming
2. Identify the following people:
Jay Cooke
James Hill
John McLoughlin
Frederick Weyerhaeuser
Walter Granger
Robert Hume Henry Villard
Ewing Young
3. Locate the following on a Washington, Pacific
Northwest, or world map:
Barlow Road
Fort Colville
Portland
Walla Walla
Cape Horn
Kalama
Saint Paul
Yakima River Valley
Celilio Falls
Magellan Straits
Tacoma
4. Each of the following historical events are in
their proper chronological order.
Identify the date of each event or historical era.
Oregon Trail
Pacific Railway Act
Sunnyside Canal
Donation Land Act
1st salmon cannery
Carey Act
Gold at Colville
Northern Pacific RR
Alaskan Gold Rush
Homestead Act
Desert Land Act
Federal Reclamation Act
5. Write a short descriptive essay answering each
of the following questions:
A) Identify and locate five major overland
routes established in the Pacific
Northwest during the 19th century.
B) Briefly describe the basic distribution
patterns of Washington’s agricultural
activities during the 19th and 20th century.
C) The federal government passed legislation
which was designed to encourage
settlement and establish a transportation
system. Which program had the
greatest impact and why?
D) Briefly explain the role played by Chinese
laborers who came into the Pacific
Northwest during the 19th century.