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Old newspapers, pinned to the places they wrote about — the streets you can still walk today.
Showing Oakesdale only. Show the whole archive · browse other towns
After a suspicious fire destroys a row of businesses, Oakesdale residents threaten to lynch a Chinese resident previously evicted from the property.
“Today there is strong talk, and the cry of 'The Chinese must go' is frequently heard.”
A three-story hotel blaze consumes the city's business district in just two hours, leaving merchants devastated and the community reeling.
“What at noon was a beautiful, thriving city... is at this hour... a mass of smoldering ruins.”
After a court ruling legalized Oakesdale's incorporation, the town suddenly found itself with two competing governments and a Populist council at odds with its own citizens.
“A brass band was brought forth and the main streets were crowded by hundreds of the best citizens, who cheered themselves hoarse.”
A fifteen-year-old boy shoots and kills a man in downtown Oakesdale, Washington, following years of harassment.
“Today the boy heard that Hogan said he would kill him on sight, hence the shooting.”
A sick, destitute family in Oakesdale is discovered in squalid conditions by a community member.
“The sight which presented itself to this lady as she entered the door was indeed appalling.”
A community's fear of contagion leads to the isolation of a grieving family in Oakesdale.
“The heart-broken father and mother prepared the body of their darling babe for burial, and buried it alone upon the farm.”
Palouse farmers bypass railroad-controlled elevators to handle their own grain, yielding massive profits.
“The Northern Pacific and Pacific Coast Elevator companies... had controlled the grain trade of this country, and had been able to dictate prices and crowd out individual buyers.”
A cattleman's refusal to accept payment for tainted meat leads to a cold-blooded killing in a quiet Washington town.
“Miller threw it on the kitchen floor, putting it in such a filthy condition as to cause the landlord to refuse to accept.”
After the rains wrecked the 1893 wheat crop and merchants slammed shut the credit system, Palouse farmers discovered that the hen — and then the hog — could save them.
“Then the despised and neglected hen came to the rescue and saved the country.”
After years of speculation, prospectors discover a rich vein of steel silver on the Crawford farm, sparking excitement for the region's mineral future.
“Mr. Craig expressed his belief that the day is not far distant when Oakesdale will come into prominence on account of mineral deposits hitherto not believed to exist.”
A pleasure trip to the summit of Steptoe Butte turns to horror when a spooked team of horses destroys the hack, leaving passengers severely injured.
“One young lady had time to jump out, but the others were thrown out and the hack was upset and torn to pieces.”
While other municipalities drown in debt from the boom years, this small Washington town boasts a cash-rich treasury and zero bonds.
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