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Named in 38 stories. Back to all names
- Jan 13, 1876The Editor, The Gambler, and The Incorruptible JudgeA fiery editorial from 1876 exposes a local feud between the press and the judiciary, revealing a landscape of 'dance houses,' gambling hells, and political bitterness.Commercial Street, Seattle, WA
- Mar 24, 1876Port Discovery’s Busy Wharves and the Mill That Ran Full TimeA short steamer voyage from Port Townsend in 1876 found new wharves, a bigger engine house, and a lumber mill employing about 100 men.Discovery Bay, WA
- Aug 5, 1876The Hunt for a Stolen ChildA desperate father traces his young daughter from Portland to a mysterious house in Snohomish City, sparking a quiet, tense search through the frontier settlement.Main Street, Snohomish, WA
- Oct 4, 1876The City Marshal’s War on DogsIn October 1876, Seattle’s law enforcement launched a crackdown on stray animals, rounding up six dogs and giving owners a grim ultimatum: pay the fine or watch their pets executed.Seattle, WA
- Nov 25, 1876The Floor Gives Way: Panic and Death at Seattle’s Morris Opera HouseA grand opening night turns into a nightmare when the second-story floor of the newly converted theater collapses into the stables below, killing several and injuring dozens in one of the city's earliest major disasters.Opera House, Seattle
- Feb 16, 1883The Brutality Aboard the ChallengerA captain escapes conviction, but his mates are sentenced for systematic cruelty against seamen.Seattle, WA
- Jan 3, 1884The Arcade Saloon MeleeA morning brawl involving the 'John Bull Combination' spills out of the Arcade Saloon and into the street.Seattle, WA
- Mar 10, 1885Opium Raid on South Third StreetFederal authorities seized 50 pounds of contraband opium from a Chinese merchant's establishment in Seattle.Seattle, WA
- Oct 16, 1885The Campaign to Purge Seattle’s ChinatownIn 1885, as anti-Chinese sentiment surged across the Pacific Northwest, a Seattle city official led a raid on the city's Chinatown, marking an early, aggressive move in the movement to drive the Chinese community out of the city.Chinatown, Seattle, WA
- Apr 9, 1887The Burglar's Secret Den in the Seattle WoodsA group of young boys out playing stumble upon a hidden campsite in the woods, revealing a stash of stolen goods that solves a string of neighborhood crimes.Seattle, WA
- Jan 24, 1889The Boom That Built Seattle: A City on the Verge of ExplosionAs the new year dawns, Seattle’s leaders are boasting of unprecedented growth—new schools, hotels, and blocks rising from the mud, fueled by lumber wealth and a population that refuses to stay small.Seattle, WA
- Mar 8, 1889The Jailbreak That Almost Was: A Struggle for Freedom in Port TownsendIn a dramatic afternoon at the Clallam County jail, five prisoners attempted to overpower the keeper with an axe and a garrote-style choke. Jailer Furlong’s quick draw saved the day.Port Townsend, WA
- Apr 30, 1891The Corruption of the College LocationNorth Yakima residents fume over the 'corrupt' decision to place the state agricultural college in Pullman rather than the Yakima Valley.Yakima, WA
- Feb 15, 1892The Seattle-Portland Cockfighting Feud of 1892A high-stakes cockfighting match between Seattle and Portland descended into chaos, accusations of cheating, and a referee's decision that sparked a regional sports rivalry.Seattle, WA
- May 30, 1892Dancing for the MinersThe town of Gilman rallies to support the families affected by the catastrophic Roslyn mine disaster.Issaquah, WA
- Nov 24, 1892The Ahtanum Creek Prize FightA covert Sunday morning bout between a local black man and a white opponent draws a crowd of Yakima's 'sportively inclined' citizens.Ahtanum Creek, Yakima, WA
- Nov 30, 1892Political Infighting Hits Washington’s Young Agricultural CollegeRegents move to meet in North Yakima in an apparent power struggle to depose college president Warren Lilley.Pullman, WA
- Dec 24, 1892The Riot at the Agricultural CollegeA call for police intervention after students mobbed the incoming college president and a regent.Pullman, WA
- Mar 4, 1893The Railroad Freight Fight That Nearly Forced a Special SessionFarmers and reformers pushed the Anderson railroad bill to a Senate showdown, while Gov. McGraw threatened to keep lawmakers in Olympia until freight rates came down.Washington State Capitol, Olympia, WA
- Jul 17, 1893Umpire Mobbed in Seattle-Portland Baseball FeudPassions boil over at a local amateur baseball match, leading to an ugly confrontation and a plea for sportsmanship.Seattle, WA
- Aug 6, 1893The Shingle Mill Strike Turns ViolentA simmering industrial dispute at a Seattle mill boils over into a public brawl, threatening the peace of the streets.Seattle, WA
- Nov 15, 1893The Skokomish River's FuryA rapid rise and fall of water levels damages county roads and sweeps away mining camp infrastructure in Mason County.Hoodsport, WA
- Aug 24, 1894An Ex-Sheriff Charged With Kidnapping Over a Columbia River Fishing FeudA former Clatsop County sheriff is arrested in Tacoma on a charge of kidnaping, the long-delayed reckoning from an 1890 raid on Washington-side fishermen accused of illegal trap fishing.Tacoma, WA
- Aug 18, 1899The Abandoned Souls of the NorthTragic reports from the Yukon reveal that ill gold-seekers are being expelled by Canadian authorities, leaving them to fend for themselves on American soil.Western Hotel, Seattle, WA
- Aug 22, 1899The Seattle Police 'Missing Persons' BulletinIn an era before global telecommunications, a desperate column in the Seattle press served as a human switchboard for families separated by the Alaska gold rush, the Klondike fever, and the transience of a booming frontier town.Seattle, WA
- Feb 2, 1900The Fugitive in the MillA murder suspect evades the law by slipping past witnesses in Sprague.Sprague, WA
- Jul 15, 1903The Hunt for the Oakland School FugitiveBloodhounds track a murder suspect through the outskirts of Tacoma, leading to a tense, ongoing cat-and-mouse game with local law enforcement.Oakland School, Tacoma, WA
- Jul 18, 1903The Shadow in the Long GrassA community in Tacoma is on edge after the discovery of a makeshift bed in a meadow leads residents to believe a fugitive murderer is living among them.Tacoma, WA
- Jul 23, 1903The Palace for the PoorWalla Walla County commissioners spar over a controversial, high-cost proposal to replace the county’s humble poor farm with a luxury-equipped facility.Walla Walla, WA
- Aug 5, 1903The Franchise FightThe newly seated Walla Walla City Council engages in a heated dispute over gas and electric utility franchises.City Hall, Walla Walla, WA
- Aug 21, 1903The Cook, the Revolver, and the Divorce SuitA husband fights a court-ordered alimony payment, claiming his wife's threats and nagging made him lose his job.Walla Walla, WA
- Aug 28, 1903The Midnight Hotel FireA suspected incendiary targets a local hotel, only to be thwarted by staff before the flames reach the dining room.Hotel State, Walla Walla, WA
- Oct 20, 1903Walla Walla’s Great Water DebateThe City Council faces a fractured path forward as they weigh options for a new gravity water system to solve the city's supply crisis.Mill Creek, Walla Walla, WA
- Nov 4, 1903The Walla Walla Council's Fire Alarm DebateCity leaders weigh the cost of a new fire alarm system against the growing municipal budget.Walla Walla, WA
- Nov 4, 1903Walla Walla Council Backs Test Wells for City WaterThe City Council votes to move forward with tapping the Thomas springs, rejecting a controversial Mill Creek plan that critics fear could lead to bankruptcy and litigation.Walla Walla, WA
- Nov 18, 1903City Council Abolishes Poundmaster Role to End LawsuitIn a four-minute legislative maneuver, the Walla Walla City Council eliminated the position of poundmaster to neutralize an ongoing legal dispute.Walla Walla, WA
- Dec 16, 1903Streetcar Plans Delayed in Walla WallaE.S. Isaacs secures council extension on streetcar project due to power plant delays.Walla Walla, WA
- Dec 23, 1903The Whole ThingA heated clash between a city councilman and the acting mayor erupts over procedural power struggles.Walla Walla, WA