Produced and published by prolific American lithographer Eli Glover this bird’s eye perspective has a signature aesthetic, and the crisp detailing transports the viewer back in time. Seattle, in this era, was a city that relied heavily on the lumber industry to support its local economy, and the mill that Henry Yesler created on the waterfront allowed the city to dominate the Northwestern lumber industry. The depiction of the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad illustrates the importance of not only the port but railway transport. Hovering over the Puget Sound, the railway was vital to the economic boom the city was awaiting. Completed in 1873, the narrow three-foot track became essential for imports and timber to reach the eastern grain fields of western Washington. Before construction, Seattle was only accessible by horse-drawn vehicles, which limited the speed and load weight. Interestingly this illustration shows the city in a state that it would never again find itself in. While the city grew and prospered in the 1870s and 1880s, it experienced a massive fire in the downtown district that would forever change the cities architectural style. As depicted here, the main construction was timber-framed buildings in the Revival style, and the transition to modern steel and glass buildings would be precipitated by the Great Fire of 1889. Though the city had a reputation as a rough and tumble port town, this map portrays it as a burgeoning city poised to be a true icon of the American West.
