Moses Rideout Maddocks (1833-1919) arrived in Washington Territory in 1858, where he worked as a logger and was elected to the state legislature (he later served as Seattle's fourth mayor). He came to Seattle permanently in 1864, and about two years later became part owner of a drug store. He bought out his partner after 18 months and solely operated the store, which was located on the corner of Madison Street and Front Street (now First Avenue) in downtown Seattle. Mr. Maddocks sold the drug store in 1882 to concentrate on his real estate investments.
Mr. Maddocks issued the prescription pictured here for a soapy liniment, which contained oils of cloves, hemlock, cedar, and sassafras, and directed the user to bathe the affected body parts three times daily.
Caption information source: Bagley, C. (1916). History of Seattle from the earliest settlement to the present time (Vol. 2, p. 879).
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.
