Val Wildman
Named in 9 stories. Back to all names
- Apr 13, 1876The Seattle Lottery Scandal of 1876A local editor confesses his regret for backing a 'legal' lottery that turned the city into an open gambling hell.Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA
- Jun 7, 1876The Great Seattle Lottery: A $100,000 Sawmill and a Road to NowhereIn 1876, the Washington Territory legislature authorized a massive public lottery to fund a road through Snoqualmie Pass. The grand prize? Yelver’s Steam Saw Mill. It was a bold gamble on infrastructure that reveals how early Seattle funded its growth.Seattle, WA
- Jun 26, 1876The Centennial Lottery GambleIn 1876, the Washington Territorial Legislature authorized a public lottery to fund a wagon road across the Cascade Mountains, marking a desperate and creative approach to frontier infrastructure.Seattle, WA
- Jun 29, 1876A High-Stakes Adventure on the RiverA young woman's terrifying ordeal while navigating the dangerous waters of the Snohomish River.Snohomish River, Snohomish, WA
- Jun 30, 1876Seattle’s 1876 Fourth of July ExtravaganzaAs the United States approached its first centennial, Seattle civic leaders mobilized to prove the frontier outpost was a city of substance, dignity, and unity.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
- Aug 19, 1876The Lottery That Wasn't: A Commissioner's Moral Standoff in 1876 SeattleWhile the county board approved a gambling license for Val Wildman to fund a road project, one commissioner filed a formal protest, declaring the legislature's authority void and refusing to legitimize vice.Seattle, WA
- Sep 11, 1876The Jailhouse Serenade: Seattle’s Most Popular Prisoner Refuses BailVal Wildman, proprietor of the 'Vanity Fair' lottery, sits in King County Jail refusing to pay his fine. When friends and influential citizens gather outside to raise the money for his release, he turns them away—insisting his imprisonment is a matter of principle.King County Jail, Seattle, WA
- Dec 2, 1883Gambling in the 'Chicago Dollar Store'A call for city officials to shutter a fraudulent lottery operating in a Yesler building.Seattle, WA