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Sons of the Profits

by William Speidel

3.45 of 5 stars 3.45 · rating details · 273 ratings · 63 reviews

Paperback, 345 pages

Published June 1st 2003 by Nettle Creek Pub. Co. (first published 1967)

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Oct 23, 2012 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

I live in Seattle and everyone who visits me has to go on the Speidel Underground Tour with me. I've lived here 12 years now and hadn't gotten around to reading this book. It's GREAT!!!! Not only do you learn a lot of great Seattle history, but Speidel's irreverent, crazy writing makes you ENJOY learning history. For instance
According to legend, when Maynard, Seattle's first bona-fide
drunk, arrived with a proposal to set up a salmon-salting
business those who already had land "gladly" moved th...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, history, places-i-ve-traveled

Sons of the Profits is an engaging book about a slice of the pioneer history of Seattle. It was written by Bill Spiedel, the creator of the funny and irreverent Seattle Underground Tour. I picked this up at the end of the tour in Seattle, hoping that the book would be as informative and humorous as our tour guide. My expectations were definitely met.

In this book, Spiedel focuses primarily on Caucasian businessmen and settlers who came to Seattle between 1850 and 1890 (during the initial white s...more Sons of the Profits is an engaging book about a slice of the pioneer history of Seattle. It was written by Bill Spiedel, the creator of the funny and irreverent Seattle Underground Tour. I picked this up at the end of the tour in Seattle, hoping that the book would be as informative and humorous as our tour guide. My expectations were definitely met.

In this book, Spiedel focuses primarily on Caucasian businessmen and settlers who came to Seattle between 1850 and 1890 (during the initial white settlement through the Klondike Gold Rush). This book is sort of the antithesis of A People's History of the United States with a focus on Seattle. It only discusses extremely wealthy, white men (although many of Seattle's founders did not start out as wealthy). The only woman featured in the book made her money, ummmm... "serving" men.

Spiedel's thesis is that Seattle's early settlers were not exactly the heroic, selfless frontierspeople that they are portrayed to be in the majority of history books. Instead, they were cutthroat mercenaries (and the line often gets fuzzy between mercenary and criminal) whose primary concern was money. He portrays these "Sons of the Profits" with a mixture of sarcastic irreverence, humor, and admiration. He also makes the argument that, while we may not want to adopt the code of ethics of Seattle's founders, the city would probably not exist without them.

For the most part, I found this book troubling but quite enjoyable. It is always a little disturbing to read about the questionable morals of the early white settlers on the West Coast, and Spiedel does not spare us any details about how Seattle's first white leaders ripped off their fellow townspeople. I was also troubled by the fact that Speidel's decidedly light tone, as well as a lot of the information that he glossed over (such as the brutality with which the early white settlers treated the American Indians in the area) seemed to almost excuse or ignore the worst parts of the history of white settlement in the Pacific Northwest. At the same time, I appreciated that Spiedel actually tried to write a more honest, less fluffy, history of the region than many other historians.

I also think that I would have enjoyed the book more if I had had a better sense of the general history of the region. While Spiedel covers some of this in his book, he often flies through events such as the Indian War, and when Washington became a State. It struck me that he did this because he assumed most of the people reading his book would be Seattle natives and would be familiar with the major historical events that took place there in the last 200 years. Since I am not a Seattle native, and not particularly familiar with its history, there were times when I got lost in names, jargon, and complicated legal information.

For all its problems, I do think this book is a fun read and would certainly recommend it to anyone planning on visiting Seattle.
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Aug 01, 2011 Benjamin Newland added it

Shelves: 2011-reads, non-fiction

You know how, generally about the middle of one project, you start daydreaming about the next project? That’s where I was when I decided to read a little Seattle history. I’m about three-quarters of the way through the first draft of the novel I’m working on, so naturally I’m already thinking about the next writing project, for which I need some inspiration/research about my chosen setting.

I have this thing about reading history: I really enjoy reading history, but only if the book is quite good...more You know how, generally about the middle of one project, you start daydreaming about the next project? That’s where I was when I decided to read a little Seattle history. I’m about three-quarters of the way through the first draft of the novel I’m working on, so naturally I’m already thinking about the next writing project, for which I need some inspiration/research about my chosen setting.

I have this thing about reading history: I really enjoy reading history, but only if the book is quite good. History for the sake of history feels like the parts of school I didn’t like. Creatively written and interestingly presented history (Two favorites are Salt: A World History and The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell by Mark Kurlansky) I can devour. Which makes me dependent on good recommendations if I’m going to read me some historicals.

So when I decided I needed a good history of the city of Seattle, who did I ask for a recommendations? Cherie Priest, of course! Via Twitter, mind you, and very respectfully and not at all in a creepy, stalkerish kind of way. Once she replied, and I calmed down, I ordered up Sons of the Profits.

The book is fun, but don’t come into it expecting highly polished prose. William Speidel has a very colloquial, informal style that other reviewers have often disliked. It’s clear he isn’t writing because he wants to be a great writer, but just because he loves Seattle, and its past, and wants to share. He’s got a couple of authorial ticks that can get on a nerve if you let them, but I had no problems forgiving him because I was otherwise occupied enjoying his stories.

In terms of the information shared, it seemed to me (from an admittedly uneducated perspective) that he had done his research. He certainly doesn’t spare the reader the seedier bits of Seattle’s past, which I enjoyed. Speaking of which, the book was published in 1967, which was occasionally jarring: the author was often disparaging of earlier attitudes towards women while simultaneously espousing attitudes towards women that are no longer acceptable. Half the time I couldn’t tell when he was being tongue-in-cheek and when he was being a chauvinist. Oh well.

If you’re interested in the history of Seattle, I’d highly recommend the book, not least because the book and its author have nearly become a necessary chapter in that history. By the way, if you’re in Seattle, the best way to buy the book is at the authors eponymously named World-Famous Underground Tour.

Cheers,

Ben.
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Feb 09, 2013 Dan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

A rogue's gallery of early Seattle history. This is sold on the Seattle underground tours and was written by their founder. A bit dry in places but overall a funny, bawdy book about men (and a madam) who were bent on getting the best of each other. In the process they happened to build one of the great cities of the Pacific Northwest.

The details are never lacking and are very in-depth. How the city got it's name and why an underground exists are covered; indeed much of the fun reading the book w...more

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Sep 13, 2011 Stephy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, history

I fell in love with Seattle, Washington, the first time I was there, which must be about thirty years ago. This is a grand history of that fair city's early days, from 1851 to 1901. I've been back a few times, and over the years, several of my dearest friends have either come from there or moved there to live.

I've never managed to see the tunnels from which unwary visitors and drunks were rolled and sold to fill out the crews of sailing ships, but I know they are there. This practice was so com...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

A lighthearted take on Seattle's bizarre history that makes Seattle stand out from the others. I had difficulty following the time line, since Speidel picks a part of Seattle's history and follows it through to its finish and then backs up in time to follow another aspect until it's easy to get a bit confused. Nevertheless, by the end you get a real feel for the unique events that went into making Seattle the place it is today and it's not sugarcoated, although the violence on the waterfront whe...more

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Jun 18, 2012 Jim is currently reading it

Appears Mr. Seidel mistakenly stated Jack London conceived in Henry Yesler's house, page 76. I've looked this up in 3 Jack London biographies. London was conceived in 1875 & born in 1876 in San Francisco. Really enjoying this book! One reason is I like bumping into interesting factoids that seem not to add up and figure out "What is correct? What is wrong with this picture?" My favorite sailing magazine, of all things, talked about London in the June, 2012 issue, which I read within a week o...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Kate rated it 2 of 5 stars

I love funny, irreverent takes on history, and at its best this book reads like a proto-Sarah Vowell. However, there are few problems. The first is that this book was written in the Seventies, and it shows. There are very problematic characterizations of Native Americans and women. I suppose it's not entirely fair to judge this book by today's standards, but let's just say that it doesn't withstand the test of time in that area.

The other major problem with the book is that its aforementioned ir...more

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Apr 20, 2013 Zach rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an entertaining and irreverent look at the founding of Seattle up through shortly after the Great Seattle Fire in 1889. The author, who spent decades giving Seattle underground tours, uses a folksy tone to humanize and poke fun at the founding fathers of Seattle, whom he calls the Sons of the Profits. It's mostly a collection of biographical vignettes, and Speidel approaches his job of biographer with a particular bent.

"This is the story of how the fellas who built Seattle made their mon...more This is an entertaining and irreverent look at the founding of Seattle up through shortly after the Great Seattle Fire in 1889. The author, who spent decades giving Seattle underground tours, uses a folksy tone to humanize and poke fun at the founding fathers of Seattle, whom he calls the Sons of the Profits. It's mostly a collection of biographical vignettes, and Speidel approaches his job of biographer with a particular bent.

"This is the story of how the fellas who built Seattle made their money," Speidel writes on the first page of his history. To his credit, he rarely deviates from this thesis, and never misses an opportunity to call bullshit on beloved Seattle myths, especially pertaining to the founding fathers' supposed cooperation and magnanimity for the public good. In Speidel's informed opinion, every one of the great men (Denny, Yesler, Maynard, Boren, Terry, et al) was a self-interested bastard out to make a buck at all costs.

In fact, Henry Yesler's chapter is titled The Bastard, and I can't say he doesn't live up to his name. Yesler once sued the city of Seattle to avoid having to pay the $5,000 tax he had agreed to pay to plank the dirt streets in order to prevent any more young children drowning in the giant puddles -- and he won, establishing the legal precedent that Seattle was in violation of its charter and was therefore not legally a city. It took a special act of Congress to restore Seattle its charter, and in the meantime Yesler's legal assholery prevented the city from passing any levies to run public services. This in turn led to the city's utter reliance on liquor license fees and fines paid by prostitutes and gambling dens to finance the general budget.

One of Speidel's pet topics is how important an industry prostitution was in the city's early years, not only filling the public coffers, but also arguably saving Seattle's economy after the Union Pacific named Tacoma its railroad terminal. While all rail traffic was going through Tacoma, the city, which was a company town, refused to turn a blind eye to brothels as Seattle had for so long. This brought the lumberjacks (the primary profession in the Pacific Northwest at the time) into Seattle to spend their money, not Tacoma. Speidel argues that the prostitution efforts of the head pimp, a man named Pinnell who isn't mentioned in many history books, were almost single-handedly responsible for keeping Seattle afloat during this difficult economic time.

Sons of the Profits is at its best when Speidel keeps his vignettes short and to the point, which he manages to do pretty well with the biographical portions. He strays off course a little bit in the longest chapter of the book, The Establishment, which is actually the convoluted history the rail connections in the Pacific Northwest. But with that one major aside, most of the book is composed in these digestible chunks, and were very educational as well as entertaining.

This book is probably only of interest to people from the area, since so much of the pleasure of reading comes from learning how much the city and its landscape have changed since its founding. But anyone with an historical bent should consider picking up this well-researched local history.(less)

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Aug 15, 2009 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

rarely would i look into reading a history book, but this is certainly not your traditional history book. It is told with colorful perspectives and anecdotes that are interesting and amusing. Especially after growing up in Seattle it was fascinating to hear details of familiar names and places. Still even for those who have not lived in Seattle, this is an engrossing book. Written by the same man who started the Underground Tour in Pioneer Square (a must for visitors to the city)

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Nov 02, 2012 Gregory Dickison rated it 4 of 5 stars

I grew up in Seattle and have wanted to read this book for a long time. I have a signed first edition that my dad picked up years ago. The history of the founding of Seattle is fascinating, and this book appears to be well researched. For some reason, Speidel only covers from the founding through the early 1900s. I have to agree with the other readers who found Speidel's writing style annoying. If you can get past that, you'll find some great stories in this book.

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Feb 08, 2011 Julia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Bill Speidel has a fun, colloquial style. Reading this book is like listening to an eccentric uncle spin yarns. I read this book mostly while was riding the bus around Seattle - a great way to see the streets around me a different way (Speidel gives the stories of many of the men our for which our streets are named). The narrative is not strictly chronological, but rather follows the stories of particular personalities or the play-by-play of Seattle's most famous battles. Though this history is...more

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May 08, 2012 Jeff rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! Gave a nice history (albeit sometimes quite colorful) of Seattle and the struggle to extent the railroad from Tacoma to Seattle to become the primary port on the sound and the wealth that came along with it.

If you are a history buff and have any interest in the Puget Sound region, this book is time well spent.

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Nov 02, 2008 Matt rated it 2 of 5 stars

An interesting, and informal, history lesson about the founding of Seattle (and to a lesser extent, Tacoma and the state of Washington).

Generally speaking, Speidel tells an interesting story. However, the story is constantly having to fight against Spiedel's horrendous writing. He writes in a way that mirrors casual speech if that speech were affected by annoying mannerisms. One of his favorite things to do is to end a paragraphy with an ellipsis and then complete the sentence in next paragraph....more

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Sep 13, 2012 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was an interesting read. I like social history, so this was perfect for me. Some of the comments were a bit off color, but it was written in bygone era, so I let some of that go. (Note to editor: if you're planning on doing additional printings, you should update some of the content.)

Still, I would recommend this book for those who want another perspective on how the West was won.

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Sep 18, 2012 Arensb rated it 3 of 5 stars

Speidel adopts an informal tone in this history of Seattle, and this can get annoying. He overuses ellipses and paragraph breaks in a way that, to my ear, sounds like "watch out: I'm going to say something clever". Unfortunately, he's not that clever, and the effect becomes irritating. If you can mentally replace every ellipsis with a comma, you'll be better off.

However, if you can look past the style, you'll find a man who obviously loves his city and its history, and wants to share it, warts a...more

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Jan 14, 2012 Tasha rated it 3 of 5 stars

I picked this up when I went on the Underground tour of Seattle, and I have no idea but I just continued to read it all through my trip to the US. It's the story of the founding of Seattle and it was just awesome and hilarious, though not something I would generally read about.

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Jan 07, 2013 Lara7 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Waited til leaving Seattle after 10 years to finallt read this because that's how I roll. Could have used tighter editing, but nice chatty history of the early days of Seattle.Unlike other history books, does not shy away from the salacious and snippy.

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Jun 10, 2009 Mylinda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

Went on a tour of the Underground in Seattle and learned of this book (actually the tour promoted it). Bought it because of the stories they told us on the tour about the founding fathers of Seattle. I haven't stopped laughing.

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Jun 05, 2011 Richard Curry rated it 3 of 5 stars

An amusing, rollicking and candid history of early Seattle's origins from the fellow who organized Pioneer Square's Underground Tours. Details the Denny party, Henry Yesler, and many more . . .

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Jan 20, 2013 Quinn Collard rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2013

This book was mostly very entertaining, but there were a couple of chapters I got a bit bored with. It certainly made history seem exciting and taught me more about my adopted city.

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Apr 23, 2009 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am form Seattle and this was a informal and funny history of the founders of the Seattle area. It fills in the gaps if you ever took the Underground tour as well.

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Jan 23, 2009 Freddyabramson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Now whenever anyone says, 'Hey, lets got to Alki.' I can say, 'Oh you mean Smoquamox?'
Whenever anyone says, 'Seattle is the most learned city.' I can say, 'Well, you know, back in the day they had to pay people to enroll at the UW.'
Only read this book if you are from Seattle. Otherwise you will find it utterly boring. Terribly written, but full of fun, little facts.

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Sep 21, 2012 Pat rated it 4 of 5 stars

I suppose that this is only that good if you live or have lived in Seattle. But it is a "must read" if either of those are true.

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May 26, 2009 Andrew rated it 3 of 5 stars

The city of Seattle is young but has a rich, storied history that is worth the read.

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Jan 10, 2009 Janetta is currently reading it

A hysterical -- and much needed-- honest telling of the history of Seattle.

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Apr 01, 2012 Scott rated it 3 of 5 stars

Informal history. Interesting and amusing stories. Frustrating writing.

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Sep 20, 2010 Shawna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting, very detailed and humorous book about the history of Seattle, WA.

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Mar 02, 2012 Rena Searles rated it 3 of 5 stars

Great read - makes the history of the founding of Seattle very palatable. Speidel has a great sense of humor and attacks his subject matter with same. I only wish I had read this book before I read "Doc Maynard" - this book was kind of anti-climatic, after reading the "revised version" that is presented in "Doc Maynard". Still, all-in-all, very entertaining volume!

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Dec 06, 2010 Miriam added it

Shelves: american-history

Interesting history of about the founders of Seattle.

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About William Speidel

Bill Speidel, founder of the Underground Tour, is remembered as one of the last of a few genuine old-time Seattle characters.
Although Speidel started the world-famous Underground Tour, spearheaded the campaign to preserve Pioneer Square, wrote a best-selling Seattle history (“Sons of the Profits”), and rediscovered one of Seattle’s early heroes (Doc Maynard), he is remembered most for his wit—an i...more

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