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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 101 |
| 1883 | 537 |
| 1884 | 336 |
| 1885 | 624 |
| 1886 | 395 |
| 1887 | 350 |
2,343 stories
- The High-License Fight of 1885
As Seattle grapples with the rise of saloons, local temperance advocates and city officials debate the 'high license' strategy to curb the city’s drinking problem.
- The Great Seattle Boycott of 1885
When local liquor interests tried to starve a newspaper into silence for its stance on Sunday closing laws, the community launched a fierce retaliatory boycott of its own.
- The Shadowy 'Dynamiters' and the Seattle Employment Crisis
While international fears of dynamite conspiracies gripped 1885, a local Seattle employment agency quietly documented the harsh reality of thousands of men out of work, desperate, and struggling in the wake of an ironworks decline.
- The Engineer’s Heartbreak
An engineer rushing home to his dying daughter crashes his train, only to find solace in the delirium of his final moments.
- The Great Timber Land Heist
Federal investigators uncover a widespread scheme where syndicates used ‘fictitious names’ and paid off desperate men to seize Washington’s valuable timber lands.
- The City Council Grants Massive Streetcar Monopoly
A sweeping new ordinance grants a local transit company the right to lay tracks across vast swaths of Seattle's downtown, prioritizing private infrastructure over the city's future growth.
- A Deadly Jealousy in Pioneer Seattle
A brutal double murder on a quiet morning reveals the fragility of domestic peace in 1885 Seattle.
- The Mayor's Private Mill: A Conflict of Interest in Old Seattle
Mayor Henry Yesler, facing accusations of professional misconduct, attempts to lease city-owned facilities to his own timber business under the guise of municipal efficiency.
- The Seattle Liquor Board's Battle for Moral Standing
A landmark 1886 legal challenge in King County forces a judge to define the limits of civic power when local officials refuse to grant a liquor license based on a claimant’s character.
- A Night of Brutality on the Waterfront
A Chinese laborer is murdered by a gang on the Seattle docks, sparking a community divide over law and justice.
- The Rent Crisis at the Renton Coal Mines
Striking miners face eviction as company-owned housing turns into a weapon against organized labor.
- The Laundromat Fugitive
A laundry worker from San Francisco is captured in Seattle, linked to a bloody murder plot in a shadowy tong war.
- The Battle for the Rails: Monopoly vs. The Public Good
A scathing editorial from 1885 outlines the clash between the Union Pacific’s 'business-first' model and the Northern Pacific's alleged strategy of political bribery and town-site speculation.
- The City That Refused to Die
How Seattle outmaneuvered the Northern Pacific Railroad's attempts to hoard land and throttle the city's growth in the 1880s.
- The Collapse of the Failing Hotel
A tragic construction failure in Seattle results in the conviction of the building's owner for manslaughter.
- The City Hall Shake-Up: Seattle's 1885 Anti-Corruption Campaign
Tensions boiled over at the Seattle Municipal Convention as delegates rallied to purge city leadership and demand a stricter, reform-minded administration for the growing territory.
- The Seattle Mill Strike of 1885
When the Yesler Mill announced sudden wage cuts, the workers staged a walkout that paralyzed the waterfront.
- The Great Seattle Main Street Flood of 1886
Heavy rains turn a bustling thoroughfare into a literal river, driving residents from their homes and stalling city business.
- The Battle for the Soul of Seattle’s Police Department
In 1885, a local editorial called on women, who held significant civic influence, to reject a mayoralty candidate beholden to the 'saloon interest' and elect a law-and-order candidate to clean up the force.
- The Women Who Stormed the Police Chief’s Office
In 1885, a group of Seattle women, frustrated by official corruption and the unchecked influence of saloons and gambling dens, launched a moral crusade to demand a new Chief of Police.
- The Unmaking of a Mayor: Corruption and Scandal in 1885 Seattle
Ahead of the municipal elections, the 'Post-Intelligencer' launched a blistering attack on the incumbent mayor, calling for his ouster over accusations of police negligence, gambling racketeering, and moral failings.
- The Pink Ticket Scandal: Seattle’s 1884 Ballot-Box Scheme
A sworn affidavit exposes how the Seattle Police Department and railroad interests allegedly colluded to swing an election, forcing voters into 'back-door' channels.
- The Battle for the Soul of the Seattle Police Department
In an 1885 municipal election, Seattle women flexed their new political power to demand a moral cleanup of the city’s police force, specifically targeting the conduct of Chief of Police James Woolery.
- The Political Tidal Wave that Swept Seattle’s Council
After a crushing defeat at the polls, the incumbent 'Law and Order' party leaders signal they will voluntarily step down, ending a bitter period of civic paralysis in 1885 Seattle.
- The Pioneer Who Built a Territory on Grit
Before Seattle became a titan, early settlers like Col. M.T. Simmons faced the high-handed monopoly of the Hudson’s Bay Company to carve an American life in the Pacific Northwest.