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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 8 |
| 1877 | 3 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 3 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1887 | 4 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1892 | 5 |
| 1893 | 6 |
| 1894 | 6 |
| 1895 | 4 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 4 |
| 1916 | 2 |
13 stories
- The Seattle Coal Cooperative of 1876
A century and a half ago, Seattle workers formed a mutual benefit mining company to secure their own fuel and profits.
- Blood on the Tracks: The Renton Saloon Brawl of 1877
A card game, a wrestling match, and a concealed knife turned a quiet evening into a deadly tragedy in Renton.
- The Day the Locomotives Derailed on the Black River
A morning commute goes wrong just outside Seattle when two coal trains collide head-on, sending steam engines into the mud.
- The Fatal Quarrel at the Renton Mines
A bloody dispute at the Renton coal mines leads to a murder conviction, exposing the rough edges of frontier life in the burgeoning territory.
- Sabotage on the Coal Line
A dangerous attempt to derail a coal train near Seattle highlights the intense tensions surrounding the city's burgeoning industrial infrastructure.
- The Pennsylvania of the Pacific
How the coal mines of Renton and the Cedar River Valley became the engine of early Seattle’s industrial expansion.
- The Funeral Boat on the Black River
A funeral party's journey home from Renton to Seattle is upended when their steamer breaks down, forcing a mud-caked, cross-country trek by wagon.
- The Rising Waters of the Talbot Mine
An underground spring floods a local mine, threatening to halt operations just as the town's industrial future takes root.
- Holiday Revelry in Early Renton
A historic gathering of pioneer families at the new schoolhouse marked a high-water mark for the young coal mining settlement.
- The Flooding of the Talbot Coal Mine
A sudden rush of water from a subterranean reservoir halts production, leaving the company to debate expensive drainage tunnels versus imported pumping gear.
- The Crossing at Black River
In 1877, King County sought bids for a new bridge, marking a quiet moment of infrastructure expansion in a landscape that would soon be permanently altered by river rerouting.
- The Price of Warmth in 1876
As Seattle grew, the Renton Coal Company leveraged its local supply to promise affordability, offering a ton of coal for six dollars—or four for shareholders.
- The Great Block River Auction of 1876
A sprawling public sale in the countryside south of Seattle offers a snapshot of pioneer life, livestock, and the rhythm of late 19th-century farm commerce.