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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 3 |
| 1891 | 5 |
| 1892 | 8 |
| 1893 | 13 |
| 1894 | 5 |
35 stories
- The Forced Exodus of Whidbey Island’s Chinese Community
A campaign of economic exclusion and harassment leads to the near-total disappearance of Chinese residents from Whidbey Island by 1892.
- The Collision in the Fog
When the passenger steamer Premier and the collier Willamette crashed off Whidbey Island, passengers were left trapped in a splintered, half-sunken wreck.
- The Son-in-Law from Hell
A pioneer father-in-law sues for extortion, alleging his relative seized his farm and tossed him out in the rain.
- Mystery at the Admiralty Lighthouse
A teenage lighthouse keeper vanishes under suspicious circumstances after a mysterious robbery on the shores of Island County.
- Tragedy at Admiralty Head
Four soldiers drown in a boating accident off the coast of Whidbey Island, with a lone survivor found clinging to the overturned craft.
- Tragedy off the Coast of Camano Island
A party of loggers discovered the bound body of a Chinese man near the southern end of Camano Island, pointing to a brutal crime.
- The Abduction of a Lighthouse Keeper's Son
A mysterious robbery at the Admiralty Head light station left a 16-year-old boy missing and officials suspecting passing opium smugglers or indigenous travelers.
- Underground Railroad on Whidbey Island
Customs inspectors arrest nine men at a secret 'station' near Coupeville as the federal government ramps up enforcement of exclusion laws.
- The Price of a Human Life
A Seattle newspaper critiques the wildly inconsistent sentencing for murder in Washington Territory, highlighting how local bias and venue changes drastically altered justice for accused killers.
- Collision in the Fog: The Fatal Crash of the Steamer Premier
A catastrophic collision between the steamers Willamette and Premier in thick fog leaves four dead and many injured, prompting a tense investigation into maritime safety and schedules.
- The Whidby Island Land Heist
A townsite development company claims a notary public fraudulently altered a contract to seize control of their Whidby Island property.
- The Revenue Cutter 'Black Pup' Intercepts Smugglers
Federal authorities captured a launch near Whidbey Island, but the white smugglers escaped into the night, leaving eight Chinese laborers behind.
- The Case of the Beachcomber's Shoes
A pair of old shoes found on the beach, stenciled with a name, failed to convince a federal judge that a local cook was an illegal immigrant.
- The Whidbey Island Job Scam
Workers are left stranded and out of pocket after a hiring agent vanishes.
- The Discovery of the Missing Girl in Whidbey
A grisly discovery in the woods near the railway tracks in Whidbey leads to a desperate search for answers.
- The Whidby Island Land Boom
A remote island community sees land values double in four months as entrepreneurs push for a new industrial future.
- The Tragedy of Suzuki Kumakichi
A Japanese fisherman is discovered dead in his cabin at Holmes Harbor, the victim of accidental asphyxiation.
- The Beachcomber's Grim Find
A duck hunter discovers a severed foot on the shores of Useless Bay, leaving behind a mystery that would never be solved.
- Four Drown Near Coupeville
A boat capsized in high winds while traveling from Port Madison toward Victoria, claiming the lives of four passengers.
- Raided on Whidbey Island
Federal inspectors attempt to enforce the Chinese Exclusion Act on Whidbey Island, but most of the residents successfully evade capture by fleeing into the woods.
- The Bank of Coupeville Collapse
A disgraced bank manager is returned to face justice after his reckless dissipation leads to an $11,000 shortfall.
- Whidbey Island Land Speculation
A syndicate eyes 14,000 acres for fruit farming, signaling a shift in regional agricultural development.
- A Coupeville Pioneer Takes His Own Life
Charles Crockett, a resident of Whidbey Island since 1854, is found dead at his home in a sudden and tragic suicide.
- A Nun, a Frightened Team, and a Forty-Foot Plunge on Whidbey
Sister Gertrude was driving alone on church work when her buggy backed over an Admiralty Head bluff. She survived the fall—and was nursed at the lighthouse.
- The Mysterious Abandoned Schooner
A local man discovers a waterlogged schooner adrift in the Straits of Georgia with only a dead dog aboard.