After long years of patient toil, upright dealing and wise management, he began to accumulate until his property was worth a fortune.
With increasing wealth his generosity increased and he gave liberally to carry on all the institutions of a civilized community.
David T. Denny gave “Denny Park” to the City of Seattle.
Denny school was named for him, as is perfectly well known to many persons.
As prosperity increased he became more active in building the city and lavished energy, toil, property and money, installing public enterprises and utilities, such as water supply, electric lights, a large sawmill, banks, street railways, laying off additions to the city, grading and improvements, etc., etc.
Then came 1893, the black year of trade. Thousands lost all they possessed. David T. Denny suffered a martyrdom of disappointment, humiliation, calumny, extreme and undeserved reproach from those who crammed themselves with securities, following the great money panic in which his immense holdings passed into the hands of others.
He was a soldier of the Indian war and was on guard near the door of Fort Decatur when the memorable attack took place on January 26th, 1856. The fort was built of timbers hewn by D. T. Denny and two others, taken from his donation claim. These timbers were brought to Seattle, then a little settlement of about three hundred people. There he helped to build the fort.
Many persons have expressed a desire to see a fitting memorial erected to the memory of Seattle’s “Fairy Prince,” Founder and Defender, David Thomas Denny.
I feel the inadequacy of these fragmentary glimpses of the busy life of this well known pioneer. I have not made a set arrangement of the material as I wished to preserve the testimony of others, hence there appear some repetitions; an accurate and intimate biography may come in the future.
Logically, his long, active, useful life in the Northwest, might be divided into epochs on this wise: