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Old newspapers, pinned to the places they wrote about — the streets you can still walk today.
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Citizens meet at the Court House, resolve that 'no Northern Indians at any time be allowed to land at this place,' and appoint a standing Committee of Vigilance to enforce it.
“Resolved, That no Northern Indians at any time be allowed to land at this place.”
Thirteen men held in limbo for years, caught between a nation that didn't want them and a border that refused their return.
“Though these men had committed no crime they were confined in the penitentiary for more than three years, and there is every hazard that their term of imprisonment would be continued indefinitely.”
A group of laborers at the new asylum construction site speak out against contractors and commissioners who left them unpaid and used rot-prone materials.
“The Territory has erected a building, paid for inferior and rotten material, and cheated a number of hard-working men who earn their bread by the sweat of their brows.”
A landmark lawsuit reveals the vanished history of Washington's oldest grist mill and the early water wars of Pierce County.
“For twenty-one days an interesting collection of witnesses have been summoned before Judge Campbell... to testify in a unique civil suit, which promises to be the longest-contested case ever brought before the courts of the state.”
Did a state representative die of natural causes, or was he poisoned by a lover?
“Mrs. Redpath's symptoms were substantially similar to those of Shadle. She saw red and white spots, saw cows turn from red to white, and prairies on fire.”
A cattle dispute turns into a fatal shooting, followed by a mob storming the jail to execute the prisoner.
“The jail was besieged, and the prisoner taken therefrom and hung by the excited populace.”
On Aug. 9, 1859, soldiers and two brass cannon left Steilacoom aboard the steamer Julia to reinforce Capt. Pickett’s tiny command, as the U.S. and Britain edged toward war over a boundary and a pig.
“Steilacoom was the scene of quite an excitement, caused by the departure of the troops at this Station for the island of San Juan.”
A newly released prisoner brings harrowing allegations of medical neglect, forced labor, and death to the attention of Seattle officials.
“The air in the cell was bad, and the place very cold. Sometimes a trusty would shove a hot brick into the cell, and this would warm our feet and hands.”
A state mental hospital is rocked by accusations that a patient was murdered, triggering a battle between local officials and an Eastern chemist.
“If experts fail into error, how much more a novice like Dr. Hamlen. I never had the least reason to believe that Mr. Shadle died from poison. Dr. Hamlen's certificate is not worth the paper it is written on.”
A mass-meeting in Steilacoom formalizes the community's outrage over the vigilante killing of a citizen-slayer, reflecting deep distrust in the local courts.
“Resolved: That the inefficiency of our courts and their various appliances to enforce the punishment for crime has been a byword and a reproach to our community.”
A 75-year-old Tacoma resident attempts to end her life in the Sound, only to be thwarted by a quick-thinking teenager.
“She often expressed the wish to die and be buried in the Sound.”
A Tuesday-night blaze destroyed the county auditor's office, forced the demolition of a neighboring building, and nearly took Anthony's Hotel—until soldiers joined the bucket brigade.
“Scarcely an hour elapsed before it was burned to the ground. So rapidly did the flames spread that both furniture and records were wholly destroyed.”
In 1887, Washington Territorial legislators took a collective trip to inspect the state's asylum, but the solemn mission quickly devolved into a social affair that kept the real results hidden from the public.
“Because the legislators were so preoccupied with the social activities, it became impossible for reports of the actual conditions to be sent away.”
A rare, firsthand look at the daily operations, patient care, and humanitarian philosophy of the Washington State Asylum for the Insane.
“None of the attendants ever thought that kindness would have its effect upon an insane being, yet kindness is the only treatment that prevails in the hospital.”
A state representative dies in an asylum, and his father suspects poisoning by atropine.
“The body was exhumed after the burial, and the contents of the stomach analyzed.”
A biennial report reveals the harsh realities and overcrowding at the state facility for the insane in Steilacoom.
“The sick and afflicted instinctively want spiritual help. They enjoy religious exercises. They are calmed and benefited by them.”
A rare firsthand look at the conditions, characters, and daily routines of patients at the Washington Territorial Insane Asylum.
“One poor fellow laughs when spoken to. Another stutters until he hits the right oath which shames him.”
A lone survivor of a shipwreck off Cape Flattery arrives in Steilacoom, providing harrowing details of a vessel lost with fifteen passengers aboard.
“The exhausted condition of the men rescued prevented Capt. C. from obtaining reliable information.”
A Steilacoom resident and a captain vanish after leaving Port Townsend; a rumor from Vancouver Island speaks of a wreck and murder.
“Some six or seven weeks have passed since departure, during which time nothing has been heard of either the vessel or any one on board.”
A 19th-century court case in Steilacoom exposes the tension between local land speculators and the ideal of the 'actual settler' on the Washington frontier.
“To concede him the right to hold one acre that way would give him the right to hold thousands. In fact he might monopolize a county and cover it with cattle and exclude others who might wish to become actual bona fide settlers.”
A routine transport between the island and Steilacoom turns fatal after a sudden squall capsizes the boat.
“A Steilacoom lady says she saw the men clinging to the upturned keel.”
A grand, failed railway scheme proves that even the most ambitious 'railroad kings' can't build an empire without a single cent in the bank.
“The Clerk found out that capital was very tenacious, and the Judge, to use his own expression, 'found it was a d—d hard thing to borrow.'”
In 1880, a visionary booster pitched a grand transcontinental railroad terminus that he claimed would transform a quiet Puget Sound town into the 'metropolis' of the Pacific.
“Steilacoom City stands peerless. In the foreground silvery arms of the sea... the distant Olympic range clad in eternal sleet... appear like huge pyramids of frosted silver.”
A man awaiting commitment to the insane asylum attempts to take his own life in the halls of the institution.
“Kelly suspected that all was not right, and forced the door open as soon as he could, only to find the insane man, razor in hand, whacking away at his throat.”
Five convicts at the state penitentiary staged a daring, daylight breakout, leading to a desperate shootout in the woods.
“Wise was shot in the lung, the bullet penetrating his heart, from which he fell dead.”
Looking back at 1855, when a Steilacoom weekly became the voice of a territory under siege.
“The Northern Indians have been committing depredations... The sloop-of-war Decatur left our harbor for Seattle on Saturday last in gallant style.”
A drunken horse trade between two men in Steilacoom turns into a public shooting, leaving a man wounded and the assailant on the run.
“Dean, drunk as he was, flourished his hands around and in some of his movements struck Harrington, when the latter drew his revolver and commenced firing.”
Two convicts who vanished while building jetties for the government spark a frantic, bloodhound-led manhunt across the Puget Sound.
“The bloodhounds kept at the prison were taken to the point where the boat was abandoned, and placed on the track of the men.”
A witness to the evolution of the Pacific Northwest, Flett served as a crucial bridge between settlers and Indigenous nations.
“He was a thorough Indian linguist and an adept in understanding Indian character.”
A schooner captain confirms rich strikes on the Fraser and Thompson rivers—and hundreds of workers are already leaving Victoria and the Sound for the mines.
“They report the miners to be making from eight to fifty dollars per day.”
A steamer from the north brings word of rich surface diggings on the Fraser and Thompson rivers, soldiers deserting lower Puget Sound posts, and Steilacoom cut off from its mail.
“We are dependent upon canoe service for the carrying of our mail.”
Miners from Oregon and the Columbia are streaming through town bound for the Fraser River, buying supplies and predicting thousands more.
“An immense number of miners (some say as many as three thousand) are on their way from the Columbia River, via Steilacoom, for Fraser's and Thompson's Rivers.”
A local merchant vanishes from Steilacoom, leaving behind $5,000 in debts and unpaid laborers.
“It is presumed that one George Clark... has left for parts unknown; having debts behind to the amount of about $5,000.”
When Washington became a state, the federal government tried to offload the McNeil Island Penitentiary and its prisoners to state control—but Governor Elisha Ferry wasn't having it.
“I have arrived at the conclusion that I have no authority to accept for the state the property and prisoners tendered by you.”
A group of builders and taxpayers exposes shoddy construction at the new Territorial Asylum.
“Such narrowness of view on the part of officials dressed in a little brief authority does much toward embittering the feeling between the two towns.”
Repeated escapes from the government facility lead to complaints that the island's prison buildings are dangerously insecure.
“The repeated escaping of prisoners from the government penitentiary at McNeil's island has resulted in a complaint that the buildings are insecure.”
Superintendent Dr. Calhoun proposes the 'cottage plan' to reform the state's mental health care, seeking land and modern equipment.
“The cottage plan works far more satisfactorily in insane asylums than the hospital and the superintendent wishes to try it in this state.”
A longtime resident of Montesano and Aberdeen dies by suicide while in an asylum.
“He leaves a wife and four children, who have the sympathy of the entire community.”
A young Tacoma attorney faces a harsh public trial of his mental health as his own father testifies against him in court.
“Washburn defended his own case, and when his father, Paul Washburg, gave testimony as to the son's insanity, the young man cross-examined him shrewdly.”
A patient at the state hospital takes his own life, marking a string of recent tragedies at the institution.
“This is the second suicide case reported from the asylum this week and the fourth since January 11.”
A Puget Sound steamer damages Steilacoom's private wharf; the repairs are made, but the landings become a running feud between a steamboat captain and the town.
“The citizens of Steilacoom own no interest in the wharf—it is private property.”
A Saturday arrival brings word of gold at Fort Yale, a turn-by-turn route up the Fraser River, and a miner's warning that provisions are very high.
“Adams says that the mines are good; the lowest that he knows of any one making per day is $10. Provisions are very high.”
While searching for a college site, a young Edmund Meany uncovers a forgotten piece of state-owned land near Tacoma.
“As Mr. Meany has always been in search of any information that might permanently benefit his alma mater, these inquiries started him on a tour of investigation.”
A local citizen hits a pocket of gold, sparking a frantic rush among town residents.
“Soon the news flew like wild-fire over the entire length and breadth of Steilacoom, and men and boys were seen hurrying to the spot.”
Two elderly woodcutters were held at gunpoint in their home, sparking a search by local authorities.
“The thugs broke in the door of the cabin and forced the old men to give up their money at the point of revolvers.”
An inquest finds no negligence after a patient at the hospital for the insane takes his own life.
“We further find that no blame is attached to the management of the institution.”
A Steilacoom storekeeper is robbed of $137 at closing time, and police first look to twenty men just released from McNeil’s Island.
““He complied, and later telegraphed to Tacoma requesting the police to arrest the robbers, giving as their description simply ‘three masked men.’””
While the Puget Sound Herald's proprietor and his wife were away, a soldier slipped into their home—then walked back through the kitchen into the sitting room.
“He had hardly disappeared when the stolen articles were missed, one by one, until the aggregate amounted in value to about one hundred dollars.”
In July 1859, the steamer Julia carried Olympia and Steilacoom society across the Sound to Seattle, where three supper tables and a hall full of dancers made territorial news.
“Perhaps so large a company was never before assembled at a ball in the Territory.”
A quarrel over loyalty to the mayor ends in a back-lot club fight, a wounded stranger, and a town official who vanishes from the city.
“"Your conduct on the night previous, in supporting the Mayor, was not becoming for a gentleman."”
Near Judge Chambers's house, Mrs. Riccomba's young son was thrown and dragged; he lay in a very critical state.
“The flesh was torn from the skull, and the skull slightly broken. Other bruises and injuries were sustained, of a nature sufficiently severe to endanger the life of the child.”
A dozen strangers brawl outside Jerry Dennis's house, prompting the editor to demand the disorderly den be closed.
“On Sunday last, the most disgraceful scenes that we have yet witnessed here were enacted in our streets.”
A 13-year-old collapsed in the street with a .22-caliber slug in his leg. X-rays found the bullet; nobody could say who fired it.
“Where the bullet came from is a mystery to the residents of that quiet town.”
A brief, callous report from 1878 chronicles an individual suffering a mental health crisis, shedding light on the historical intersection of medical pathologization and gender nonconformity in the Pacific Northwest.
“Another individual was recently sent to the Asylum in this Territory who imagines he is turning into a woman.”
A former inmate calls for books to replace the monotony of prison life.
“Those who might be learning the moral laws of the universe are now, from the lack of opportunity in that direction, learning idleness, plotting crime.”
A rare glimpse into the operations of Washington Territory’s only mental hospital, as reported by its superintendent in 1884.
“I feel sure that it has been of great benefit to the public, which is so firmly impressed with the idea that an insane asylum is a dreadful place.”
Meeting in Steilacoom, Pierce County Republicans resolve to support the Constitution and condemn the removal of the Territorial Capitol.
“We do not deem it necessary, or expedient, to adopt [the platform] as the sole rule and guide, but would earnestly call upon citizens to stand shoulder to shoulder by the Constitution.”
A Japanese hunter near Steilacoom was seriously wounded after his own shotgun discharged in his boat.
“Though very weak from loss of blood, the man is in a hopeful condition and little fear is felt for his life.”
A man committed to the state asylum after an erratic attempt to seize a local pulpit is sent back to care.
“His reason for attempting the preaching act on Sunday last was because Rev. Reed was absent and he didn't see why his preaching wouldn't do.”
By a single vote, the town of Steilacoom decided to maintain its remaining liquor license in a special election.
“By a majority of one vote, the Steilacoom 'wets' were victors.”
Warehouses on pilings, a new store and a brick jail: the town's 1853 building boom was a bet on growth.
“Those improvements are not based on uncertain speculation respecting the future, but are called for to meet the demand of an increased and constantly increasing growth and trade.”
The steamer Northerner and a second vessel met suddenly on the water in October 1858, crushing the little steamer’s bow and nearly sending its captain into the Sound.
“The escape of the little steamer from submersion and wreck was indeed miraculous; so imminent did it seem that Capt. Pray on the instant partly divested himself of his clothing, in anticipation of a swim for his life.”
A furious 1858 editorial accuses local authorities of letting California gamblers plunder the town in plain sight.
“Public gambling, for some weeks past, has been carried on here with as much publicity as the vending of merchandise.”
With wooden buildings packed into the business district and no reservoir, engine or ladder company, the Puget Sound Herald warns that a single blaze could erase the town’s prospects.
“Who will set the ball in motion?”
In its first-anniversary survey of Puget Sound, the Herald finds every vacant building in Steilacoom filled — and thirty new ones thrown up in eight months.
“Eight months ago, one-third of the fifty or seventy buildings in Steilacoom were empty; not only are all of them now occupied, but some thirty more have been erected and occupied.”
A hundred neighbors set aside their work for a promised steamboat excursion to Olympia — but the boat failed to show, the crowd simmered, and the day ended in a dance hall instead of on deck.
“The appointed hour came, however, but brought no steamer with it.”
A Steilacoom merchant says Col. Wm. H. Wallace paid for the coat Warren Gore called stolen—and that the real target is the county's voters.
“the coat referred to by Warren Gore was purchased by me for Col. Wallace, and paid for”
On July 4, 1859, Steilacoom turned out for a warship salute, a military review at Fort Steilacoom, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, and an evening ball.
“Seldom has it been the fortune of the citizens of Steilacoom to pass the Fourth more satisfactorily.”
The Puget Sound Herald casts doubt on its own report of a battle between Col. Steptoe and Indigenous fighters, noting that no reliable account has arrived.
“That some trouble may have happened with the Indians is possible, but we do not believe a battle has been fought.”
County commissioners force construction after government restricts access to the penitentiary's private ferry service.
“Owing to the government objecting to the use of the government launches of the McNeil Island penitentiary for every-day travel, the commissioners were forced to build a float to accommodate the ranchers on the island.”
A dusty invitation to a long-forgotten ball reveals the social life of Washington Territory 25 years prior, documenting the vanishings of a frontier community.
“The ball was given by the Dashaways, a flourishing temperance society of that time.”
Legislators grapple with the cost of housing inmates at the Steilacoom jail while the permanent penitentiary site remains a mystery.
“This bill is almost as good as making the Steilacoom Jail the Penitentiary, until we really find out where the Territorial Penitentiary is to be built.”
A creditor seeks a receiver for a charcoal and creosote plant that failed to sustain operations after only four months.
“The plant discontinued operations after running about four months.”
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