This Huntington Brothers photo looks north on Front Street (First Avenue) from Cherry Street and a prospect only a whisper away from the place taken to record the "now" photograph.

THE HUNTINGTON Bros. Studio of Olympia would not allow hometown bluster to get in the way of marketing and flattery. On the flip side of this view up Front Street (First Avenue) from Cherry Street, the Huntington promoter has written a rather long paragraph on Seattle's virtues, noting:

"Seattle is the ... leading town of Washington Territory ... Its principal exports are agriculture produce, lumber and coal ... It also exports much fish, furniture, doors and windows, flour, etc. The town is conveniently, beautifully and healthfully situated, and gives promise of becoming a place of considerable importance ... Its own people are very proud of Seattle, and think it inside of 10 years destined to be second on the Pacific Slope to San Francisco only."

The added claim that Seattle's population "numbers 3,500" suggests that the Huntington caption was written in 1881, when Seattle first overcame Walla Walla to become the largest town in Washington. The photograph, however, was most likely recorded before June 20, 1879. On that day, J. Willis Sayer notes in his book, "This City of Ours," "the last forest tree on the central waterfront, standing just north of Pike Street, was cut down." That tree, I'm claiming, stands nearly alone on the horizon, left of center.

A few of the identifiable businesses here are F.W. Wald's hardware store, far right, next door to Hendrick's plumbing. Across the street in the shade of the sidewalk porch is the Fountain Beer Hall. To Huntington and his potential customers, the noteworthy quality of this street is not that it is vacant, but that it is smooth. In 1876 the bumps of Front Street north of Yesler Way were cut away to fill its valleys. This historical scene was copied from an original Huntington Stereoview.

Paul Dorpat specializes in historical photography and has published several books on early Seattle.