C. J. Smith
Named in 13 stories. Back to all names
- Aug 31, 1889The Iron Rush: How a New Railroad Branch Promised to Transform SeattleAs crews race to lay track toward the Idaho mines, the business elite of 1889 Seattle brace for a new era of growth and shipping dominance.Seattle, WA
- Feb 14, 1893Seven Lots, Three Judges, and a Railroad's Sky-High BillWith jurors suspected of being bribed, three judges took over the Great Northern condemnation case—and the valuations for a few lots near King Street swung wildly.Seattle, WA
- May 26, 1893The Waterfront Right-of-Way BattleThe Supreme Court rules in favor of the railroads, allowing them to rebuild the controversial 'Ram's Horn' track along the waterfront.Seattle, WA
- Nov 30, 1893The Economic Anxiety of the 1893 Tariff DebateWashington's leading industries feared that a new trade bill would prioritize Eastern markets and force local businesses to lower wages to compete with international labor.Seattle, WA
- Mar 10, 1894The Navy Preferred British Coal. Seattle Wouldn’t Let It Go.When the Bering Sea fleet was ordered to take Comox coal instead of Puget Sound fuel, Senator Squire and local coal men forced a test—and threatened to take the fight to the Senate.Seattle, WA
- Aug 14, 1894Hard Times Are Over, but Striking Railroad Men Need Not ApplyNorthern Pacific managers touring the coast said the depression had turned, but they refused to rehire workers who had walked off the job.Rainier Club, Seattle, WA
- Aug 25, 1894The Franklin Mine Fire: Thirty-Seven Dead, Not a Scratch on ThemA fire in breast sixty-two traps miners between flame and return airway; bodies are laid in rows as Seattle sends a special train.Black Diamond, WA
- Sep 8, 1894Railroads Battle for Seattle's Tide FlatsMultiple railroad companies propose a sweeping reconfiguration of Seattle's waterfront, including a union terminal and the removal of Railroad Avenue, as the city's tide lands become the prize of a growing transportation war.Seattle, WA
- Sep 12, 1894A Damning Report on Seattle's Water WorksA Chamber of Commerce committee found a hastily built municipal water system, political patronage and missing maps—and urged Seattle to hire a professional engineer at $5,000 a year.Seattle, WA
- Jan 5, 1895The Mine Strike That Ended in a Shooting — and a NonsuitWashington’s Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of the Thornburn family’s damages suit after violence between striking miners and Black strikebreakers at the Franklin and Newcastle coal mines.Black Diamond, WA
- Feb 7, 1895The Waterfront War: Railroads Clash Over Seattle Tide FlatsA long-standing right-of-way dispute between the Great Northern and the Oregon Improvement Company turns physical as crews rip up tracks at the foot of Washington Street.Seattle, WA
- May 27, 1899The $100,000 Flip: How a Seattle Speculator Made a Fortune on the Corner of Pike and PioneerWhile the city debates housing affordability, a quiet real estate deal reveals how early developers turned modest lots into massive wealth in just one year.Pike Street, Seattle
- Jun 30, 1899The College That Could Have Been: Seattle’s Bid to Steal WhitworthAs Tacoma and Seattle compete for the relocation of Whitworth College, local boosters scramble to offer land and cash, revealing a fierce battle for civic prestige in the early 1900s.Seattle, WA