Pioneer Square in Seattle in King County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
Who built Seattle?
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, February 21, 2026
1. Who built Seattle? Marker
Chinese labor laid the foundations of Seattle, and the rest of the American West.
You are standing at the heart of Seattles early Chinatown. The distinctive balcony of the gray building is one of the last visible signs of the original neighborhood. This building was constructed by Chinese masons after the fire of 1889 for entrepreneur Chin Gee Hee and his Quong Tuck Co.
From its early days, Seattle served as a gateway for labor that influenced the development of the entire American West. Workers landed here to find work with mines, railroads, farms, and households. In Seattle, Chinese workers graded streets, dug canals, leveled hills, and laid tracks.
[Captions:]
In 1886, an organized anti-Chinese mob raided Chinatown and forced Seattles Chinese residents down Washington Street and onto a waiting boat.
Chin Gee Hee in his office, 1904. He originally arrived in 1873 as a laborer but soon moved into imports (sugar, tea, rice, fireworks). In the face of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and the 1886 riots, he established Quong Tuck Co. as a labor agency. He soon had plenty of business rebuilding Seattle after the fire of 1889.
Erected by Trails2Treasure.org.
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Asian Americans • Immigration • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1889.
Location. 47° 36.044′ N, 122° 19.875′ W. Marker is in Seattle, Washington, in King County. It is in Pioneer Square. It is at the intersection of 2nd Avenue Extension South and South Washington Street, on the right when traveling south on 2nd Avenue Extension South. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 201 S Washington St, Seattle WA 98104, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Washington’s Puget Sound Region. It is also on the American Pacific Coast, in the Pacific Northwest, and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, in the Cascade Range, in the Inside Passage, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Lou Grahams Sporting House (within shouting distance of this marker); Birthplace of United Parcel Service
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, February 21, 2026
2. Who built Seattle? Marker
View of marker looking NE towards the gray building mentioned in the marker.
Also see . . . Mobs forcibly expel most of Seattle's Chinese residents beginning on February 7, 1886.
On February 7, 1886, violence breaks out in Seattle as a mob starts to forcibly expel most of the city's Chinese population. The next day one man dies and four are injured when they attack Home Guards protecting Chinese residents. Martial law is declared and will last for two weeks. President Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) will order United States troops to Seattle, where they will remain until summer. Though most of Seattle will rebound quickly from the crisis, it will take the city's Chinese community 20 years to recover.(Submitted on March 20, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, February 21, 2026
3. Chinese-built building
This gray building, mentioned in the marker, is a remnant from early Chinatown.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 20, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 14 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 20, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
