D. T. Denny
Named in 36 stories. Back to all names
- Mar 28, 1872The Day Seattle Rode the Rails to Lake UnionIn 1872, the completion of the Seattle Coal Company’s railway from the waterfront to the lake offered a thrilling, soot-stained excursion for a city eager to join the industrial age.Lake Union, Seattle, WA
- Jun 28, 1876The Centennial Bash of 1876A committee of Seattle’s power brokers prepares for a city-wide celebration of the nation’s 100th birthday.Seattle, WA
- Jul 12, 1876The 1876 Pitch: Why Seattle Was Bound to BoomA booster’s argument from the pages of 1876 explains why the town was destined to become the 'leading city of the northern coast'—and why land speculators could never stop it.Seattle, WA
- Jul 12, 1876The Free Real Estate Gamble of 1876Facing a housing crunch, a prominent developer offers free land to anyone willing to build—a desperate move to spur growth in North Seattle.North Seattle, Seattle, WA
- Aug 26, 1876The Original Seattle Real Estate HustleIn 1876, a pioneer developer lured buyers with the promise of 'a lot for nothing,' provided they were willing to build their own future on his terms.Seattle, WA
- Mar 22, 1877The Great Cordwood OpportunityIn 1877, a local editor saw a path to economic prosperity by shipping the dense forests of the Puget Sound to a treeless San Francisco.Seattle, WA
- May 10, 1880The Bold Dream to Remake Seattle's WaterwaysIn 1880, a group of prominent citizens proposed a canal between Lake Union and Puget Sound to drain Lake Washington, reclaim farmland, and create an industrial powerhouse.Seattle, WA
- May 10, 1882The Building Boom of 1882While Seattle today faces a housing supply crisis, this 1882 report details a rapid expansion period where 105 new buildings were erected in a single year, aiming to make the city more attractive to the outside world.Seattle, WA
- Mar 7, 1883The Dream of a Lake Washington Canal Takes RootProminent businessmen incorporate the Washington Improvement Company to link the lakes, eyeing a future of farm-rich expansion and city growth.Montlake Cut, Seattle, WA
- Mar 18, 1883The Battle for Moltke StreetA legal dispute over a public right-of-way reveals early tensions between private property development and public access to Lake Union.Seattle, WA
- Apr 24, 1883A Damning Verdict on Steamboat SafetyFollowing the sinking of the steamer Josephine, a King and Kitsap County grand jury finds the vessel's destruction was caused by 'gross negligence' and a failure to enforce maritime safety.Seattle, WA
- Jun 9, 1883Choosing the Schoolhouse for North SeattleCity officials scout a new location for a school on a high ridge overlooking Lake Union and the Sound.Seattle, WA
- Feb 19, 1884The Policing of Lake Union’s Wild FrontiersEarly Seattleites living near Lake Union demanded a policeman to stop the frequent, dangerous gunfire by 'amateur sportsmen' near their homes.Lake Union, Seattle, WA
- Jul 13, 1885The Political Battle for Seattle's StreetsIn an era of rapid growth, a fiery campaign rally at the Yesler Opera House debates the role of moral policing, the cost of city administration, and the integrity of municipal elections.Opera House, Seattle
- Aug 8, 1885The Hop Pickers' Labor PipelineBusiness leaders in 1885 Seattle formalize the recruitment of Chinese labor to fuel Washington's booming hop harvest.Washington Street, Seattle, WA
- Oct 29, 1886The Steamer Anderson’s Long Life on the SoundA legendary vessel finds new ownership in Seattle, signaling a shift in the regional transit market.Seattle, WA
- Apr 27, 1887The Unlikely Redemption of a Prison InmateAfter eighteen months of hard labor, a Seattle convict wins his freedom through an overwhelming petition of support from his community and even the victims he robbed.Seattle, WA
- Jun 1, 1888The Great Flour Rush: Arkansas Millionaire Plans to Reshape Seattle’s North EndN.P. Elsenmeyer arrives from Little Rock with hundreds of feet of waterfront property and a promise to build a massive mill, sparking hopes for a new industrial boom in the city.Seattle, WA
- Jun 21, 1888The Real Estate Hustle of 1888Before the skyline, there were the speculators: a look at how early Seattle developers used the 'Great City' narrative to sell lots in mud-soaked additions.Mill Street, Seattle, WA
- Jan 6, 1889The Great Seattle Real Estate Boom of 1888A meticulously logged list of land deeds from the final days of 1888 reveals a city in the throes of explosive growth, with rapid development radiating outward from the central business district.West Seattle, Seattle
- Apr 14, 1889The Seattle Land Rush of 1889A weekly log of deeds and transactions reveals the frenzied pace of development, speculation, and shifting property lines in pre-statehood Seattle.Front Street, Seattle, WA
- Jan 22, 1891The Darkest Hour: Temperance Leader Declares Cause 'Dead' Amidst Political CorruptionAt the State Temperance Alliance meeting in Seattle, Rev. Clark Davis delivers a scathing indictment of the liquor industry's grip on politics and religion, while Rep. De Steiguer rallies support for Watson Squire.Seattle, WA
- May 16, 1892A Dispute Over Debt at the New Methodist ChurchCongregational tension surfaces as trustees weigh a $10,000 loan to complete the new North Seattle building project.North Seattle College, Seattle, WA
- Aug 5, 1892Seattle Council Pushes Back on Streetcar FranchisesElectric railway companies plead poverty to avoid mandated street lighting, prompting a civic showdown over franchise obligations.Seattle, WA
- Oct 6, 1892The Canal Scandal: A Fabricated List of Prominent BackersThe Post-Intelligencer accuses the Seattle Telegraph of inventing a list of wealthy citizens and firms to support a private canal scheme.Lake Washington Ship Canal, Seattle, WA
- Oct 9, 1892The Quest for Water at Temperance and MercerDeveloper D. T. Denny is drilling deep into the ground of North Seattle, hoping to tap an artesian aquifer to secure water for his property.Seattle, WA
- Feb 24, 1893City Council Denies Police Expansion Amidst Infrastructure DebatesAldermen reject a bid for fifteen additional officers while debating the undergrounding of electric wires.Seattle, WA
- Mar 5, 1893The Seattle Real Estate 'Gigantic Scheme' to ChicagoA proposed state law to widen Seattle streets is condemned as a speculative ploy to unload property on unsuspecting Eastern buyers.Seattle, WA
- Mar 7, 1893The Streetcar Combine That Built North SeattleD. T. Denny and his sons bought control of the Consolidated Street Railway, merged it with the Third Street electric line, and set their sights on every route north of downtown.Lake Union, Seattle, WA
- Mar 31, 1893The Dennys Consolidate Seattle's Transit MonopolyBy acquiring the Front Street cable lines, the Denny family gains control of the city’s major streetcar systems, shifting the north-end transit future toward electric power.Second Street, Seattle, WA
- Sep 20, 1893The Great City Treasury LootingAs Seattle officials scramble to extradite a disgraced city treasurer, a deeper web of corruption, secret loans, and grand jury investigations emerges.King County Courthouse, Seattle, WA
- Feb 10, 1894The Town Meeting CatechismTaxpayers pack Denny Hall to grill the school board over building costs and teacher salaries during the 'hard times' of 1894.Seattle, WA
- Jul 4, 1894The Collapse of a Seattle DynastyFacing mounting debt, the city’s founding family reorganizes its sprawling land and streetcar empire under a new corporate umbrella.Seattle, WA
- Aug 6, 1894The City Will Pave First Avenue—Cable Tracks or NotSeattle's street committee orders brick pavement from Yesler to Pike and threatens to pave straight over the Front Street Cable Company's sagging rails if the company won't pay to raise them.Seattle, WA
- Jan 6, 1895The Denny Family's Streetcar Empire Comes DueA tangle of promissory notes, pledged railway stocks and bonds lands D. T. Denny and his sons in superior court, with a judgment looming over Seattle's early car lines.Superior Court of Washington for King County, Seattle, WA
- Jan 27, 1895A Receivership Sale Rewires Seattle's Street RailwayBondholders sign a deal to merge the troubled Rainier Power and Railway Co. into a new Third Street Suburban Railway Company, with the Denny family’s claims still shaping the terms.Seattle, WA