SKID ROW: AN INFORMAL PORTRAIT OF SEATTLE - MURRY MORGAN

I’ve wanted to read this since I moved here, it certainly has the reputation as “the” Seattle book to read. Actually, the book begins by positioning itself as not one of your “classic” Seattle histories the glorify the city fathers. It is unclear why he thinks there are many such books. Either way, this was incredibly interesting. Morgan has opted not to write an overall history but instead focus the individual chapters on either people (like Doc Maynard) or events (like the 1919 general strike) which makes each chapter it’s own little stand-alone unit. I’m glad I read the book about Chief Seattle first, Morgan goes into much, much less detail about the indigenous side of the history. For example, the Buerge book had much more detail about all the different factions and sides and opinions and strategies that lead to the battle of Seattle (1856 not 1999) but as far as an actual description of the battle, the Morgan book was better. Morgan for instance, mentions that much of the gunfire exchanged took place over what is now Smith Tower. The feeling I get when I quickly overlay what I’m reading about and what I know from walking around the city is exactly the feeling I want from these sorts of books. The descriptions of the Skid Row brothels (including what was then the world’s largest brothel, stocked entirely with Native women and named Illahee, the Chinook word for “earth” or “homeland”) and vaudeville halls was all very interesting and exciting. The section about how the Alaska Gold Rush affected Seattle included a description of an Alaskan criminal named “Soapy Smith” who’s gang included people with names like, “Fatty Green” “Kid Jimmy Fresh” “Yank Few Clothes” and “Jay Bird Slim”. Again, all wonderful stuff. My favorite section, and the part I’d like to read another book on is the 1919 General Strike. What’s interesting to me about it is how it’s success doomed it. On February 6, 60,000 workers walked off their jobs. What’s amazing is not only that they did this, but that they did this without violence. In what seems to be a case of the dog catching the car, the people involved in the strike seemed to not know the next step. I think they were expecting more violent resistance and something sturdier to push back against, when, instead, they needed to focus on a positive project of building the kind of city and society they wanted. I know, easy for me to say, I’ve never been involved in a general strike (some day, fingers crossed), but it does seem important to keep these lessons in mind. The 100 year anniversary is coming up, I can only hope we all agree to stop working. It’s also fascinating where the book leaves off. It was originally published in 1951 so the tone at the end is all boy-thoses-crazy-pioneer-days-are-over-now-we’re-just-a-sleepy-city so all the stuff about Microsoft and Starbucks and Grunge and Amazon and everything else that exploded Seattle since the book came out is absent and makes the end of the book seem silly. I’d love an updated version that goes from 1951 through today. But, again, can’t really complain about what a book isn’t. This book makes walking around town more interesting and magical. That’s more than enough.  1855 Brothels