Geo. D. Hill
Named in 10 stories. Back to all names
- Apr 6, 1876The Day the Seattle Gold Lottery Fell ApartA grand public spectacle at Occidental Square took a sour turn when organizers confessed they had sold only half the tickets, forcing a desperate, on-the-spot slashing of prize money.Seattle, WA
- Jun 8, 1876The Million-Dollar Ticket: How Seattle Bet Its Future on a LotteryIn 1876, the city’s most prominent businessman launched a massive lottery to fund a mountain road, offering a steam sawmill valued at $100,000 as the grand prize.Seattle, WA
- Jun 9, 1876The $100,000 Mill: Seattle’s Legalized Lottery for a FortuneIn 1876, the Washington Territory authorized a massive public lottery to fund a road across the Cascades. The grand prize? A fully operational steam sawmill and prime real estate in downtown Seattle.Seattle, WA
- Mar 2, 1878The Great Seattle Land Foreclosure of 1878A sweeping list of hundreds of local property owners faced with losing their land to the county for unpaid taxes, signaling the precarious nature of early Seattle real estate.Seattle, WA
- Mar 9, 1878Seattle's 1878 Auction of Property for Unpaid TaxesWhen the city of Seattle moved to liquidate the private property of its citizens to cover a year of unpaid taxes.King County Courthouse, Seattle, WA
- Mar 16, 1878The 1878 Great Seattle Tax AuctionBefore the skyline, there was the spreadsheet: A massive public auction of delinquent Seattle properties reveals the names, debts, and land-holdings of the city's pioneer founders.Seattle, WA
- Mar 23, 1878The Delinquent Tax Auction of 1878A sweeping list of King County residents facing property forfeiture offers a window into the messy, frontier-era accumulation of Seattle real estate.King County Courthouse, Seattle, WA
- Aug 8, 1878The Wild Foot Race on Commercial StreetBefore the city grew, Seattle’s main thoroughfare hosted a high-stakes sprint that drew crowds to the rooftops and left bettors stunned.Commercial Street, Seattle, WA
- Jul 8, 1885The 'Law and Order' Battles of Old SeattleAs municipal elections approached in 1885, rival factions clashed over the 'principle' of regulating vice, revealing a city struggling with its own moral identity.Seattle, WA
- Feb 7, 1886The Masquerade That Captivated SeattleAt the height of winter, Seattle’s socialites and laborers alike donned disguises for a night of revelry at Brown’s Pavilion, blending classes in a rare moment of community spectacle.Seattle, WA