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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 4 |
| 1876 | 22 |
| 1877 | 7 |
| 1878 | 6 |
| 1880 | 3 |
| 1882 | 4 |
| 1883 | 24 |
| 1884 | 6 |
| 1885 | 22 |
| 1886 | 11 |
| 1887 | 12 |
| 1888 | 10 |
| 1889 | 30 |
| 1891 | 9 |
| 1892 | 32 |
| 1893 | 36 |
| 1894 | 45 |
| 1895 | 53 |
| 1896 | 1 |
| 1899 | 16 |
| 1903 | 2 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1909 | 2 |
358 stories matching lay
- The Ram's Horn: When Seattle Went to War With a Railroad Over Six Blocks of Public Street
Boxed in by an injunction, Corporation Counsel Donworth finds a lawyer's loophole: let the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad lay its rails, but serve notice that the city denies the right-of-way exists at all.
- The City Council Grants Massive Streetcar Monopoly
A sweeping new ordinance grants a local transit company the right to lay tracks across vast swaths of Seattle's downtown, prioritizing private infrastructure over the city's future growth.
- The City Lays the Foundation for its Future
On the Fourth of July, 1894, Seattle gathered between Lake Union and Lake Washington to lay the cornerstone of the University of Washington's new main building.
- The Railway War on the Seattle Waterfront
A high-stakes legal standoff between competing rail lines leaves the Seattle waterfront in limbo, as judges scramble to halt construction near King Street.
- The Railroad Reach: Seattle Pushes Its Trestle and Track Toward the Coal Mines
Crews close the last gap in the Seattle & Walla Walla trestle, let another three-quarters of a mile to Yesler, and wait for rails to lay two more miles of track.
- Laying the Groundwork for the University
Seattle celebrated Independence Day with the formal, ceremonial laying of the corner-stone for the new University of Washington.
- The Last Embrace on the Precipice
A Shoshone hunter discovers the remains of a man and a grizzly bear locked in a final, lethal tangle in the Washington wilderness.
- The Bridge That Bound the Bay: Seattle’s Race to Connect with the World
As the final piles are driven for the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway, local magnate Henry Yesler and his partners bet their fortunes on a railroad that will turn this muddy port into a continental hub.
- The Fight Against Railroad Monopoly
The Post-Intelligencer demands the forfeiture of unearned Northern Pacific land grants to protect Seattle’s future.
- A Mayor's Nomination and the Aldermen Laying Plans to Block It
Mayor Phelps names John J. Scurry to the board of public works, and the same aldermanic combination that fought his predecessor quietly organizes to sink the confirmation.
- The Iron Road Closes the Gap
A comprehensive annual report details the massive effort required to link the Northern Pacific line across the rugged Rockies, signaling a new era for Pacific commerce.
- Searching for the University’s Past
Pioneers dig up the 1861 cornerstone of the old University of Washington building to reclaim its secrets.
- Clearing the Tracks for Progress
A deal is struck between city industry and the railroad to move a major obstacle, clearing the way for new lines.
- Streetcar Ambitions Stalled by Charter Flaw
A bungled provision in the city charter leaves rail companies unable to lay tracks, as no legal mechanism for compensation exists.
- Seattle’s Housing Crisis: Brick by Brick, Room by Room
As the city races to build new brick structures on Second and Smith Streets, officials warn that even these new constructions won't be enough to stop rents from skyrocketing.
- The Unlucky Fisherman of Seattle
A satirical poem from 1878 chronicles an angler who spends a week sitting by a local sawmill, only to become a living piece of landscape architecture for the local insect population.
- The Gas Company vs. The Crossing
A minor civic dispute in 1882 reveals the early friction between private utility companies and public infrastructure maintenance in downtown Seattle.
- The 'Ram's Horn' Railroad Riot at Yesler Way
A morning of chaotic track-laying, derailed railcars, and a shouting match between the Mayor and a railroad giant over a contested franchise.
- Fugitive Couple Caught in Seattle After Six-Month Chase
A waiter and a logger's wife have been apprehended in Seattle following a dramatic months-long pursuit.
- 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 Desperate Night in the Seattle Depot
A homeless couple is evicted from a rail station in the dead of night, only to be saved by the charity of local women.
- Saloon Owner Attacks Longshoreman as Crowd Watches
After a longshoreman shattered a saloon mirror, proprietor Dan McNamara beat him in the street while about thirty bystanders failed to intervene.
- Northern Pacific Railroad's Columbia River Land Grab
A skeptical look at how the Northern Pacific Railroad is using speculative track-laying to claim 1,000,000 acres of public land.
- A Switchman Crushed at the Foot of Madison Street
Fred Delano, a Lake Shore switchman, was caught between cars while coupling in Seattle's rail yards and carried home on a patrol wagon; doctors despaired of his recovery.
- The Abandoned Infant on Third Street
An April Fool's Day prank turns somber when a prominent Seattle real estate developer finds a newborn left on his doorstep.