In 1888, Seattle investors convinced British industrialist Peter Kirk to open a steel mill in Kirkland, named in his honor. They hoped that the Moss Bay Iron and Steel Works, reorganized in 1890 as the Great Western Iron and Steel Company, would turn Kirkland into the Pittsburgh of the West. The city boomed as speculators subdivided land and built substantial brick buildings. Unexpected mining difficulties and the nationwide economic depression of 1893 put an end to Kirkland's early dreams of prosperity.

This photo, probably taken between 1890 and 1893, shows the buildings at the Great Western Iron and Steel Company in Kirkland, Washington. At the height of its activities, the facilities included a foundry, two blast furnaces, storage bunkers for coal and iron and several outbuildings.

Original photo copied by Webster & Stevens.
Handwritten on sleeve: Kirkland Ironworks, Basic View.
Webster & Stevens number: 406x