Stories from Issaquah, on the map

Squak Valley Trial: Chinese Hop-Pickers Killed in 1885 Raid

A brutal night of terror in the hop fields as an armed mob targets immigrant laborers.

“I heard Ferry Bayne say: Hold up the tent, and all shoot when we get ready.”

Chinese Hop Pickers Murdered by White Mob in Squak Valley

A violent, racially motivated attack on Chinese hop pickers leaves three dead as anti-Chinese hostility intensifies in the territory.

“About 10 o'clock the occupants of the camp were startled by the discharge of a volley of musketry, and they jumped from their bunks only to find that they were surrounded by a party of well-armed white men, determined to murder them.”

The Massacre at Squak Valley

A coroner's jury investigates the brutal 1885 killing of three Chinese hop-pickers, uncovering a mob's systematic effort to ethnically cleanse the valley.

“The Chinamen shall go, or I shall die.”

Three Chinese Men Murdered in Squak Valley, 1885

A brutal anti-Chinese attack in the Washington Territory ends in murder and injury, prompting a somber funeral in Seattle.

“The three Chinamen who were murdered at Squak Monday night were buried yesterday.”

Squak Valley Rioters Remanded to Jail

Seven men accused of the murder of Chinese miners at Squak waive their preliminary examination.

“The defendants, one and all, waived examination and were remanded to jail without bail.”

The Shadow Over Squak Valley

In the autumn of 1885, a series of indictments revealed a brutal campaign of violence against Chinese laborers in the Snoqualmie Valley.

1885 Trial Examines Killings of Three Chinese Men in Squak Valley

A trial in Seattle reveals the cold-blooded coordination behind the 1885 anti-Chinese expulsions in Squak Valley, where white laborers and land owners conspired to drive out local workers with gunfire.

“Dry up your d—n mouth; don't call my name; everybody knows me here.”

The Shadow of the Anti-Chinese Expulsions in Squak Valley

Court testimony reveals a night of armed intimidation and a lethal 'misunderstanding' at a hop farm in 1885.

“I told Jim Graham to come and go with us to Wold's, as we were going up to drive the Chinamen out.”

The Shadow of the Anti-Chinese Expulsions

As tensions boiled over against Chinese laborers in Washington Territory, a trial in Seattle reveals the deadly climate of vigilante violence and the complicity of local officials.

“The general feeling in the valley was opposed to Chinese being employed there. During my residence, Chinese had never been employed there before.”

The Squak Valley Massacre Trial

A courtroom drama unfolds as witnesses testify regarding the violent night in 1885 when white men raided a Chinese hop-picking camp.

“I think the Chinamen were killed by white men, or they might have shot themselves. The first shot came from the Chinese quarters, and the next volley from Ham Robertson's crowd.”

The Trial of the 'Squak Valley' Vigilantes

In a tense courtroom session in 1885, a defendant stands trial for the murder of a Chinese laborer, exposing the brutal reality of anti-immigrant violence in Washington Territory.

“The boys were then getting ready to go over to Wold Brothers. The night was dark. I went along with them for a mile or so, but fearing we would get into trouble, I turned behind.”

The State Paid the Troops That Faced the Coal Riots

Washington's Supreme Court ruled that militia sent to Gilman, Franklin and Newcastle during the 1891 coal-mine troubles acted in the state's service — and the state, not King County, had to pay.

“The first, last and only duty of the soldier is to obey the command of his superior officer when called upon to march with his comrades.”

The Mob Violence Trial That Shook 1885 Seattle

A jury acquits a man accused of murdering Chinese laborers in Squak Valley, sparking chaotic courtroom protests.

“We, the jury in the case of the Territory of Washington vs. Perry Bayne, impleaded with Sam Robertson and others for the murder of Fang Woe, do find the defendant not guilty.”

The Sheriff Who Wouldn't Shield the Strikers: A Labor Standoff in Newcastle

When a coal mine strike erupted in Newcastle, King County, Sheriff Cochrane refused to protect workers willing to cross the picket line, sparking a public confrontation with the mine superintendent and accusations of union intimidation.

The Deadly Gilman Saloon Brawl

After a brief trial, a local man is found guilty in a fatal shooting sparked by a dispute at a Gilman establishment.

“It is one of those unexpected and unaccountable verdicts of which every lawyer has seen occasional examples.”

The Saloon Under Siege in Gilman

While the rest of Seattle was preoccupied with the celebrity visit of John L. Sullivan, a proprietor in the coal-mining town of Gilman was fighting a nightly war to keep his doors open.

“Whenever the fight begins all the guests of the house take to cover. I was usually in bed at the time, and would gather up the mattress on each side to ward off any rocks or bullets in case the mob should aim high.”

The Boot That Didn't Fit: A Murder Trial at the Turn of the Century

In a dramatic courtroom scene, an accused man attempts to clear his name by proving his feet were simply too large for the evidence that supposedly convicted him.

“There was an almost dramatic scene when Attorney Soderberg had the defendant try on the boots which, the prosecution has tried to prove, made the tracks found near the window where Mason was killed.”

Fatal Brawl in the Mining Town of Gilman

A blacksmith is in custody after a deadly encounter outside a hotel leaves one man dead.

“Jack Brackell was caught by the marshal standing near the wounded man holding a 38-caliber pistol, smoking at the muzzle.”

A Deadly Night in Gilman

A senseless argument at a mining town boarding house turns into a homicide.

“Brackle, who was drunk, came up to them and, though he had nothing to do with the fight, fired a shot at Strassner.”

The Mystery of the Gilman Shooting

A murder trial in superior court struggles to identify the gunman who killed Nicholas Straussner during a drunken brawl.

“No witness for the state and so far no witnesses for the defendant have testified who it was that fired the shot.”