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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 330 |
| 1889 | 821 |
| 1891 | 345 |
| 1892 | 1,428 |
| 1893 | 1,737 |
| 1894 | 1,323 |
| 1895 | 1,115 |
7,099 stories
- Seattle's Burnt District Rebuilds in Brick After 1889 Fire
Following the Great Seattle Fire, the city's burnt district transforms as brick blocks replace wooden ruins and the city plans for a modern infrastructure.
- The Battle Over Seattle’s Waterfront
Delegates at the constitutional convention debate the legality of old railroad land grants that once promised to privatize Elliott Bay.
- Government Moves to Forfeit Railroad Land Grants in Washington
Federal attorneys begin the legal process to reclaim millions of acres granted to railroad companies that failed to fulfill their construction promises.
- Who Owns the Water's Edge?
A legal brief detailing the property rights of landowners whose lots border the tides and navigable waters of Seattle.
- The 1889 Great Seattle Thirst
As Seattle boomed toward 30,000 residents, the city faced a critical choice: build a dual system of salt water for fire and fresh for drinking, or bet everything on Lake Washington.
- The 'Gentleman' Thief and the Seattle Police Ring
A covert sting operation exposes a criminal syndicate that allegedly operated with the complicity of local law enforcement.
- The Great Seattle Land Rush: How 1890 Rewrote the Map
Newly unearthed records from 1890 show a city transforming through massive real estate speculation, where plots bought for hundreds were suddenly worth tens of thousands.
- The Great Seattle Bread Strike of 1891
After decades of grueling night shifts and labor-intensive production, Seattle’s unionized bakers walk off the job to demand an eight-bucket limit and daylight hours.
- The Great Tide Land Grab
A legal battle over the ownership of Seattle's waterfront reaches a fever pitch as investors stake claims on mud-flats using federal 'Valentine scrip.'
- The Collapse of a Railroad Empire
A classic story of overreach, mismanagement, and the harsh realities of the market as Jay Gould maneuvers to seize the Union Pacific during the Baring Brothers financial crisis.
- Seattle's 1891 Ballot: Annexation and $861,704 in Bonds
Before Seattle grew to its modern size, the city held a massive special election to decide the future of its neighboring townships and fund its expanding infrastructure.
- The Midnight Hold-Up That Turned Deadly
A trio of armed men terrorized downtown saloons until a victim fought back with a shotgun, leaving one assailant near death.
- The Tragedy of 'Cowboy Mary' and the Lost Lover of Whitechapel
After her partner died by suicide, a local woman known as 'Cowboy Mary' was arrested for disorderly conduct while mourning him at a Seattle morgue.
- The Constitutional Right to Not Be Imprisoned for Debt
When local merchants tried to jail a man for unpaid loans to prevent him from leaving town, a Seattle judge put the state’s progressive constitution to the test.
- Longshoremen Wage War on Stevedoring Monopoly
A newly formed stevedoring firm threatens the livelihoods of union workers, sparking a conflict on the Seattle waterfront.
- Senate Moves to Outlaw Private Armed Guards
Legislature targets 'obnoxious agents of moneyed power' as Kinnear bill passes unanimously.
- The Strange Abduction of Lodie Wirt
A young girl from Philadelphia, missing after being swept into the orbit of a disreputable variety actress, is recovered in a Seattle boarding house.
- The Abduction of Lodie Wirt
A teenage girl is rescued from a couple suspected of using opium to control and abduct young women.
- The Boot That Didn't Fit: A Murder Trial at the Turn of the Century
In a dramatic courtroom scene, an accused man attempts to clear his name by proving his feet were simply too large for the evidence that supposedly convicted him.
- The Test Case of Chin Fook
A legal battle over the constitutional rights of Chinese residents in 1890s Seattle.
- The Runaway Cable Car of Madison Street
A silent, uncrewed cable car plunges down the steep grade toward Lake Washington, resulting in a fatal collision and a sobering coroner's inquest into transit safety.
- The Tragedy Beneath Lake Union
A routine sewer tunneling project turns into a deadly nightmare, leaving one laborer lost beneath six feet of quicksand as his comrades narrowly escape.
- The City’s IOUs: Seattle's Great 1892 Debt Reckoning
Facing a mountain of unpaid warrants and legal liabilities, the city council asks voters to decide if Seattle will settle its debts with bonds or face financial collapse.
- The Deportation Trap
A Seattle man is ordered out of the country after an accidental admission in court exposes him to the harsh realities of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
- The Mercer Slough Fugitive
After escaping Steilacoom asylum by turning blankets into a rope, William Miller—a man once acquitted of a high-profile Lake Washington murder—is on the loose, sparking terror in the homes near Mercer Slough.