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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1858 | 2 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1862 | 7 |
| 1863 | 3 |
| 1872 | 4 |
| 1876 | 43 |
| 1877 | 26 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 2 |
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| 1886 | 8 |
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| 1890 | 1 |
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| 1904 | 8 |
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| 1912 | 1 |
100 stories
- The Exclusion of 1888
A new federal law mandates harsh restrictions and identification requirements for Chinese laborers, forcing them to exit and enter through only six designated ports, including Port Townsend.
- The Jesuit Who Shot an Archbishop: A Murderer’s Cold Confession on the Way to Prison
Frank Fuller, convicted of killing Catholic Archbishop Seghers in the Alaskan wilderness, speaks to reporters as he is transported by steamship from Port Townsend to McNeil Island.
- Border Smuggling Crisis
Revenue officers report nearly one hundred Chinese laborers crossing the northern frontier by boat as current enforcement resources prove inadequate.
- Mutiny at Port Townsend
A newly arrived crew refuses duty and fights for their freedom aboard a bark in the harbor.
- U.S. Commissioner Orders Expulsion of Eleven Chinese Residents
Following a trial in Port Townsend, eleven individuals were ordered removed from American soil for alleged violations of the Chinese Restriction Act.
- Riot in Port Townsend: Citizens vs. Sailors on the Verge of Violence
A tense standoff erupts as local citizens arm themselves to prevent Coast Seamen's Union members from boarding the steamer Sumatra, leading to arrests and imminent bloodshed.
- The Arsonist Who Burned the Books: A Tacoma Cover-Up?
An attempt to torch the U.S. Custom House in Port Townsend raises eyebrows as officials fear a whistleblower’s evidence of corruption was destroyed.
- The Rogue of the Sound
A smuggler on the Puget Sound recounts a brutal night of human trafficking and violence, offering a chilling glimpse into the lawless reality of the 1880s maritime border.
- The Trial of 'Mickey' McGrekan: A Window into Frontier Domestic Violence
A young woman’s struggle for survival and a legal showdown in 1887 Port Townsend reveal the brutal realities hidden behind the closed doors of boarding houses.
- Marriage at the Center of an Exclusion Crisis
A Seattle couple's travel plans are halted by the Chinese Restriction Act, sparking a legal struggle for their right to move freely.
- The Opium Smugglers of the Idaho
A federal investigation uncovers a massive scheme to hide contraband in the bilges and barrels of a Pacific steamship, revealing a deep culture of corruption in the Sound’s maritime trade.
- The Waterfront Vigilante: A Seattle Harbor Scandal
A customs official and a boatman ambushed a crew of sailors returning to shore at Point Hudson, leading to a senseless shooting that left a seaman's life hanging in the balance.
- The Tragic Wreck of the Steamer Tacoma
Captain George D. Korts faces an official inquiry into the catastrophic loss of the vessel, revealing a series of navigational errors and failed rescue attempts.
- Tragedy in the Woods: Storm Claims Lives at Crescent Bay
A young family seeking shelter from a gale-force windstorm in the woods meets a sudden, heartbreaking end when a falling tree strikes their home.
- The Custom House Scandal: A Betrayed Deposit
A missing payment of gold coin in a shipping manifest sparks a corruption investigation in Port Townsend, shaking public faith in the local customs office.
- The Great Port Townsend Customs Scandal
A federal grand jury uncovers a decade-long scheme of extortion and record-tampering at the Port Townsend custom house, where officials pocketed fees and forced local shipping firms to play along.
- The 'Kid Mayor' of Michigan Found in Port Townsend
A brilliant young con artist once known as the 'Kid Mayor' has fled the Washington Territory after his real identity—and a trail of fraudulent bonds—finally caught up with him.
- The Young Man Who Gave Port Townsend Water
While town officials debated for years, one enterprising citizen took matters into his own hands and built the city’s first private waterworks system.
- Steamer Josephine Boiler Explosion Remembered a Year Later
A haunting one-year retrospective on a boiler explosion that devastated a local crew and passengers near Port Hadlock.
- Three Chinese Women Kidnapped in Victoria
A daring abduction at sea is thwarted by customs officers, highlighting the border struggles near the Washington Territory.
- The Day the Sloop Fired on a Federal Cutter
In 1860, twenty-four Port Townsend citizens chartered a sloop to save $5 on fares to Olympia. When intercepted by a revenue cutter, their captain opened fire with a brass howitzer—only to discover he’d just threatened the U.S. government.
- The Trial of Ferdinand Falkenbarg
A shooting incident involving the 'Duke of York' and his family sparks outrage in Port Townsend, revealing the complex, fading status of local Indigenous leaders in the frontier era.
- The Waterfront Cold War: Seattle's 1888 Seamen's Strike
Tensions boil over on the Puget Sound as sailors fight a planned wage reduction, leading to a massive standoff in Port Townsend.
- Fatal Mill Accident at Port Discovery
A worker dies after becoming entangled in industrial machinery, highlighting the extreme dangers faced by laborers in the Puget Sound timber industry.
- Judge Greene Slaps Down Legal Nitpicking
A Territorial judge refuses to let a clerical error in the law strip working teamsters of their property exemptions.