Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Columbia City Records, 1893-1913
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- City of Columbia (King County, Wash.)
- Title
- Columbia City Records
- Dates
- 1893-1913 (inclusive)18931913
- Quantity
- 4.8 cubic ft., (7 boxes and 6 volumes)
- Collection Number
- 9112
- Summary
- The City of Columbia records include city council minutes, ordinances, City Clerk's files, demands and warrants, a register of warrants, and local improvement district files for the small municipality that was annexed to the City of Seattle in 1907.
- Repository
-
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov - Access Restrictions
-
Records are open to the public.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The 1890 establishment of the Seattle, Renton, and Southern Railway and aggressive promotion of real estate brought settlers to the mill town of Columbia. The town's thriving lumber industry helped supply Seattle with timber for reconstruction after the Great Fire of 1889, and many goods were also shipped to Columbia from Seattle via the railroad.
Columbia was incorporated in 1892 with a five-member Town Council which quickly established a Board of Health to employ a "reputable physician" charged with examining cases of contagious disease. A volunteer fire department was created in 1902 including a hose company and, soon thereafter, a chemical company. In 1903, Columbia reached a contractual agreement with the City of Seattle for the purchase of water. Also in that year, the Snoqualmie Falls Power Company received a franchise to install and operate an electrical power plant for the town.
Columbia achieved city of the third class status in 1905 when its population reached 1500, the required total established by State law. The Mayor called a special election in September of 1905 and the public voted in favor of the "advancement of the Town of Columbia to a city of the third class."
Annexation to the City of Seattle came in 1907 following a petition by citizens to the City Council to hold a special election on the matter. Although opposition to annexation had initially been strong, due to citizens' desire for local control, the March 5 vote was overwhelming, 109-3 in favor of annexation to Seattle. Consolidation occurred on May 3, 1907.
The Columbia City neighborhood, with much of its historical core intact, was designated a Seattle Landmark District in 1978.
Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top
City of Columbia Mayors:
C. P. Hutchesen, 1893-1894
V. R. Peirson, 1895-1896
C. F. Reeves, 1897-1899
H. H. A. Hastings, 1900
J. Campbell, 1900
V. R. Peirson, 1900-1904
W. W. Phalen, 1905
A. G. Corbett, 1906
W. W. Phalen, 1907
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The City of Columbia records date from 1893 to 1913 and include proceedings of Columbia City Council meetings, ordinances passed by the City Council, administrative records of Columbia filed with the City Clerk, a register of demands against the City of Columbia, a register of warrants issued by the City, and local improvement district files. The City Clerk records include correspondence, reports of City officials, contracts, citizen petitions, permits, and other filings; the Local Improvement District files include majority petitions, assessment rolls, collection receipts, contracts, bonds, cost estimates, and reports. The bulk of the records covers the years 1905-1907.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
[Item and date], City of Columbia Records, Record Series 9112-[xx], [Record Series Title]. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The City of Columbia Records are arranged in six series:
Series I: Council Minutes (9112-01)
Series II: Ordinances (9112-02)
Series III: City Clerk's Files (9112-03)
Series IV: Demands and Warrants (9112-04)
Series V: Register of Warrants (9112-05)
Series VI: Local Improvement District Files (9112-06)
Within each series, records are arranged chronologically or alphabetically by subject.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Series I (9112-01) : Council Minutes, 1893-1907Return to Top
Proceedings of City of Columbia Council Meetings.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | ||
| 1 | Minutes |
1892-1904 |
| 2 | Minutes |
1904-1907 |
Series II (9112-02): City of Columbia Ordinances, 1893-1907Return to Top
Ordinances passed by the City Council and arranged in two series. Ordinances 1-185 cover the period 1893-1906. A second series, numbered 1-61, was begun when Columbia achieved city of the third class status in 1906.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | ||
| 1 | Ordinances 1-155 |
1893-1904 |
| 2 | Ordinances 156-185 and
1-61 |
1904-1907 |
Series III (9112-03): City Clerk's Files, 1893-1913Return to Top
Administrative records of the City of Columbia filed with the City Clerk. The records cover the period from incorporation in 1893 to annexation in 1907; a few records relate to completion of local improvements in 1913. Materials include Council resolutions, committee reports, City Attorney opinions, contracts, correspondence, franchises, city officials' reports, local improvement district bonds, mayor's messages, oaths of office, petitions, ordinances, bonds, and bills and receipt.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Affidavits of
Publication |
1903-1906 |
| 1/2 | Affidavits of
Publication |
1906-1907 |
| 1/3 | Affidavits of Publication,
Land Improvement Districts |
1907-1913 |
| 1/4 | Applications to City
Council |
1903-1906 |
| 1/5 | Bills and Receipts,
A-B |
1904 |
| 1/6 | Bills and Receipts,
C-E |
1901-1904 |
| 1/7 | Bills and Receipts,
F-G |
1903-1904 |
| 1/8 | Bills and Receipts,
H |
1900-1904 |
| 1/9 | Bills and Receipts,
H-L |
1902-1906 |
| 1/10 | Bills and Receipts,
M-O |
1894-1907 |
| 1/11 | Bills and Receipts,
P-R |
1903-1904 |
| 1/12 | Bills and Receipts,
S |
1899-1904 |
| 1/13 | Bills and Receipts,
S |
1904-1905 |
| 1/14 | Bills and Receipts,
W-Z |
1903-1905 |
| 1/15 | Call for Warrants |
1904 |
| 2/1 | City Attorney's
Opinions |
1905-1906 |
| 2/2 | City Attorney's
Receipts |
1893-1901 |
| 2/3 | City Council, Committee
Reports |
1906-1907 |
| 2/4 | City Council, Resolutions,
1-12 |
1906 |
| 2/5 | City Council, Resolutions,
13-17, 19, 22-32 |
1906 |
| 2/6 | City Council, Resolutions,
33-44 |
1906-1907 |
| 2/7 | City Marshall's
Reports |
1900-1907 |
| 2/8 | Claims |
1904 |
| 2/9 | Contracts -- Water,
Sidewalks, Streets |
1903-1905 |
| 2/10 | Contract Bonds |
1903-1906 |
| 2/11 | Contracts and Bonds, Water
System |
1902-1904 |
| 2/12 | Correspondence, Mayor and
City Council |
1900-1906 |
| 2/13 | County (King) Auditor's
Reports, Tax Collection |
1902-1906 |
| 3/1 | Fire Department |
1906-1907 |
| 3/2 | Franchises -- Electric,
Telephone, Gas |
1905 |
| 3/3 | Franchise -- Street
Railways |
1903-1907 |
| 3/4 | Interest Coupons, Water Bonds
and Land Improvement Districts |
1903-1907 |
| 3/5 | Lawsuit, Tenny vs. City of
Columbia |
1907 |
| 3/6 | Local Improvement Districts,
Bonds 1-12 |
1904 |
| 3/7 | Local Improvement Districts,
Bonds 13-33 |
1904 |
| 3/8 | Local Improvement Districts,
Bonds 1-6 |
1906 |
| 3/9 | Local Improvement Districts,
Correspondence |
1907-1908 |
| 3/10 | Mayor to City Council,
Special Session |
1906 |
| 3/11 | Mayor's Messages |
1906-1907 |
| 4/1 | Oaths of Office |
1903-1907 |
| 4/2 | Official Bonds |
1895-1898 |
| 4/3 | Official Bonds |
1899-1907 |
| 4/4 | Ordinances, Second Series,
1-11 |
1906 |
| 4/5 | Ordinances, Second Series,
12-21 |
1906 |
| 4/6 | Ordinances, Second Series,
22-31 |
1906 |
| 4/7 | Ordinances, Second Series,
32-41 |
1906 |
| 4/8 | Ordinances, Second Series,
42-48 |
1907 |
| 5/1 | Ordinances, Second Series,
49-60 |
1907 |
| 5/2 | Payroll |
1901-1902 |
| 5/3 | Permits -- Streets, Sewers,
Dynamiting |
1905-1906 |
| 5/4 | Petitions, City Status and
Annexation |
1905-1907 |
| 5/5 | Petitions,
Elections |
1905 |
| 5/6 | Petitions, Lighting and
Street Improvements |
1905-1907 |
| 5/7 | Petitions, Pool Hall
Hours |
1890-1907 |
| 5/8 | Petitions, Protesting
Railroad Franchise |
1907 |
| 5/9 | Petitions, Street
Vacations |
1906 |
| 5/10 | Petitions, Telephone
Poles |
1903-1907 |
| 5/11 | Petitions, Telephone Poles
and Vacations |
1904-1907 |
| 5/12 | Plats and
Drawings |
1904 |
| 6/1 | Property Owners, Land
Titles |
1906 |
| 6/2 | Protests of Assessments, Land
Improvement Districts |
1913 |
| 6/3 | Street Vacations |
1906 |
| 6/4 | Surety Bonds |
1899 |
| 6/5 | Treasurer's
Receipts |
1903-1905 |
| 6/6 | Treasurer's
Reports |
1903-1906 |
| 6/7 | Treasurer's
Reports |
1905-1907 |
| 6/8 | Water System |
1903-1906 |
Series IV (9112-04): Demands and Warrants, 1893-1907Return to Top
Register of demands against the City of Columbia. Includes date of demand, name of claimant, amount, reason for demand, warrant number, and date issued.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | ||
| 1 | Demands and
Warrants |
1893-1907 |
Series V (9112-05) : Register of Warrants, 1893-1907Return to Top
Register of warrants issued by the City of Columbia. Includes warrant number, amount, date, to whom paid, and reason for payment.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | ||
| 1 | Register of
Warrants |
1893-1907 |
Series VI (9112-06): Local Improvement District Files, 1904-1907Return to Top
Majority petitions, assessment rolls, collection receipts, contracts, bonds, cost estimates, and work completed reports relating to local street and sewer improvements.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 1 | Local Improvement District
Files |
1904-1907 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Annexation (Municipal government)--Washington (State)--Seattle
- City councils--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Civic improvement--Washington (State)--Seattle
Geographical Names
- Columbia (King County, Wash.)--Politics and government
- Columbia City (Seattle, Wash.)--Politics and government
- Seattle (Wash.)--Politics and government
Form or Genre Terms
- Minutes
- Ordinances
Finding aid prepared by Scott
Cline
1989
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
