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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 7 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1878 | 4 |
| 1879 | 3 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 4 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 7 |
| 1893 | 13 |
| 1894 | 8 |
| 1895 | 9 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1909 | 2 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
77 stories
- Taxation Without Infrastructure: The Skagit River Fight of 1880
While Washington Territory sent tax dollars to Washington D.C., federal officials offered little in return, forcing local residents to build their own river infrastructure.
- Steamboats and Gold Dreams on the Skagit
A traveler recounts the frantic race of riverboats up the Skagit and the sudden discovery of gold nuggets high above the river, fueling hopes for a new frontier.
- The Settlers’ Plea for the Skagit River
Without government support, early pioneers are manually clearing massive river logjams to open the Skagit Valley to trade and development.
- The Town That Rose from the Jam: Mount Vernon’s Wild Start
A new settlement is sprouting along the Skagit River, fueled by loggers, surveyors, and a patriotic name change.
- The Tragedy on the Skagit River
A routine river crossing turned fatal for a laborer and his companion, highlighting the constant peril of frontier travel.
- Mount Vernon Chamber Backs Lake Washington Canal
Mount Vernon chamber members clash over local infrastructure projects and perceived government neglect of the Skagit River.
- The Saloon-Bonding Controversy in Mount Vernon
A local moral panic over a proposed saloon location threatens to derail a crucial municipal bond election.
- The Skagit County Sheriff’s 'First Class' Hotel
Newly formed Skagit County lacks a proper jail, forcing the sheriff to board inmates at local hotels at public expense.
- The Populist Fight for Tax Relief
A representative explains the constitutional struggle to exempt small property holdings from taxation.
- The Rake-Off on the Scales
A Puget Sound shingle maker said the new freight-weighing law would expose a quiet racket: shippers pocketing the difference while mills were charged for phantom overweights.
- A Rich Lumberman Abducted for $6,000 — and the Kidnapper's Defense Is Insanity
In Mount Vernon, the young man accused of seizing wealthy lumberman E. O. English and holding him for a $6,000 ransom abruptly drops his not-guilty plea and admits the deed — then pivots to an insanity defense.
- A Lumberman, a Ransom Plot, and a Jailhouse Betrayal
Donald Boyd is convicted of kidnapping Seattle lumberman Patrick McCoy, as a convicted accomplice’s courtroom gambit exposes a plan to seize wealthy Skagit County men.
- The Skagit River Claims the Steamer Josephine
A local steamer is reported to be in a 'very perilous position' after sinking in the Skagit River, with its hurricane deck submerged.
- The Frontier Prospect: Surveying the Skagit River's Hidden Wealth
An 1872 exploration report charts the potential for settlement, steam navigation, and resource extraction along the Skagit River, framing the 'great jam' of timber as a challenge to be conquered by modern commerce.
- The Postmaster’s Plight: A Decades-Long Betrayal in Skagit County
In the midst of a national economic depression, a respected elder and long-serving postmaster in Mount Vernon faces federal fraud charges, sparking a community debate over loyalty versus law.
- The Manufactured Boom of Medina
A speculative land development near Lake McMurray, Skagit County, uses a new railroad and promised natural resources to lure investors to a 'crescent' townsite.
- Trapped by the Skagit River's Winter Fury
An eyewitness account from January 1885 describes the deadly isolation of the Skagit Valley as the river choked with ice, cutting off pioneer settlers from the outside world.
- The Republican Campaign Heats Up in Skagit County
Candidate John H. McGraw receives a hero's welcome in Mount Vernon during a massive political rally.
- Cattle Rustling on Fidalgo Island
Anacortes men are brought to the Mount Vernon jail to face trial for cattle theft as local legal officials clash over court jurisdictions.
- Internal Strife in the Baptist Convention
A fiery protest from the Mount Vernon Baptist Church challenges the claimed vindication of Reverend D. D. Proper.
- The Unlucky Steamer Fanny Lake
After surviving a sinking, the riverboat meets a fiery end on the Skagit.
- The Constitutional Battle Over Fruit Inspection
A Superior Court judge rules that Skagit County fruit inspectors cannot be appointed, effectively stalling the state’s ability to regulate the local orchard industry.
- Thomas Revelle Launches Anti-Cannon Campaign in Mt. Vernon
The insurgent Republican candidate challenges incumbent William E. Humphrey on his ties to national party establishment figures.
- The Newspaper Imposter of Mount Vernon
A traveling con artist posed as a Post-Intelligencer agent to swindle residents in British Columbia and Skagit County.
- A Mount Vernon Mill Folds
A cedar mill succumbs to the dual pressures of economic flooding and a string of creditor lawsuits.