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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1889 | 8 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 24 |
| 1893 | 26 |
| 1894 | 9 |
| 1895 | 16 |
86 stories
- A Child's Accusation Sends a Centralia Handyman Fleeing
A 14-year-old girl told authorities that H. J. Ogden, the man she had been told to call uncle, had abused her for years; he left town before a warrant could be served.
- The Sawdust Menace: A 19th Century Struggle for Our Rivers
Decades before modern environmentalism, Chehalis locals were already fighting the devastating impact of industrial waste on their salmon and trout streams.
- Vigilantes of the Big Bottom: A Land War in Lewis County
When an aggressive claim jumper tried to terrorize a homesteader, twenty-five settlers organized a committee of order to run him out of the woods.
- Sabotage on the Tracks: The Napavine Train-Wrecking Plot
A suspicious man is arrested near a trestle after wreckers attempt to derail a Northern Pacific train by pulling spikes and loosening rail plates.
- Two Native Men, Joe Dick and Alex Peter, Died of Exposure
Two Indigenous men froze to death after a drinking trip went horribly wrong.
- A Family Tragedy in Centralia
A young boy is accidentally killed by his cousin while playing with a Winchester rifle in their home.
- Brutal Assault in Centralia
An elderly resident has his thumb bitten off during a violent neighborhood altercation in Centralia.
- The Preacher, the W.C.T.U. Woman, and the Congregation That Chose Not to Look
Rev. C. C. Marston talked his way out of a scandal in Centralia, was dismissed in Olympia, and has resurfaced in Illinois doing revival work — with another man's wife at his side and his own wife and five children left in want.
- The Piano Salesman Who Vanished With the Money
A Centralia sewing-machine and organ dealer bolts for the Sandwich Islands, leaving a destitute wife, two children, a borrowed horse, and a trail of suspicious fire insurance behind him.
- Toledo's Bicycle Railroad: A Small Town Bets on a Two-Wheeled Future
Toledo incorporates a railroad company with $80,000 capital and considers a patented bicycle-powered engine to link the town to the Northern Pacific.
- The Reform School With No Prison Walls
At the Washington State Reform School near Chehalis, boys and girls were trusted, taught trades, and paroled into new lives—a radical model for juvenile justice.
- The Price of Reckless Growth
When Lewis County hit its constitutional debt limit, local officials were left holding worthless warrants—a sharp reminder of the pitfalls of municipal overreach in 1891.
- Fatal Shooting in Lewis County
A long-standing quarrel over farm boundaries and livestock ends in tragedy near Boisfort.
- A Tragic Day at the Shingle Mill
A worker in Centralia suffers a horrific industrial accident, highlighting the extreme dangers of early Washington timber mills.
- The Great Hotel Hunger: Chehalis Builds to Catch the Rail
As the Northern Pacific Railroad surveys threaten to bypass the town for a rival route, citizens scramble to build a modern hotel and waterworks just to stay relevant in the race for territorial dominance.
- The High Cost of Commuting on the Rails
After seeking work at a local mill, a man attempts to board a moving freight train in Centralia, leading to a life-altering accident.
- The Great Escape from the Chehalis Reform School
Two boys break out of the state reformatory in their nightshirts, only to be recaptured after a desperate clothes-stealing spree in Centralia.
- Ainslie Lumber Mill Resumes Production
After standing idle, the large mill near Chehalis is firing up its boilers, offering a vital economic lifeline to the community.
- Railroad Worker Maimed in Chehalis
A young laborer loses an arm after being forced from a moving freight train by a company employee.
- A Circus Brawl Breaks Out in Chehalis
A local deputy sheriff attempts to arrest a carnival worker for short-changing a farmer, only to be beaten by a mob of show employees.
- The Laundress's Life Savings Stolen
A young immigrant woman working in a Centralia laundry was robbed of three years' worth of wages by two men who threatened her at gunpoint.
- A Politician's Vulnerable Moment
A future governor breaks down while addressing boys at the state reform school, revealing a hidden side of his history.
- Editor’s Home Reduced to Ash
The residence of J. Whinnery, editor of the Centralia Chronicle, was mysteriously destroyed by fire while his family was away.
- The Disappearing Witness in the Minkler Murder Trial
The Lewis County Sheriff orders the release of a key witness against Dr. Minkler, raising local alarms about justice.
- The Narrow Escape of John Long
A young man is nearly killed after being dragged fifty feet by a train at the Chehalis depot.