 Blasher persuaded some friends in his home city of Des Moines, Iowa, to help finance the development of a town on Puget Sound.The work was done by the Des Moines Improvement Company.In 1889 the area was platted into lots and sold by the Des Moines Improvement Company, which had been incorporated by F. A. Blasher, Orin Watts Barlow, Charles M. Johnson, and John W. Kleeb.