In 1906, Seattle was enjoying nearly a decade of prosperity that had begun in 1897 with the arrival of the first Klondike gold. The growing city had a new public library and a new railroad station, and boosters continued to promote the city as a center for business and trade in the Pacific Northwest. Songs like “Seattle Dear Seattle,” complete with population figures and a waterfront image prominently displayed on its front cover, were part of this promotion effort.
The words and music for "Seattle Dear Seattle" were written by James Crossley Chaffer (1874-1939), a recent immigrant from England who had also written a song for Tacoma called "Watch Tacoma Grow." At the time, Mr. Chaffer was the proprietor of a theater in Olympia; he later moved with his family to Vancouver, British Columbia, and worked as a music teacher. The back cover of "Seattle Dear Seattle" has an ad containing an excerpt of a second song, "A Washington Girl for Mine."
Physical Description: 1 score (6 p.) + 1 part ; 11 x 14 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
