Question

Why was Tacoma initially chosen as the place for the Northern Pacific railroad final station instead of Seattle?

A. The Cascades cut Seattle off from the interior of the region.

B. Residents in Tacoma offered many generous gifts to the railroad company.

C. There were more people living in Tacoma at the time.

D. Tacoma had many natural resources that Seattle did not have.

Answer 1

The actual reason was “When rails meet sails”. More specifically, the fact that Tacoma had a deep water harbor located at Commencement bay which facilitated the export and import of goods and people to/from the Pacific Ocean through Puget Sound.  However, it al also true that Seattle is surrounded by hills and mountains, therefore the best option would be A. The Cascades cut Seattle off from the interior of the region.