Henry Yesler

Henry L. Yesler (b. December 2, 1810 - d. December 16, 1892) is regarded in early Seattle history as the city's first economic father and first millionaire. He arrived in Seattle in 1852 and built a steam-powered sawmill, which provided numerous jobs for those early settlers and Duwamish tribe members. The mill was located right on the Elliot Bay waterfront, at the foot of Yesler Way -- at the time known as Mill Road or the "Skid Road," for the way the logs "skidded" down the steep grade from the ever-receding timber line to the mill. The house where Henry and his wife Sarah lived, a wooden building that resembled a store, was located near the mill, at the corner of 1st Avenue and James Street. When Sarah died in 1887, Henry constructed a mansion at the corner of 4th and James, where he spent the final five years of his life.

On June 6, 1889, the Great Seattle Fire burned down the entire business district (which consisted mainly of wooden buildings), including the mill. They were never replaced. Yesler built the Pioneer Building on the same plot of land his first home was on. He also built Yesler Hall, located on the corner of and 1st Avenue and Yesler Way, and Yesler's Pavilion, at 1st and Cherry.

In addition to running the mill, Yesler built the city's first water system, in 1854. The system was made up of a series of open-air, V-shaped flumes perched on stilts that started atop First Hill and ran down past Yesler's home and to the mill. Later on, after complaints of dirty water, Yesler developed a system made up of log pipes buried beneath the ground.

Henry Yesler also served in public office, at various times as a county auditor, county commissioner, and mayor.

Yesler died on December 16, 1892, at the age of 82. He is buried, along with his wife, in Lake View Cemetary.

The mansion he lived in was turned into a library, but was burned down in 1900. The King County Courthouse currently occupies that site.

Yesler's Faults

In his informative and tongue-in-cheek book, Sons of the Profits, Seattle historian William C. Speidel pointed out some of Yesler's negative aspects. On numerous occasions, Yesler had lawsuits filed against him. On other occasions, it was Yesler himself doing the suing. "The City of Seattle made him a millionaire," wrote Speidel, "yet he sued it...fought it...plundered it...and on two occasions he brought it to the brink of bankruptcy." Speidel also recounts how, according to courthouse records, Yesler owed John McLain, an old friend from Ohio, $30,000 for the loan that the latter up for construction of the mill. Yesler would pay him $12,000 of it over time, and it wasn't until McLain sued him that he was able to collect on the rest.

Bibliography

Speidel, William C. (1967). Sons of the Profits (There's no business like grow business: the Seattle story, 1851-1901). Seattle: Nettle Creek Publishing Company. pp. pp. 57-80, 256. ISBN 0-914890-00-X, ISBN 0-914890-06-9. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessyear=, |origmonth=, |accessmonth=, |month=, |chapterurl=, |origdate=, and |coauthors= (help)
Speidel provides a substantial bibliography with extensive primary sources.

Yesler's Faults

Bibliography

Further Reading