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1. The Drunken Leap at the Tacoma Rooming House

   A furniture salesman, searching for a companion named 'Alice,' broke into the wrong residence and was forced to jump from a second-story window to escape the homeowner's wrath.

   Sep 30, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyScandal

2. Thanksgiving at the Asylum

   Patients at the Fort Steilacoom hospital celebrate the holiday with a turkey dinner and a theatrical performance.

   Nov 28, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerFort Steilacoom, Lakewood, Pierce CountyStrange But True

3. Two Sailors Apprehended After Tacoma Stick-Up

   A pair of teenage sailors attempts an armed robbery in Tacoma, only to be captured after a pursuit by police and citizens.

   Jan 12, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerNorth Yakima Avenue, Tacoma, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

4. Seattle High School Defeats Tacoma on the Gridiron

   A single touchdown settles a gritty, hard-fought contest between two nascent local high school football teams.

   Jan 15, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyNightlife

5. The Absurdist Board of Trade of Puyallup

   A satirical account of a local civic meeting where the town's ambitions far outpaced its resources.

   May 7, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPuyallup, Pierce CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

6. A Night of Scandal in Edison

   A young woman's night out leads to an arrest in Edison, highlighting the era's severe social policing of young women and their behavior.

   Oct 3, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerEdison, Tacoma, Pierce CountyScandal

7. The Gridiron Showdown: Seattle Triumphs Over Tacoma

   Twelve hundred spectators witnessed a nail-biting football match that pushed both sides to their physical limits, ending in a hard-fought victory for Seattle.

   Oct 29, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyNightlife

8. The Featherweight 'Blood' Match at South Prairie

   A much-hyped prizefight between two heavyweights in a dance hall turned out to be less about violence and more about a bizarre, non-contact stalemate.

   Oct 31, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSouth Prairie, Pierce CountyNightlife

9. The Lawyer Locked Out

   A prominent Tacoma politician finds himself stranded on the street in his gym clothes after a drafty gymnasium door leaves him quite exposed.

   Apr 8, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyStrange But True

10. A Sculptor's Gift to the Presbyterian Church

    A newly installed white marble baptismal font at the First Presbyterian Church celebrates local craftsmanship and memorializes a Philadelphia parishioner.

    Jun 18, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerFirst Presbyterian Church, Seattle, Pierce CountyStrange But True

11. A Sea of Flowers for the Class of 1894

    Seattle high school graduates mark the end of their studies in a crowded First Presbyterian Church with oratorical flourishes and bouquets.

    Jul 1, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerFirst Presbyterian Church, Seattle, Pierce County

12. The Lead Plate on Rainier's North Peak

    A letter from Yelm corrects the record: five people had already stood atop Mount Rainier's north peak, and two had left a lead plate and tin reflector on the rock.

    Jul 24, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMount Rainier, Pierce CountyStrange But True

13. The Miracle Hen of the Barn

    A farmer reports an astonishing, if scientifically questionable, account of a hen surviving over a month without food or water.

    Jul 19, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerEatonville, Pierce CountyStrange But True

14. The World-Traveling Catcher

    Before major league stardom, Billy Earle brought baseball to the pyramids of Egypt and the streets of Rome.

    Feb 1, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyNightlife

15. A Close Encounter in the Ridgedale Addition

    A carriage ride turns tense when a black bear crosses the road near the city's edge.

    Jul 7, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyStrange But True

16. Pestilence in the Puyallup Valley Hop Fields

    A rainy, humid August threatens the harvest as growers fight aphid infestations and labor shortages.

    Aug 22, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPuyallup, Pierce CountyWork & Pay

17. A Scandalous Midnight Marriage

    A Tacoma telegrapher, intoxicated and infatuated, defied social norms to marry a woman from a local brothel in the middle of the night.

    Sep 2, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma Hotel, Tacoma, Pierce CountyScandal

18. Exposition Jewelry Heist

    A thief disguised as a farmer tricks a clerk during the Tacoma Industrial Exposition to steal jewelry.

    Sep 22, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

19. Theater Patron Swindled at The Comique

    A local man claims he was robbed by theater managers and a companion after purchasing wine and beer.

    Oct 17, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

20. The Senator Caught in the Act

    A Spokane politician attempts a quiet wedding in Tacoma, only to be ambushed by his colleagues.

    Jul 13, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma Hotel, Tacoma, Pierce CountyScandal

21. The Salmon Fishing Prank

    A Tacoma society woman finds herself at the center of a Sunday prank involving a 27-pound skatefish.

    Oct 23, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOld Town, Tacoma, Pierce CountyStrange But True

22. A Surprise Wedding at the Knights of Pythias Hall

    A Seattle policeman elopes in Tacoma, interrupting a lodge meeting with a sudden matrimonial ceremony.

    May 20, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyScandal

23. The Global Hop Trade of 1888

    While the farmers of Puyallup slept, their harvests were already changing hands in the high-stakes markets of London.

    Aug 29, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPuyallup, Pierce CountyStrange But True

24. The Hop Fever Gripping Puyallup

    As hop vines hit 21 inches in the fertile valley, a local developer and hop baron makes big moves to capitalize on the boom.

    Apr 14, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPuyallup, Pierce CountyBoom & Bust

25. A Heartbreaking Loss on the Diamond

    In a tense and expertly played game, Seattle edges out Tacoma 4–3 as a 'subtle fatality' continues to plague the Tacoma club.

    May 22, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyNightlife

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