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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 101 |
| 1883 | 537 |
| 1884 | 336 |
| 1885 | 624 |
| 1886 | 395 |
| 1887 | 350 |
2,343 stories
- The Unbeatable Fence of Old Town
A standoff between property owners and the city government plays out on an obstructed public thoroughfare, mirroring the modern tensions of land access in a growing metropolis.
- The Carpenter's Secret Compartment
A crafty smuggler’s hollowed-out tool chest, designed to look like the property of a humble working man, fails to outsmart Seattle Customs inspectors.
- The Final Act for Seattle's Oldest Theater
Once the grand stage for Fourth of July orations and legal battles, Yesler’s Hall is being gutted to make room for offices.
- The Unmarked Funeral of a 'Prodigal Daughter'
A sympathetic account of a funeral service held in a Seattle brothel for a woman who died suddenly in 'terrible' circumstances.
- An Interracial Marriage in 1887 Seattle
A white woman’s decision to marry a Chinese man and adapt to his life in a hostile era.
- The Iron Road and the Sea
As the federal government prepares to implement the Interstate Commerce Act, Seattle business leaders argue the city is immune to the looming rise in rail freight rates.
- The Struggle for the Promised Land of Washington Territory
While Washington pioneers clamored for the development of government-held land to build a state, political gamesmanship in Washington, D.C. left the local economy in limbo.
- The Meat Cartel and the Working Man’s Supper
When local butchers formed a monopoly to inflate the price of beef, Seattle’s working class turned to fish and bacon—and the local press took notice.
- The Ill-Fated Voyage of the Steamship Mexico
A bustling Puget Sound steamer, laden with coal and passengers, runs aground in the thick fog near Nanaimo, leaving the crew and longshoremen to face a watery disaster.
- The Burglar's Secret Den in the Seattle Woods
A group of young boys out playing stumble upon a hidden campsite in the woods, revealing a stash of stolen goods that solves a string of neighborhood crimes.
- A Wedding Night Tragedy on Front Street
A festive family gathering in early Seattle turned into a scene of grief after a father’s sudden medical emergency overshadowed his daughter's marriage.
- The Wild Goose Chase of 1887
Two con artists fleeced immigrant laborers in Seattle by selling them jobs on farms that did not exist.
- The Fight for the White River Bridge
A century before modern infrastructure debates, King County residents were struggling with the same basic problem: a river that split a community in two.
- The Citizens' Sweep of 1887
Seattle's municipal elections conclude with a resounding victory for the 'Citizens' ticket, as labor candidates suffer a crushing defeat in the rain-swept streets.
- The Tragic Cost of Playing in the Seattle Clay
A makeshift fort at the edge of the city became a tomb when a riverbank collapsed, claiming the life of a young boy.
- The Paper Trail of Patronage
A bold act of civic favoritism in King County sees the Board of Commissioners award a lucrative printing contract to a higher bidder, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.
- Miners' Solidarity in the Aftermath of the Nanaimo Disaster
When disaster struck a British Columbia coal town, Seattle's working class miners—many of whom faced daily peril—stepped up to provide aid for the widows and orphans left behind.
- The Forgotten Panic Over 'Pauper Immigration'
An 1887 editorial reveals how Seattle's civic leaders—and the nation—framed foreign labor as a social and financial 'drain,' echoing the xenophobic rhetoric of modern political debates.
- The Galley Explosion on the Steamer Glide
A cook's dangerous attempt to spark a galley fire with coal oil leads to an explosion and a narrow escape from disaster on the Puget Sound.
- The Divine Sarah Bernhardt’s Theatrical Meltdown in Seattle
When the legendary French actress discovered her grand stage at the Columbia Theater had been booked for a minstrel show, she didn't just walk off—she unleashed a legendary, multi-lingual tantrum.
- The Unhoused Emigrants of Lake Union
A charitable society in 1887 Seattle discovers a family living in a 'miserable shanty' and works to find them housing and employment.
- The Waterfront Cold War: Seattle’s Battle Over the Tideflats
As railroad companies choked off the tideflats with unpermitted pilings, local manufacturers fought to keep their water access open in a clash between industrial expansion and small business survival.
- The Blue Ribbon Reunion at the Union Depot
A young man waits nightly at the Seattle train station, searching for a stranger marked by a blue ribbon on her wrist.
- The Great Maple Valley Bear Panic
When a black bear wandered into their backyard, a frontier couple abandoned their home and fled on horseback to escape the 'ferocious' beast.
- The Great White River Bridge Feud
A fiery letter from a resident exposes the political squabbling and local power struggles behind a seemingly mundane infrastructure project in King County.