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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 101 |
| 1883 | 537 |
| 1884 | 336 |
| 1885 | 624 |
| 1886 | 395 |
| 1887 | 350 |
2,343 stories
- The Unfilial Gift: A Father's Regret
An elderly farmer, swayed by sentiment, signs over his land to his daughter and son-in-law, only to be cast into the kitchen and ignored.
- The Ladies Relief Society Takes Charge of Seattle's Poor
Founded by a group of determined women to combat rising destitution, the society shifts from simple charity to a systematic, organized model of social support.
- The Unbreakable Vaults of 1885 Seattle
A state-of-the-art fortress of steel and brick arrives in Seattle, promising security for the valuables of a booming frontier town.
- A Deadly Obsession in Pioneer-Era Seattle
A violent act of domestic terror shatters the calm of the city, revealing the grim reality of a broken, abusive relationship.
- The Hidden Lives of Third Avenue
A Seattle landlady recounts the unsettling discovery of a double life happening right under her roof.
- The Birth of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway
Before the boom, Seattle's civic leaders incorporated a grand, million-dollar vision to pierce the Cascades and connect the city to the interior.
- Rising from the Ashes: A Seattle Sawmill's Rapid Rebirth
After a devastating fire, the Stetson & Post Mill Company leverages modern fire-safety technology and local community support to rebuild better than before.
- The Price of Coal and the Cost of Control
When miners at Black Diamond challenged a shift from daily wages to piecework, the company boss opted to shut the mine down entirely rather than negotiate the rate.
- The Saloon at the Race Track
A legal battle over liquor licenses in the Duwamish precinct reveals the limits of civic power when faced with the relentless machinery of the law.
- The Judge and the Editor: A 1886 Contempt Battle in Seattle
When a judge appointed a receiver to run a newspaper, he effectively gagged the press by turning the paper's own voice against its editor.
- The Picnic Train to Franklin
When the rails finally pushed into Black Diamond and Franklin in 1886, a Sunday school outing became a historic moment for Washington Territory's coal country.
- The Beet Sugar Boom of the White River Valley
An ambitious local entrepreneur outlines plans to transform King County farmland into a massive sugar production hub to compete with global markets.
- The High Price of an Insult in 1886 Seattle
A local woman learned that in the eyes of the law, verbal abuse was as punishable as a physical strike.
- The Mail Boat’s Erratic Schedule
Seattle residents and businesses are struggling with the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company's unreliable mail delivery, which has turned a one-day turnaround into a three-day ordeal.
- The Tragedy at the Smith Home
A domestic accident in 1885 leads to the sudden, accidental death of a young mother in her bedroom.
- The 1885 Vision for Publicly Owned Railroads
A visiting labor activist in Seattle argued that government ownership of the nation's railroads would eliminate corporate greed, reduce travel costs to mere cents, and create thousands of safe, well-paying jobs.
- Seattle’s First Great Austerity Drive
Facing municipal budget woes in 1885, the City Council slashed worker salaries and abandoned the investigation into a scandal involving the Police Chief.
- The Colonel, The Schoolmaster, and the Writ of Mandamus
When a Seattle teacher enforced a strict attendance policy, a local parent sued to force the school to readmit his son. The Chief Justice’s ruling settled a tug-of-war over authority that echoes in modern classrooms.
- The Ghost Railroad of Seattle
Prominent investors toured the idle 'Shore Line' road, leaving locals to wonder if the long-stalled project would ever serve the city or just provide firewood.
- Homesteader Investigates Wailing at Lake Washington's Haunted Spring
An early Seattle settler recounts a terrifying, night-long vigil at a 'haunted' spring that kept his dog trembling and the local Indigenous community at bay.
- The 'Law and Order' Battles of Old Seattle
As municipal elections approached in 1885, rival factions clashed over the 'principle' of regulating vice, revealing a city struggling with its own moral identity.
- The Price of the 'Boom' in 1885 Seattle
While the city rode a wave of prosperity, locals were already feeling the strain of rapid expansion, speculation, and the 'dull times' that inevitably follow a growth spurt.
- The Unspoken Cost of Building a Frontier City
A disillusioned man’s search for government work exposes the desperation lurking behind the optimism of 1885 Seattle.
- Labor Unions Demand Action on Border Enforcement in 1886
An exchange of letters between the Seattle Knights of Labor and the Collector of Customs highlights early local anxieties over immigration policy.
- The Tragedy of a Cattle Stampede
A panicked herd causes a fire and widespread destruction near Seattle, leaving the community reeling from the sudden calamity.