Seattle's first shoe company, the Washington Shoe Manufacturing Company, was founded in 1891 by T. J. Thorsen, L. B. Allain, and G. M. Barber. The company made boots and shoes for outdoor workers and prospered due to high demand during the Alaska Gold Rush. The letter pictured here on company letterhead refers to an ad in the "Seattle Trade Register." The Trade Register was the first commercial newspaper in Seattle, and was published by Canadian immigrant Lovett Mortimer Wood (1858-1914) from at least 1893-1914.
Handwritten on receipt: Trade Register - Please let bearer have the two tennis cuts used in the ad of last issue & oblige - Washington Shoe Co. per W.V. Roll[illeg], adv. mgr.
Caption information source: https://web6.seattle.gov/DPD/HistoricalSite/QueryResult.aspx?ID=2147012364
Physical Description: 1 correspondence ; 8.25 x 7.25 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.
