Dexter Horton
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- Jan 8, 1872A Frontier Farewell: The Seattle Pioneers Mourn Hannah HortonA quiet moment of communal grief in early Seattle as the Pioneers' Association honors the life of a 'noble woman' in 1872.Seattle, WA
- Jul 15, 1876The Mayor Who Bought His Seat with Lottery MoneyIn Seattle’s first hotly contested municipal election of 1876, the newspaper publisher who ran for mayor lost to Dr. Weed—not because he lacked support from mechanics and laborers, but because his opponent mobilized the city’s notorious lottery gamblers.Seattle, WA
- Sep 11, 1876The Day Seattle’s Wealthiest Bankers Challenged the TaxmanIn a landmark 1876 legal maneuver, Arthur Denny and Dexter Horton petitioned King County Commissioners to stop paying taxes on their mortgage loans, arguing that taxing the debt while the property was already taxed amounted to double taxation.Seattle, WA
- May 5, 1877The Great Land Grab: Citizens Unite to Stop the Railroad's Theft of Public SoilIn a packed meeting at Reinig’s Hall, Snohomish leaders condemn the Northern Pacific Railway for hoarding millions of acres while building a secret coal line, vowing to fight Congress to return the land to settlers.Snohomish, WA
- Mar 30, 1878The Price of Early Seattle SpeculationA series of 1878 sheriff's sales reveals the precarious nature of land ownership during Seattle's early frontier development.Seattle, WA
- Apr 6, 1878The Price of Industrial ExpansionA sheriff’s auction reveals the crushing debt behind the rise of Seattle’s coal industry in the 1870s.King County Courthouse, Seattle, WA
- Apr 20, 1878The Price of Early Seattle Expansion: A Sheriff’s Sale of the Talbot Coal CompanyIn 1878, as Seattle struggled to build its industrial backbone, the courts were already dismantling the assets of struggling developers, illustrating the precariousness of the city’s early capital-intensive boom.King County Courthouse, Seattle, WA
- Sep 7, 1878The 10-Cent Alternative to the SaloonA local leader proposes a 'reading room and coffee house' to offer Seattle's young men a moral, affordable sanctuary away from the city's liquor dens.Seattle, WA
- Mar 14, 1883Harrington & Smith Secure Waterfront LegacyA landmark property transfer on Commercial Street marks the largest private real estate sale in the Territory's history.Commercial Street, Seattle, WA
- Aug 22, 1883Seattle's New Methodist Church Debt-FreeA local reporter discovers the secret behind the rapid funding of the city's new Methodist Protestant Church.Seattle, WA
- Mar 21, 1885The Last of the Pioneer OrchardWhen Dexter Horton, Seattle’s banking titan, began felling his historic apple trees in 1885, he sparked a flurry of neighborhood rumors about the future of his downtown lots.Seattle, WA
- Mar 20, 1886The Great Seattle Police Reduction DebateCity officials and taxpayers clash over whether the Seattle police force should be downsized despite rising city tensions.Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA
- Jan 2, 1887The Struggle for Seattle’s First ClassroomsBefore the city became an educational powerhouse, Seattle’s early schools were built on the backs of local volunteers, rented rooms, and desperate community fundraising.Third Avenue, Seattle, WA
- Jun 1, 1888The Iron City on the Lake: Peter Kirk’s $20 Million Steel Empire Rises in KirklandBritish industrialist Peter Kirk has secured 2,000 acres on Lake Washington to build a massive iron and steel works, complete with a planned company town. Local leaders hail it as the catalyst for Seattle's transformation into a global manufacturing hub.Houghton, Seattle, WA
- Jul 12, 1889The Pioneer Developer Building the Future of Downtown SeattleAs Seattle grapples with rapid growth and a critical shortage of hotels for visiting businessmen, pioneer Dexter Horton announces a major new business block on Cherry Street.Downtown Seattle, Seattle
- Jan 1, 1891The Phoenix City: Seattle's Rapid Rebirth After the Great FireJust 18 months after the 1889 fire leveled the downtown, Seattle transformed from charred ruins into a modern metropolis of stone, steel, and electric streetcars.Seattle, WA
- Jan 1, 1891The City That Wouldn't Stop BuildingFresh from the ashes of the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, the city defied expectations of a cooldown, pouring over $10 million into a massive 1890 construction boom.Pioneer Square District, Seattle, WA
- Aug 2, 1892Seattle Gas Works Sold for $630,000A syndicate of Seattle and St. Paul investors has purchased the city's primary gas supplier, with plans for expansion and modernization.Jackson Street, Seattle, WA
- Dec 4, 1892Tragedy in the Elevator ShaftA building superintendent is crushed to death while performing routine maintenance in a busy downtown Seattle office building.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
- Feb 24, 1894The Business of GoverningA crowded rally at the Armory showcases the 'Citizens' Municipal League' attempting to wrestle control of Seattle from the grip of party machines.Seattle, WA
- Jan 20, 1895Taxpayers vs. County Hall: The Municipal League's 1895 RevoltA poorly attended Municipal League meeting still sent 200 taxpayers' signatures to the county commissioners, threatened impeachment, and fought over private counsel and school warrants.Chamber of Commerce, Seattle, WA
- Apr 13, 1899The Last Gathering of Seattle’s FoundersAmos Brown, a pioneer who helped shape the city's early identity, is laid to rest in a ceremony attended by nearly every surviving member of Seattle's first generation.1110 First Avenue, Seattle, WA