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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 101 |
| 1883 | 537 |
| 1884 | 336 |
| 1885 | 624 |
| 1886 | 395 |
| 1887 | 350 |
2,343 stories
- The Great Canal Dream of 1887
A visionary project to link Lake Union and Lake Washington promises to turn Seattle into a fresh-water harbor, revolutionizing the lumber industry and securing the city's future.
- The Unseen Crime Wave in Early Seattle
A local report exposes how the Seattle police force in the late 1880s suppressed news of burglaries to keep them out of the papers, hoping to solve the crimes quietly—with disastrous, ineffective results.
- The Waterfront Property War
A high-stakes legal battle over Seattle's tide lands pits powerful developers against squatters in a fight for the future of the harbor.
- Abandoned with an infant, a woman sues for her livelihood
A Seattle dentist’s wife seeks legal support after he leaves her and their child destitute, exposing the stark financial vulnerability of women in the 1887 frontier.
- The Burglary in the Cathedral
A legal loophole in Washington Territory prevents a man accused of living inside a church from being charged with burglary, sparking a public outcry against the prosecutor.
- The Sea Captain’s Return to Seattle
After surviving a shipwreck, an opium smuggling trial, and years of exile, a seasoned mariner decides he is done running and returns to Seattle to settle his debts.
- The Ghost Ship of Seattle’s Waterfront
A derelict bark ship, once a billboard for local businesses, is buried in sawdust and slabs to become the foundation of a new shoreline.
- The Great Opera House Escape
A suspected swindler slips his guard and vanishes from a Seattle building mid-construction.
- Blood on the Ballroom Floor
A dance in Belltown ends in a violent altercation and a tragic suicide.
- The Rapid Transformation of Puget Sound
An old-timer writes to the editor to ask for news of Seattle, prompting a reflection on the dizzying speed of the city's growth from a three-house settlement in 1853 to a bustling port in 1883.
- A Massive New Gateway for Seattle
The Oregon Improvement Company prepares to construct a giant, copper-clad wharf to accommodate ocean steamers.
- The Unfinished Dream of Connecting the Lakes
A look at the immense civic benefits of cutting a waterway between Lake Union and Lake Washington.
- The Price of Loyalty in the Mill
A convict's poem reflects on his friend's sacrifice after a desperate act of theft to feed a starving family.
- The Street Grader’s Injunction
Prominent real estate developer H.L. Yesler halts work on Third Street with a temporary restraining order against local contractors.
- A Pioneer's Return: 1863 to 1883
Rev. D. K. Maine visits the rapidly transforming city he helped settle twenty years prior.
- Tragedy at the Yesler Mill
A worker ignoring safety warnings perishes after a sawmill accident.
- The Northern Pacific's Expansion Plans for Puget Sound
Superintendent John Muir details new steamships, massive grain elevators, and Alaskan tourist excursions as the railroad bolsters the Northwest region.
- The predatory business of 'confidential' loans
A Seattle reporter goes undercover to expose local money lenders charging exorbitant interest rates to the desperate.
- Harrington & Smith Secure Waterfront Legacy
A landmark property transfer on Commercial Street marks the largest private real estate sale in the Territory's history.
- The Tide Land Land-Grab Case
A judge rules against 'land jumping' schemes, protecting property rights against claims on submerged tide lands.
- Dragging Through the Storm
A stage driver survives a 48-hour ordeal in the snow by clinging to his horse's tail for survival.
- Seattle’s Hotel Crunch: A City Desperate for Room
A reporter tours Seattle’s hotels in 1883 to see if the 'Queen City' can house the incoming tide of immigrants, only to find packed rooms and frustrated proprietors.
- Will the Railroad Make Seattle the Gateway to Asia?
General Anderson shares the ambitious, if controversial, vision for the Northern Pacific rail terminus, promising a future as a trade hub while dismissing Chinese labor as inferior.
- The Great Terminus War
A fiery editorial argues that despite corporate favoritism for Tacoma, geography and logic destined Seattle to be the true terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- The Northern Pacific Railroad's Sudden Respect for Seattle
For years the railroad ignored Seattle, but a shift in power has forced a grudging acknowledgment of the city's potential to rival San Francisco.