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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 16 |
| 1891 | 5 |
| 1892 | 24 |
| 1893 | 28 |
| 1894 | 24 |
| 1895 | 16 |
115 stories
- The Aftermath of the Roslyn Mine Explosion
A town mourns forty-five dead while the community rallies to support eighty-four orphaned children.
- The Landmark Case of an Indigenous Heir
A court ruling recognizes a marriage between a white pioneer and a niece of Chief Seattle, potentially shifting land title laws across the region.
- The Mystery of the Mast
Two Seattle brothers discover a man adrift off Blakely Rocks with a bullet in his forehead, sparking a murder investigation in a quiet maritime town.
- The 'High-Handed' Abduction of Non-Union Sailors
A group of laborers were forcibly removed from their ship at Port Gamble by a union crowd and sent penniless to Victoria under false pretenses.
- Armed Guards, a Locked Forecastle, and One Sailor Who Swam for It
Seattle's Sailors' Union accused a British ship of shanghaiing five men at Port Blakely; one escaped by jumping overboard, while the Shipowners' Association called the charges 'all bosh.'
- The Fight for the Sound’s First Dry Dock
A century before Puget Sound became a hub of naval power, local politicians battled Congress for federal funding to establish a permanent dry dock at Port Orchard.
- The Lumber Trust Strikes: 1,400 Men Cast Adrift in the Pacific Northwest
In a coordinated move across Puget Sound, the 'lumber trust' shuts down mills from Port Gamble to Port Madison, citing Southern California market weakness and throwing over a thousand workers into unemployment.
- Union Sailors Clash With Non-Union Crew at Port Gamble
A violent confrontation breaks out as union men attempt to remove a non-union crew from a barkentine, leading to seven arrests by a federal marshal.
- The Midnight Smuggling Ring at Oyster Bay
Customs officials track a clandestine operation smuggling Chinese laborers into Washington via the mudflats near Olympia.
- The Tragedy of the Chico Gulch
A minor dispute over a killed pet dog escalates into a brutal, fatal shooting in the quiet community of Chico, revealing the violent tensions lurking behind rural neighborly relations.
- The Navy Eyes the Sound
Federal commissioners officially name Port Orchard as the superior site for a major naval base in the Pacific Northwest.
- Puget Sound Secures the New Navy Yard
Washington State beats Oregon in Senate lobbying, winning the site for the Pacific naval station.
- A Boiler Explosion on the Steamer Monticello
A fireman is fighting for his life after a high-pressure steam pipe failed mid-voyage near Kingston, marking the second such accident for the vessel.
- Suspicious Death of Indigenous Woman Near Charleston
An Indian woman was found dead in a canoe after an evening of drinking; local authorities noted a suspicious head wound.
- The Battle for Port Orchard's Dry Dock
Local residents petition the Navy to investigate alleged contractor favoritism in the growth of Charleston.
- The Deadly Foggy Collision at Point No Point
A $126,000 maritime lawsuit pits victims against a coal-carrying steamer after a fatal 1892 collision in the fog.
- The Tragedy at the Bridge
A jury in Kitsap County convicts a man of murder in the first degree, despite his claim that the fatal shooting of Billy Fletcher was a tragic accident sparked by a dispute over a dog.
- The Navy Secretary Goes Down Into the Big Hole
Secretary of the Navy Herbert rides the lighthouse tender Manzanita across the Sound to inspect the giant new dry dock at Port Orchard, settles a bitter dispute over how deep to drive the pilings, and dances the night away at the Rainier.
- The Navy Builds a Monster at Port Orchard
In 1895 the government rushed to finish the third-largest dry dock on earth on Puget Sound — a timber-and-granite pit big enough to swallow any warship afloat, and the reason Seattle's harbor would never be the same.
- A Family Hunt in the Wilderness
A Missouri doctor travels to Seattle to find his missing uncle, only to uncover a trail of orphaned cousins scattered across the city.
- The Volga Smuggling Ring Busted
Federal authorities zero in on ship owners and captains accused of running Chinese immigrants ashore near Olympia.
- The Ill-Fated Theft of the La Paloma
A steam launch stolen in a confidence scheme is found wrecked in a remote bay near Victoria, British Columbia, with no survivors reported.
- From Embers to Empire: The Resilience of the Port Blakely Mill
When fire destroyed the massive Port Blakely sawmill in 1888, the company didn't just rebuild—they turned it into the largest, most productive operation on Puget Sound.
- The Strategic Birth of the Puget Sound Navy Yard
A government commission selects Port Orchard for a $2 million naval facility, igniting a land rush in the burgeoning suburb of Tracyton.
- The Senate Picks Port Orchard for New Naval Dry Dock
Senator Squire secures a legislative victory for Washington, outmaneuvering Oregon representatives to establish the naval site.