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• 1870–1879 ×

1. The Great Log Jam: A River of Lost Timber

   In March 1877, a sudden rise in the Skykomish River swept away thousands of feet of logs belonging to local sawmills, turning a potential fortune into driftwood.

   Mar 17, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyDisasters

2. The Miner Who Came Home: A Snohomish Native Rejects the Yukon for the Slough

   After years of chasing gold in British Columbia and finding only poverty, Neil McMillan returns to his old partner's side on Ehey Slough to start a ranch, proving that local timber is more valuable than distant dreams.

   Mar 31, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

3. The Tragedy at Holmes Harbor: A Log Roller’s Fatal Mistake

   In the early days of Snohomish County’s timber boom, a simple error in judgment turned a lunch break into a death sentence for James McLachlan.

   Apr 28, 1877The Northern StarHolmes Harbor, Freeland, Island CountyWork & Pay · Disasters

4. The Day Fall City Danced: A July 4th Celebration in the Shadow of War

   While General Howard debated tactics against Native tribes elsewhere in Washington Territory, residents of Fall City gathered in a cedar grove to celebrate the nation's birthday with speeches, picnics, and swings.

   Jul 21, 1877The Northern StarKent, King County

5. The Struggle for Self-Culture in Snohomish

   An 1877 literary society meeting sparks a fierce editorial debate on the necessity of intellectual labor and the dangers of the 'critic' class.

   Sep 8, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish County

6. Darwin, Agassiz, and the Snohomish Pulpit Wars

   A fiery editorial from 1877 Snohomish takes on the local clergy for their public ridicule of scientific discovery and the theory of evolution.

   Dec 8, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish County

7. The Porch Light Intervention

   A romantic evening on Snohomish's Piety Hill is brought to a splashy, unceremonious end.

   Dec 15, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyScandal

8. The Sad Procession of the Snohomish Bachelors

   A local scene captures the quiet, threadbare dignity of three men moving house, offering a rare, human glimpse into the isolation of frontier bachelorhood.

   Feb 27, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

9. The Presidential Impersonator of Snohomish

   A local man causes a stir on Main Street, staging a political reception from the porch of the Snohomish Exchange before his performance is cut short by a mud puddle.

   Mar 13, 1878The Northern StarFirst Street, Snohomish, Snohomish CountyLocal Legends

10. The Ghost in the Machine: Snohomish Meets the Phonograph

    A local advertisement for the cutting-edge technology of 1878 introduces the marvel of Edison's 'talking machine,' promising a future where the voices of the dead can be preserved forever.

    Apr 10, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

11. The Gendered Crisis of the Washington Asylum

    A brief, callous report from 1878 chronicles an individual suffering a mental health crisis, shedding light on the historical intersection of medical pathologization and gender nonconformity in the Pacific Northwest.

    May 1, 1878The Northern StarSteilacoom, Pierce CountyLGBTQ+ Lives · Snake Oil

12. The 'Keep Out' Sign Over Snohomish

    A local editor warns against the arrival of an agitator, reflecting the volatile labor politics of 1880s Washington Territory.

    May 1, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyWork & Pay

13. The 'Smart' Grift: A Frontier Romance Scammer

    A Chinese laborer attempts to use the legal system to recover money lost to a romantic swindler who promised marriage but disappeared with his cash.

    May 15, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyScandal

14. The Victorian Era's Original 'Manosphere' Rant

    A satirical lecture from 1879 captures the era's obsession with policing women's appearances and the absurdity of 'social performance' in the Pacific Northwest.

    May 15, 1878The Northern StarSeattle, King County

15. The 'Easy' Job That Wasn't

    A classic tale of a hotel proprietor in Snohomish trying to hoodwink a miner into an impossible, unpaid-labor arrangement.

    Jun 19, 1878The Northern StarMain Street, Snohomish, Snohomish CountyWork & Pay · Strange But True

16. The Unruly Fourth: A Snohomish Independence Day

    A look at the chaotic, whiskey-fueled celebrations of 1878, where the lack of 'dueals' (money) was the only thing standing between the town and total revelry.

    Jul 6, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyNightlife

17. The Mukilteo Colony Pitch: A 19th Century Developer’s Dream

    Before it was a residential hub, Mukilteo was marketed as a grand 'colony' with promises of deep-water docks and agricultural self-sufficiency.

    Jul 13, 1878The Northern StarMukilteo, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

18. The Price of Credit in Snohomish

    A legal summons from 1878 reveals the crushing weight of debt and high-interest loans for local businessmen.

    Aug 10, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

19. Valentine Nollen Drowns in the Snohomish River

    A local man, known affectionately as 'Dutchy,' loses his life to the river, sparking an official inquiry into his final moments.

    Aug 10, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish County

20. Life and Lore on the Snoqualmie Prairie

    A look back at the isolated, burgeoning agricultural life of the Snoqualmie Valley in 1878, from the pioneer blockhouses to the dream of a thriving dairy industry.

    Sep 1, 1878The Northern StarSnoqualmie, King CountyBoom & Bust · Gone Forever

21. The Dream of the La Grande Marsh Colony

    Developers in the 1880s marketed a fertile Snohomish County marshland as an ideal site for a family colony, selling the promise of self-sufficiency just four miles from town.

    Sep 28, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

22. The Looming Crisis in Snohomish Schools

    A blunt warning from the school board highlights the fragility of local education funding in 1878.

    Oct 5, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyCity Hall

23. The Mukilteo Colony Dream

    Promoters pitched a 32-tract 'colony' in Mukilteo as a perfect, self-sustaining opportunity for families to own land and work the Sound, promising everything from shipbuilding to fertile marshland farming.

    Oct 5, 1878The Northern StarMukilteo, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

24. The Political Landscape of Snohomish, 1878

    As the November election approaches, the citizens of Washington Territory weigh the merits of local candidates for Sheriff, Auditor, and beyond.

    Oct 19, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyCity Hall

25. Sultan River Prospectors Build a Half-Mile Flume

    Deep in the Snohomish backcountry, a group of determined prospectors labors to divert the Sultan River in hopes of striking it rich.

    Nov 23, 1878The Northern StarSultan River, Sultan, Snohomish CountyWork & Pay

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