I. Development of the Northwest Economy: 1800-The Great Depression

• Native settlement – coastal & interior• The Fur Trade Era• Overland Settlers: The Oregon Trail• Fish• Timber• Agriculture• Local Mining and The Alaska Gold Rush• Railroads• The great conservation movement at the end of the 19th

century

Map of Hudson’s Bay Trade

Source: Mackie, Trading Beyond the Mountains

Location of Lumber Mills 1850-1880

The Great Railroad Boom: 1883-1929

Northern Pacific Land Grant

Completion of Northern Pacific Railroad Connection, 1883

Asian Crew Constructing Log Loading Station, Ca. 1910

Steam Donkey Yarding Logs, 1910

Timber Drives Development in Washington Up to 1930

Index Relative to 1930

00.10.20.30.40.50.60.70.80.9

1

1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930

Lumber Output

Wood ProductsEmployment

WashingtonPopulation

Horse-drawn Combine in the Palouse, 1909

Fishing at Celilo Falls, Columbia River (n.d.)

Source: UW Libraries Digital Collections - Industries & Occupations Collection

Source: UW Libraries Digital Collections - Industries & Occupations Collection

Scow Fish Wheel Columbia River (n.d.)

Source: UW Libraries Digital Collections - Industries & Occupations Collection

Brailing Salmon From a Fish Trap, Possibly Puget Sound (n.d.)

Gold Mining at Monte Cristo 1906: Photo by Ashael Curtis

Alaska Gold Rush

July 17, 1897 thesteamer Portlandarrived in Seattlewith a “ton of gold,”That actually turnedout to be two tonsof gold.

Routes to the Klondike

Closing the Frontier

• Establishment of National Forests

• Designation of National Parks

• Repeal of Public Land Disposal Laws (except Mining Laws of 1872)

• Land Grants to States

Non-Economic Forces Related to Early Settlement (Johansen)

1. Nationalism

2. Escape harsh weather (of the midwest)

3. Escape the slavery problem

4. Reap the bounty of a new land

5. Accept offer of free land

6. To be a “frontiersman”

II. Modern Settlement Forces and Patterns: WW-II to Present

• Depression-era public works & Columbia-Snake River Hydropower system development through the 1970’s

• Growth of High-Tech Manufacturing• Rise of the Service Economy• Emergence of Government in the economic

base• Current demographic trends

The Historic and Modern Role of Timber in the Washington Economy

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

18

50

18

70

18

90

19

10

19

30

19

50

19

70

19

90

Ind

ex

Ye

ar

19

30

= 1

.0

Lumber Output

Wood ProductsEmployment

WashingtonPopulation

Labor productivityclearly evident

Washington State Employment

Share of Washington State Jobs

Employment Trend - Technology Based Industries-Washington State 1974-2011

The Growth of Nonearnings Income (Transfer payments, Dividends, Interest, Rent)

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

ID OR WA

Sh

are

of

Per

son

al I

nco

me

1969

1985

2011

Non-Earnings Income Trend:It is now a substitute for work in many

regional economy’s economic base

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

Statewide King Lincoln Pacific San Juan

Sh

are

of

Per

son

al I

nco

me

1969

1985

2011

Stability in Shares of Regional Population Since 1920

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%18

5018

6018

7018

8018

9019

0019

1019

2019

3019

4019

5019

6019

7019

8019

9020

0020

10

Perc

ent

of R

egio

nal P

opul

ation

WA

OR

ID

Metropolitan Population Shares Have Continued to Increase (2009 metro definitions)

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1

Idaho Oregon Washington

Urb

an P

op

ula

tio

n S

har

e

1970

1990

2000

2010

Metro Growth Rates Have Consistently Outpaced Nonmetro Growth Rates

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

1970-1990 1990-2000 2000-2007

An

nu

al G

row

th R

ate ID Metro

OR Metro

WA Metro

ID Nonmetro

OR Nonmetro

WA Nonmetro

Based on 2009 Definitions of Metro and Nonmetro