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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 101 |
| 1883 | 537 |
| 1884 | 336 |
| 1885 | 624 |
| 1886 | 395 |
| 1887 | 350 |
2,343 stories
- An Inside Job at the County Jail
Two prisoners, a clerk accused of theft and an embezzling stevedore, escaped the King County jail by cutting their way out with tools smuggled from the outside.
- The Sketch That Sobered a Father
A young artist's chance drawing of a child watching over his intoxicated father becomes a catalyst for family redemption.
- Seattle's Mayor Calls for Modern Infrastructure
In his annual address, Mayor H. G. Struve urges the city to build a modern sewer system and expand city limits to meet rapid population growth.
- The Radish King: A First-Hand Account of Institutionalization
An inmate recounts his descent into a bizarre obsession with a radish empire and his subsequent recovery within an asylum.
- The Cross-Cascades Trade War
Seattle and Portland merchants battle for control over inland freight routes to the Yakima Valley.
- The Unintended Romance
After attending a Chautauqua lecture on marital advice, a Seattle-area farmer attempts to woo his wife with small acts of kindness, leading to an unexpected thaw in their long-stagnant marriage.
- The Imaginary Inheritance
A young man's prank about a fake Chinese inheritance snowballs into a lucrative, accidental fortune built on social perception.
- The Region Rallies to Welcome Henry Villard
Seattle and Puget Sound towns prepare a unified celebration for the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad's president.
- The Territory Owns the University. So Why Is Seattle Paying for It?
An exasperated editorial makes the case that the Territorial University — the ancestor of today's UW — belongs to all of Washington, yet the Legislature has adjourned without voting it a dollar, leaving Seattle's private citizens to keep the doors open.
- The Summer the Smoke Saved the Harvest
With rainfall a third of normal and crops burning in the fields, Seattle's paper made the case that the season's suffocating pall of forest-fire smoke had been the region's salvation.
- A Petty Feud of Doctors Paralyzes Seattle
A minor medical dispute over a broken rib spirals into a week-long war of words in the local press, much to the exhaustion of the city.
- The River Giant: A Record-Breaking Log Boom
The steamer Beaver successfully navigated a massive log raft into the harbor, a logistical feat that left the waterfront stunned.
- The Jackson Street Railroad Takes Shape
The City Council reviews a massive ordinance granting transit rights across town, from Elliott Bay to the city limits.
- The Madison Street Assessment Battle
A property owner challenges the legality of street improvement assessments in Seattle, setting the stage for litigation.
- The Sad End of a Local Pet
A harmless land otter, kept as a mascot, was killed by an erratic local resident in a senseless act of cruelty.
- The Promised Railroad Remains a Work in Progress
Construction delays plague the crucial Cascade branch, pushing completion dates into 1884 as thousands of workers await the call.
- A Laborer's Grievance Over Skimpy Wages
A worker on the Madison Street grade reports that his contractor is withholding pay, sparking a debate on fairness and city debt.
- The Struggle for the Snoqualmie Road
Citizens push to finish a vital mountain artery before winter, citing the need for local growth and migration.
- The Palace of Belltown
W. W. Bell constructs a massive, modern hotel at Front and Battery streets, signaling a new era of growth for the northern expansion of Seattle.
- The Salvage of the Mississippi
After four months of struggle, wreckers are forced to dismantle the sunken collier piece by piece.
- The Czar of Russia Would Not Dare
A Seattle city councilman publicly lashes out against the Territorial Legislature's overreach in appointing local officials without popular consent.
- A Thanksgiving Feast for Interlake
A local farmer recounts a heartwarming community surprise visit that turned a quiet workday into a Philharmonic Society jubilee.
- The Price of Avoiding Competition
A railroad's attempt to secure a monopoly through bribery backfires on local consumers, offering a cautionary tale about corporate greed.
- A Vicious Letter to the Editor from 1885
A correspondent expresses the era's height of anti-Chinese xenophobia.
- The Christmas That Almost Wasn't
A local carpenter's struggle to collect payment before the holidays highlights the precarity of working families in early Seattle.