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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 101 |
| 1883 | 537 |
| 1884 | 336 |
| 1885 | 624 |
| 1886 | 395 |
| 1887 | 350 |
2,343 stories
- The Seattle Laundry Feud of 1887
A violent, years-long business rivalry between two rival laundry operators erupts in court, revealing the precarity of immigrant life and business in early Seattle.
- The Jailbreak at Chehalis
Three prisoners on the run from the Chehalis jail are recaptured by a diligent Sheriff in Seattle, ending their brief taste of liberty.
- The Unseen Cost of a Glass of Milk
A 1887 inspection of Seattle's dairy conditions reveals the grim reality of animal welfare and public health, proving that the struggle for food quality is as old as the city itself.
- The Price of Admission: A 1887 Seattle Real Estate Crisis
When the city's housing shortage became so acute that a book dealer had to buy an entire printing business just to secure a roof over his head.
- The Ghost of a Rail Land Grab
A legislative power play over a parcel of land shows that in the early days of Washington Territory, legal maneuvering was as much a part of town-building as the railroads themselves.
- The Wealth of the Nation Trapped in the Vaults
A century and a half ago, President Grover Cleveland grappled with a modern-sounding crisis: federal budget surpluses causing economic panic, skyrocketing costs for common goods, and the crushing weight of a tariff system on working families.
- The Unfulfilled Dream of a Washington Sugar Valley
A cautionary tale of failed agricultural speculation and the elusive promise of a sugar beet industry in the late 1880s.
- The Jailbreak at the Center of Town
After four prisoners escaped the local lockup, the Sheriff sounds the alarm on the failing state of the city's crumbling jail.
- The Great Ensilage Experiment of 1887
When an experimental farm in King County opened its massive silo, it sparked a neighborhood sensation that smelled like 'the mischief' but promised a revolution in Washington agriculture.
- The Hidden Passenger in the Boxcar
A railroad worker discovers a surprisingly cozy, well-stocked 'home' inside a freight car, sparking questions about the hidden lives of transients traveling across the continent.
- Seattle Sailors Defy Shipowners in 1887 Union Standoff
When the Coast Seamen's Union descended on the barkentine George Perkins to pull sailors from their posts, it sparked a tense confrontation that threatened to shut down local shipping.
- The 'Chisel' Game: How Seattle's Working Class Fought Labor Exploitation
A scathing report from 1887 reveals the corrupt 'ticket' system that allowed middlemen to siphon wages from laborers—a century-old echo of modern gig-economy wage theft.
- The Struggle for Access: Farmers Demand Roads to Seattle
Early Washington farmers protest the neglect of rural infrastructure, warning they will take their trade to Tacoma if the King County commission fails to connect them to the city.
- The Unsolved Mystery at Front and Taylor
A dock worker found unconscious and dying on a Seattle street corner leaves behind a trail of unanswered questions.
- The Riotous Destruction of a Home
When a house caught fire, neighbors and bystanders didn't just help extinguish the flames—they tore the home apart.
- The Odyssey of Two Stolen Bays
A pair of horses stolen in Klickitat County resurface in Seattle, changing hands multiple times before their original owner comes to collect.
- Tragic Dynamite Explosion Kills Three Workers
A supply of frozen dynamite, left too close to a fire to thaw, detonates at a Northern Pacific work site.
- The Price of Paving Seattle
An editorial call to stop Seattle's streets from falling into ruin.
- The Chamber of Commerce Backs the Seattle, Walla Walla and Baker City Railroad
A new report argues that the construction of a cross-state railroad is essential to securing Seattle's industrial future.
- The Iron Road Reaches West
Surveyors are racing to connect the Snake River to Puget Sound, signaling a massive shift for Seattle’s future.
- A Miraculous Escape from the Josephine Explosion
A local woman and her children avoided tragedy on the doomed steamer by a mere thirty minutes.
- The Lawless Frontier
Violence on the Northern Pacific railroad line signals a looming safety crisis as massive construction crews arrive in the Cascades.
- Tragedy on the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad
A young fireman loses his life in a switching accident during Seattle's cold snap.
- The Great Hop Tare Battle
Seattle brewers and merchants fight back against the 'sacking cloth' price gouging of local hop farmers.
- The Ghost of the Well
A skeptical homesteader uncovers a decade-old double murder at an 'abandoned' property in Oldtown.