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• “chase” ×
• 1870–1879 ×

1. The Logger’s Sunday Best

   A small-town transformation: How one local logger swapped his camp clothes for city attire to blend in with the townspeople.

   Jan 30, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

2. The Great Boat Chase of Seattle Harbor

   A drunken sailor's attempt to visit his sick wife ends in a high-seas brawl, a capsized skiff, and a daring escape.

   Sep 14, 1878Puget Sound DispatchSeattle Harbor, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

3. The Race That Wasn't: A 'Compulsory' Chase on the Snoqualmie Road

   In September 1876, a traveler near Fall City was forced into a high-speed gallop by five Indigenous men who claimed they only wanted to test their horses' speed against his.

   Sep 8, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSnoqualmie Road, Fall City, King CountyStrange But True

4. The Seattle Housing Boom of 1876

   While miners chased gold in North Georgia, Seattle entrepreneurs were busy speculating on 'hard finish' homes in a rapidly developing frontier town.

   Nov 17, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

5. The Mother Who Chased Her Daughter Off the Train

   A stern mother keeps a watchful eye on her daughter during a geological expedition’s outing, resulting in a comical train-platform confrontation.

   Nov 27, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

6. The Day a Prisoner Broke His Chains and the Police Chief Grabbed a Boy's Horse

   A robbery suspect makes a mid-day run for the bushes from the chain gang; Seattle's police chief commandeers a horse and trees him just outside town.

   Jun 23, 1877Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

7. The Great Poker Heist: A Man Steals Glass to Escape His Debts

   In a bizarre twist of justice in 1872 Seattle, a gambler fleeing a poker loss was caught stealing window panes from a saloon instead of cash.

   Oct 17, 1872Puget Sound DispatchCommercial Street, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

8. The Gold Rush at the Swinomish Flats

   While miners chased gold in the mountains, early settlers on the Swinomish tide lands found that dyking and ditching the soil offered a far more reliable fortune.

   Sep 21, 1878Puget Sound DispatchSwinomish Channel, La Conner, Skagit CountyFollow the Money

9. 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

10. The Perilous Path to Nowhere

    A survey team's disastrous expedition into the Cascades exposes the grand delusions of railroad barons chasing land grants.

    Dec 29, 1877Puget Sound DispatchWilkeson, Pierce CountyFollow the Money

11. The Steamboat Duel: Annie Stewart vs. The Messenger

    In a race for passengers and profit on Puget Sound, two steamers engaged in a high-speed chase that ended with the Annie Stewart arriving five minutes ahead of her rival.

    May 11, 1877The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money · Strange But True

12. The Midnight Elopement on the Sound

    When parents blocked a teenage romance in Port Gamble, a sympathetic reverend and a fast steamer turned a family feud into a dramatic escape across the border.

    Apr 6, 1878Puget Sound DispatchPort Gamble, Kitsap CountyScandal

13. The False Promises of the Arctic Gold Rush

    An 1877 dispatch from Seattle warns local laborers that chasing get-rich-quick mining dreams in the North leads only to bankruptcy, while those who commit to farming the region’s soil build actual wealth.

    Mar 1, 1877The Daily IntelligencerMill Street, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

14. The Bullet That Ended a Bully: A Seattle Man’s Deadly Stand on the Walla Walla

    Michael Emerick, a former Seattle job wagon driver, faces murder charges after killing Joe Gordon in self-defense during a long-simmering land dispute.

    Jul 8, 1876Puget Sound DispatchWalla Walla River, Walla Walla, Walla Walla CountyFollow the Money · True Crime

15. Thrown Into a Saw at Colman's Mill — and the Law Looked the Other Way

    When Peter Feeney attacked a Chinese coworker in a Seattle sawmill, the man's foot was mangled beyond repair. The justice of the peace declined to hold Feeney, the prosecutor dismissed the case, and the town's paper argued the injury was just an accident.

    Jun 23, 1877Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyExclusion & Resistance

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