What was described as America's "Gilded Age" came to an excruciating end less than four years after Washington Territory became a state when the country was hit by the worst economic catastrophe it had ever seen. The Panic of 1893, a four-month bout of financial hysteria, struck the country in late spring of that year. Thousands of banks and businesses failed during the depression that followed, railways went bankrupt, credit effectively dried up, unemployment rose, and tens of thousands of ordinary people lost their homes and money. The previous several years' galloping optimism in the Northwest abruptly gave way to widespread pessimism.
The economic disaster lasted several years, and it was not surpassed in terms of scope, severity, or longevity until the Great Depression of the 1930s. Every section of the Evergreen State's economy was heavily damaged and the state's ambitious young cities were particularly hard hit.
Listen now to learn more!

A special thank you goes out to Al Hirsch for providing the music for the podcast, check him out on YouTube.
Find merchandise for the podcast now available at:     https://washington-history-by-jon-c.creator-spring.com
If you enjoy the podcast and would like to contribute, please visit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Evergreenpod
If you have any questions, episode ideas you'd like to see explored, or just have a general comment, please reach out at [email protected]
To keep up on news for the podcast and other related announcements, please like and follow:
https://www.facebook.com/Historyoftheevergreenstatepodcast
Thank you for listening!