Twenty-three years after settling in Seattle, pioneer lumberman Henry Leiter Yesler (1810-1892) was property-rich but cash-poor, so he came up with a plan to liquidate much of his property by holding a lottery. The lottery was authorized by the Washington Territorial Assembly in 1875 in an act that stipulated 10 percent of the proceeds should be used to finance construction of a wagon road over Snoqualmie Pass.

The broadside pictured here advertises what Mr. Yesler called the "First Grand Lottery of Washington Territory," and lists the prizes offered. Unfortunately Mr. Yesler's plan to sell 60,000 tickets fell far short in a county with a population of only about 3,500 people. In addition, other hopeful lottery operators had drained away many potential customers and sharpened opposition by anti-gambling forces. The lottery scheduled for July 4, 1876, was never held and no prizes were awarded, although an unknown number of tickets were sold. Mr. Yesler was later convicted on a gambling charge in relation to the lottery by District Court Judge J. R. Lewis, but sentenced only to a relatively small fine and court costs.

Caption information source: "Henry Yesler, charged with violating gambling laws with his Grand Lottery of Washington Territory, pleads not guilty on September 5, 1876," by John Caldbick, HistoryLink.org Essay 223.