Let’s remember when Seattle was incorporated as a city, which happened on this day in 1865 (January 14)
On this day, back in 1865 (I remember it like it was yesterday), the Washington State legislature formally incorporated Seattle as a town.
On January 14, 1865, the Territory of Washington Legislature incorporates the Town of Seattle for the first time, adopting a city charter that puts the municipal government in the hands of a board of five trustees, to be elected annually. The Legislature defines the city limits as encompassing an area from Howell Street on the north to Atlantic Street on the South, and from Elliott Bay on the west to 24th Avenue S on the east.
The charter stipulated that the trustees were to appoint a town clerk, a marshal, and a magistrate. Of these, the marshal was the only salaried official, receiving $300 per year.
That didn’t last, though, as HistoryLink also notes:
The Territorial Legislature disincorporated Seattle on January 18, 1867, after most of the town’s leading citizens filed a petition for dissolution. Seattle once again became a precinct of King County. In the latter part of 1869, the citizens asked the Legislature for another municipal government, with a mayor and town council instead of a board of trustees. The Legislature reincorporated Seattle, on December 2, 1869, issuing a new town charter that provided for a “more pretentious” system of government.
So there you have it. Seattle incorporated as a town in 1865, dissolved the incorporation in 1867, and reincorporated when their town charter became “more pretentious.”
*One more thing: Journal of Precipitation is a new, Seattle-area arts and/or culture website that is dedicated to exploring the Pacific Northwest outside of the “usual places” and the cultural zeitgeist. We believe in compensating all of our contributors (even though it is probably modest, compared to larger websites and magazines). If you value what we’re doing, please consider contributing to our Patreon, and allow us to continue to grow and provide coverage of our community.
