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• 1870–1879 ×

1. The $100,000 Mill: Seattle’s Legalized Lottery for a Fortune

   In 1876, the Washington Territory authorized a massive public lottery to fund a road across the Cascades. The grand prize? A fully operational steam sawmill and prime real estate in downtown Seattle.

   Jun 9, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust · Nightlife

2. The Judgment Day Landlord

   A Seattle resident finds his patience tested when his neighbors' millennial religious fervor leads to the systematic expropriation of his household goods.

   Jun 22, 1876The Daily IntelligencerNorth Street, Seattle, King CountyLocal Legends

3. The Perilous Sidewalks of Mill Street

   Seattle’s rapid urban expansion in 1878 has left pedestrians navigating ten-foot drops without a single railing in sight.

   Jun 28, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

4. The Professor Who Escaped the Shackles: A Seattle Spiritualist’s Audacious Escape

   In July 1876, Professor S.S. Baldwin drew a crowd at Yesler’s Hall not for his spiritualist tricks, but for his daring escape from handcuffs and leg irons—a feat that left the audience gasping and proved he was no fraud.

   Jul 24, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyNightlife

5. The Dog Who Fought the Thief: Seattle’s Mastiff vs. The Ring

   A loyal mastiff in Seattle discovered a burglar's bloody trail but refused to name names, leaving locals to wonder if the 'ring' would silence him before fall.

   Sep 12, 1872Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

6. The Baker’s Strike: Twelve Hours for $12

   In a bold move against grueling labor conditions, Seattle’s bakers are contemplating a strike to demand shorter hours and fair wages, challenging the era's standard of 18-hour workdays.

   Oct 17, 1872Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyWork & Pay

7. The Palace of Ink and Pine

   A satirical look at a new, supposedly 'palatial' three-story printing office in Seattle, which turns out to be just one story above a Chinese wash-house.

   Mar 30, 1876Puget Sound DispatchCherry Street, Seattle, King CountyHousing & Rent

8. The Narrow Escape: A Four-Year-Old’s Head Survives a Wagon Wheel

   In the muddy streets of 1876 Seattle, a toddler’s life hung by a thread when a heavy wagon rolled directly over his skull—yet he walked away with only minor injuries.

   May 4, 1876Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

9. The Man Who Fought the Law: Riley’s Brawl with Seattle Police

   In July 1876, a drunken man named Riley didn't just resist arrest—he dismantled the entire police force. It took bystanders to finally pin him down.

   Jul 29, 1876Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

10. The Blue Glass Cure: A Barber’s Quackery and a Seattle Elder’s Rage

    In March 1877, an elderly Black man named Uncle Dan nearly came to blows with a white barber over a ridiculous 'medical' treatment involving blue window panes and sunlight.

    Mar 31, 1877Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountySnake Oil

11. The Midnight Shot at the Eldorado

    A quiet night in a Seattle saloon turns into a tense legal spectacle after a musician goes on a shooting spree during a restless sleep.

    Oct 27, 1877Puget Sound DispatchWashington Street, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

12. The Saloonkeeper’s Gunshot on Front Street

    A quiet night near the Seattle Coal Company’s bunkers was shattered when a local woman took matters into her own hands regarding a stray dog.

    Dec 29, 1877Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

13. The Great Seattle Lie: How a Horse Spooked a Couple Became a Territorial Tragedy

    In 1876, a minor riding accident on White River was exaggerated by word-of-mouth into a sensational disaster. The paper exposes the mechanics of rumor-mongering in the young territory.

    Sep 13, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

14. The Dog Who Drowned Twice: A Seattle Tragedy in the Slip

    A large black Newfoundland met a bizarre and fatal end at Stone & Wharf last week, plunging into the water twice in a spasm of terror before being rescued by witnesses.

    Sep 14, 1876The Daily IntelligencerCommercial Street, Seattle, King CountyStrange But True

15. The Madman with the Million-Dollar Conspiracy

    A wandering stranger’s frantic claims of a plot to rob him in Seattle lead to his arrest and a stark reminder: the city is growing too fast for its own good.

    Apr 27, 1877The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyLocal Legends

16. The Great Herring Flood: When the Duwamish River Turned White

    May 1877: A bizarre natural phenomenon turns Seattle’s waterways into a slippery, smelly carpet of dead fish, while loggers race to beat an early spring flood.

    May 9, 1877The Daily IntelligencerDuwamish River, Seattle, King CountyStrange But True

17. The Brooklyn Plague: A Satirical Warning Against the 'Fanaticism' of Moody and Sankey

    A local correspondent in Snohomish mocks the recent evangelistic crusade of Rev. D.L. Moody and singer R.A. Sankey, comparing their emotional preaching to a contagious disease and jokingly inviting missionaries to relocate to Washington Territory.

    Feb 19, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish County

18. The Great Snohomish Desertion: A Husband Left Penniless by His Wife’s Flight

    In a scandal that gripped the small river town in early 1877, a man returned from a logging trip to find his wife had vanished with their cash, leaving him stranded and destitute.

    Jan 20, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyScandal

19. The Loggers Who Built a Town: How an Indian Settlement Thrived on the Banks of Port Discovery

    While Snohomish debated its own agricultural future, a thriving community of Indigenous farmers and loggers was quietly building a prosperous life in Dungeness, complete with schools, hotels, and dairy herds.

    Apr 28, 1877The Northern StarSequim, Clallam CountyBoom & Bust

20. The Great Cascade: A Pilgrimage to the Roar of Snoqualmie Falls

    In July 1877, three travelers walked the rugged trail from Snohomish to Fall City, documenting the lush farms, the hospitality of settlers, and the awe-inspiring power of the falls—a testament to the beauty and isolation of early Washington Territory.

    Jul 21, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

21. The Boomtown Frontier: A Traveler's Account of New Tacoma and the Puyallup Valley

    As the Northern Pacific Railroad carves its path into the frontier, a correspondent journeys from Snohomish to witness the rapid, chaotic, and industrious birth of New Tacoma and the hop-heavy Puyallup Valley.

    Sep 29, 1877The Northern StarTacoma, Pierce CountyBoom & Bust

22. The Crackdown on 'Fast Riding' in Old Seattle

    When rowdy horsemen turned Front Street into a racetrack, the city police decided the era of reckless riding in the city center had to end.

    Aug 31, 1878The Daily Intelligencer1st Avenue, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

23. The Man Who Couldn't Sleep: A Murderer's Five-Year Nightmare Ends in Seattle

    William Devitt, a fugitive from a Pennsylvania railroad murder, surrenders to Seattle police after five years of wandering the South, claiming his conscience has finally caught up with him.

    Jun 6, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

24. Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad Takes Land-Grant Case to Congress

    A legislative battle brews in Congress over land-grant endowments that could finally connect Seattle to the interior.

    Jun 24, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money

25. The Shadow Over San Juan Island

    A Supreme Court justice warns that the legal limbo surrounding the San Juan islands threatens to turn the territory into a lawless refuge for criminals.

    Dec 11, 1871Puget Sound DispatchSan Juan Island, Friday Harbor, San Juan CountyCity Hall

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