1. The Mercer Girls By Stella Horns

2. Seattle in the early 1860’s: There were so many men, but no women! It was said that for every ten men there was one woman. Two reasons it was so bad were: one, because the men missed the cooking and sewing skills of a “proper Wife”, and two, more and more kids were arriving, and there just weren’t enough teachers!!! Some men even married Indian women (Which was thought to be very embarrassing back then)! What Was The Problem?

3. Who Solved the Problem? The solution to this problem was: Asa Mercer!!! He was twenty-three years old, first president of The University of Washington from 1861-1863. He was a graduate of The Franklin College in Athens, Ohio. His older brother was Thomas Mercer. Anyways, Asa was very interested in the problem( Probably because he was womenless himself).

4. How Asa Solved The Problem He devised a plan. And it worked! It started in 1864. He needed women with an age range from 15-35. The plan was something like this: Step 1: Go to New England. Step 2: Convince women to move( Pretty hard, the way I know myself).Step2 ½ :Don’t tell about the marrying part, but do talk about “amazing” farmland and( sort of) good climate. Step 3:Get the moving done. Step 4: Make the Seattlites and the women marry. That first trip brought 11girls to Seattle. You wonder why first? Asa took 2 trips, that’s why!

5. Some Of The Mercer Girls Include: Antoinette Baker: Taught at the University of Washington And married. Sarah Cheney: taught at the University of Washington for three kids!!! Sara Gallagher: Taught at( guess where) the University of Washington. Lizzie Ordway: Also taught at the University of Washington and was superintendant of Kitasp county. She was the only single Mercer Girl.

6. Bibliography Crowley, Walt, and Priscilla Long. HistoryLink's Seattle & King County Timeline. Seattle, WA: HistoryLink in Association with the University of Washington, 2001. Print. Highlights in the Story of Seattle... Containing Historical, Descriptive and Statistical Data about Seattle of the past and Present. [n.p.], 1938. Print. HistoryLink.org- the Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History. Web. 23 May 2011.. Sundquist, Mark. Seattle. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub., 2010. Print. Warren, James R., and Mary-Thadia D'Hondt. King County and Its Queen City, Seattle: an Illustrated History. Woodland Hills, CA: Windsor Publications, 1981. Print.