Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad
Named in 34 stories. Back to all names
- Jan 30, 1883The Iron Horse Approaches SeattleContractors accelerate the connection between the Puget Sound and the nation, employing hundreds to bridge the gap.Seattle, WA
- Mar 1, 1883The Railroad Land WarA farmer on the Chehalis River accuses local officials and railroad contractors of corruption and 'bulldozing' tactics regarding land appraisals and property rights.Chehalis, WA
- May 14, 1887The Horror on South Eighth StreetA brutal incident in the outskirts of Seattle leaves a neighborhood in shock after a domestic attack.Seattle, WA
- Nov 23, 1887Trapped on the Tracks: A Laborer's Peril at NewcastleA railroad construction worker suffers horrific injuries after being run over by a train in the mining town of Newcastle, highlighting the routine dangers faced by Seattle’s laborers in the late 19th century.Newcastle, WA
- Jun 15, 1888The Landlords' New Playbook: How Seattle's Elite Are Cornering the Housing MarketIn a move that mirrors today’s corporate housing boom, lumber barons Yesler, Foster, and Lowman are launching a massive development on Broadway to control supply and dictate prices for new arrivals.Broadway, Seattle
- Aug 12, 1888Life Inside the Coal Company’s TownA rare glimpse into the daily rhythm, infrastructure, and isolation of Franklin, a booming King County coal town in the summer of 1888.Franklin, Black Diamond, WA
- Jan 19, 1889The Terminal Standoff: How Seattle’s Business Elite Forced a Railroad CompromiseIn January 1899, the city’s Board of Trade and leading merchants intervened in a bitter dispute between the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad and the Puget Sound Shore Railroad, demanding the construction of vital terminal warehouses to save freight from the elements.Commercial Street, Seattle, WA
- Apr 17, 1889The Railway Scheme That FailedA phantom freight tariff, designed to crush independent grocers, is exposed and vetoed by the railroad manager himself.Seattle, WA
- Jul 4, 1889The Shadowy Campaign for Seattle's WaterfrontBefore the city was fully formed, a powerful railroad lobby attempted to secure the lucrative tide-lands of Elliott Bay through backroom deals.Elliott Bay, Seattle, WA
- Sep 20, 1889The Seattle Boom in Black and White: 1889A look at the sheer volume of commerce flowing through Seattle's docks and rails just weeks after the Great Seattle Fire, showcasing a city obsessed with growth, brick, and iron.Seattle, WA
- Jan 16, 1892The Grooming of a Section ForemanWhen a railroad boss demanded a married man for a section-house job, an applicant didn't let a minor detail like bachelorhood stop him from closing the deal in an hour.Seattle, WA
- Jan 21, 1892Marriage on One Hour's NoticeA railroad foreman faced a strict hiring requirement and a ticking clock, but his resourcefulness—and a very quick wedding—landed him the job.Seattle, WA
- Feb 4, 1892The City vs. The Tide FlatsWhen the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad attempted to drive piles for a slip at the foot of Jackson Street, the city of Seattle flexed its legal muscles to prevent the privatization of the waterfront.Jackson Street, Seattle, WA
- May 10, 1892The Railway War on the Seattle WaterfrontA high-stakes legal standoff between competing rail lines leaves the Seattle waterfront in limbo, as judges scramble to halt construction near King Street.King Street, Seattle, WA
- Jun 25, 1892A New Industry: Grindstone Quarry Near Maple Valley Begins ShippingThe first grindstones produced in Washington or Oregon are now being turned out from a quarry near Maple Valley, employing eighteen men and shipping to Seattle.Maple Valley, WA
- Oct 3, 1892Squatter’s Rights and the Railroad Tie CuttersA land dispute in Maple Valley leads to the arrest of six men accused of harvesting timber on claimed but contested land.Maple Valley, WA
- Oct 15, 1892The Great Northern's Monopoly on the WaterfrontRailroad superintendent McCabe warns that the city's waterfront is being handed over to James J. Hill, effectively cutting off public access.Yesler Avenue, Seattle, WA
- Nov 22, 1892Great Northern Right-of-Way Case ResumesRailroad giants clash over terminal access, threatening to destroy the city’s existing shipping infrastructure.Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA
- Apr 11, 1893Railroad Union Leader Arrives to Mediate Wage StandoffGrand Master F.P. Sargent arrives at the Occidental Hotel to negotiate pay increases for Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad engineers and firemen.Seattle, WA
- May 10, 1893The 'Ram's Horn' Waterfront FightA landmark court battle over railroad right-of-ways and the city's power to control its streets against corporate expansion.Columbia Street, Seattle, WA
- Jan 14, 1894The Deluge Strikes the SoundHeavy rains and melting mountain snow cripple regional rail lines and cause flooding across King and Snohomish counties, leaving trains stranded in mudslides.Lake Washington, Seattle, WA
- Feb 8, 1894The 'Ram's Horn' Tracks Cleared for ConstructionA Supreme Court ruling clears the way for the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad to proceed with construction, settling a long-standing legal battle over land access.Columbia Street, Seattle, WA
- Feb 15, 1894Railroad War on the WaterfrontA bitter legal battle over a disputed right-of-way erupts into accusations of perjury in court as railroad crews prepare to tear down a local businessman’s building.Seattle, WA
- Feb 17, 1894The Last-Second Injunction That Saved a Seattle Building From the RailroadJudge Langley cleared the way for demolition, then a federal mortgage-holder's suit stopped the axes at the Colman block.Seattle, WA
- Apr 17, 1894Seattle’s 'Ram's Horn' Tracks Finally StraightenedAfter years of litigation and civic headache, the city moves to eliminate the dangerous and obstructive curving rail path known as the 'Ram's Horn' between Yesler Way and Union Street.Seattle, WA
- Aug 17, 1894Two Freight Trains Meet Head-On at Van AsseltA Northern Pacific freight slammed into a Columbia & Puget Sound train near the Denny Clay works, injuring a passenger and forcing crewmen to jump.Seattle, WA
- Aug 23, 1894The Deal That Cleared the Way for Great Northern’s Seattle TerminalAfter a court fight over track crossings on Railroad Avenue, three railroads reached an agreement that let Great Northern build its Jackson Street depot and remake the south waterfront.Seattle, WA
- Sep 2, 1894Seattle Opens Its Purse for the Franklin Mine Widows and OrphansA Post-Intelligencer relief fund nears $1,500 as post office clerks, university employees, railroad men and benefit audiences contribute to families of the miners killed at Franklin.Seattle, WA
- Sep 11, 1894Four Railroads, One Street Grid, and a Deal Seattle Had to ApproveGreat Northern, Northern Pacific and rival lines nearly settle how their tracks will cross south of downtown—if the city council will rewrite their franchises.Seattle, WA
- Feb 20, 1895Railway Men Fight a Rate Cut to Save Their WagesA hundred railroad employees packed a Masonic hall at Second and Pike to oppose legislation lowering freight and passenger rates, arguing that cheaper trains would mean smaller paychecks.Seattle, WA
- Mar 24, 1895The Railroad Fixer Who Helped Build Seattle Dies of a Cold Caught in OlympiaJesse W. George, Great Northern right-of-way agent, former U.S. marshal and survivor of the 1889 fire, dies at his Fourth and Cherry home after pneumonia.Seattle, WA
- Apr 8, 1895The Canal That Was Going to Bring the Farm Into SeattleIn 1895, boosters promised the Lake Washington Ship Canal would cut freight transfers for farmers, float logs from Sammamish, and let Newcastle coal load almost at the pit mouth.Lake Washington Ship Canal, Seattle, WA
- Apr 28, 1895The Railroad Man Who Gave Seattle Its First Real Baseball Team — Then Lost EverythingW. R. Thornell organized the Pacific Northwest League and the 'Seattle Reds,' then lost his bank job over a forged note. Bright's disease took him at Paddock Memorial Hospital in Tacoma; he was buried in the city that once cheered him.Seattle, WA
- Jun 17, 1895A Coal Town Crawls Back From the Fire That Entombed Forty MinersSix months after the Coal Creek disaster, a reporter follows Newcastle's superintendent a thousand feet underground into the new mine the company is racing to make bigger than the one it lost.Newcastle, WA