Research the archive

• 1877 ×
• The Northern Star ×

1. A Correspondent Reports on the Nez Perce Conflict

   Writing from Olympia in 1877, a local correspondent describes Nez Perce leaders’ refusal to relocate and the surprise attack that sparked a war many understood as a defense of home.

   Jul 14, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyExclusion & Resistance

2. The Snohomish Assassination Plot: A Lottery of Death

   In February 1877, a local deputy reveals that Governor William Pickering was the target of a sinister lottery scheme to determine who would carry out his murder.

   Feb 24, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyCity Hall · True Crime

3. The Hangman's Verdict: John Thompson Convicted of Murder in Snohomish

   A trial that captivated the entire Territory ends with a death sentence for a man accused of killing his friend during a drunken brawl over a card game.

   Feb 24, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish Jail, Snohomish, Snohomish CountyTrue Crime

4. The Price of Growth in Early Snohomish

   While town elites built elegant homes and secured university futures for their sons, a diphtheria outbreak devastated the river settlements, revealing the stark human cost of frontier expansion.

   Dec 8, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust · Disasters

5. The Great Land Grab: Citizens Unite to Stop the Railroad's Theft of Public Soil

   In a packed meeting at Reinig’s Hall, Snohomish leaders condemn the Northern Pacific Railway for hoarding millions of acres while building a secret coal line, vowing to fight Congress to return the land to settlers.

   May 5, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

6. The Railroad That Stole Our Land: How Seattle’s Interests Blocked Snohomish’s Future

   A furious letter to the editor exposes how political maneuvering in Washington D.C. and Seattle kept vital federal lands locked up, denying homesteaders their rightful homes while railroad tycoons played games with territory.

   May 5, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

7. The Fortress of Timber: How Mill Barons Bought the Land to Buy the Town

   In 1877, a local editorial warned that Port Blakely’s massive timber companies were cornering the market on real estate, creating an economic monopoly that would stifle independent growth and keep workers dependent on their employers.

   May 12, 1877The Northern StarPort Blakely, Bainbridge Island, Kitsap CountyFollow the Money

8. The Last Voyage of Arthur Phinney: A Fleet of Steamers Bids Farewell to a Pioneer

   In June 1877, the death of Port Ludlow founder Arthur Phinney triggered an unprecedented maritime funeral procession on Puget Sound, uniting rival steamship lines and hundreds of mourners in a tribute to a man who championed labor and community.

   Jun 9, 1877The Northern StarPort Ludlow, Jefferson CountyWork & Pay · Strange But True

9. The Hop Gold Rush of the Puyallup Valley

   In 1877, a booming agricultural industry turned the Puyallup Valley into a high-stakes arena of heavy capital, immigrant labor, and unpredictable environmental risks.

   Sep 29, 1877The Northern StarPuyallup Valley, Puyallup, Pierce CountyBoom & Bust

10. The Swift and Terrible Justice of the Gallows

    A condemned man is rushed to the gallows in just five days, sparking outrage over the speed of the judicial process in Snohomish.

    Oct 6, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyCity Hall · True Crime

11. The Great Snohomish River Canoe Disaster: A Tale of Terror, Whales, and Pluck

    Four prominent local businessmen nearly lost their lives when a massive whale capsized their boat in the dark, but one man’s calm courage saved them all.

    Jan 27, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

12. The Great Political Tickling: How Daniel Bugley Outwitted Seattle’s Beriah Brown

    A fiery editorial in the *Snohomish Sun* exposes a political alliance between two rival editors, accusing them of using religious fervor as a cover for partisan maneuvering.

    Jun 16, 1877The Northern StarSeattle, King CountyScandal

13. The Devil's Own: Oak Harbor's Waggish Protest Against the Preacher

    When a reverend tried to post a notice for his Sunday sermon in the Grange Hall, the locals of Oak Harbor responded with a satirical flyer that dared the Devil himself to show up.

    Jul 14, 1877The Northern StarOak Harbor, Island CountyStrange But True

14. The Dream of Ship Harbor

    A speculative report on a new settlement near Fidalgo Island that promised to control the wealth of the Snohomish and Skagit valleys.

    Sep 8, 1877The Northern StarShip Harbor, Anacortes, Skagit CountyBoom & Bust

15. The Seattle Tax Trap: How the City Council Tried to Force You to Pay for Sidewalks

    A Snohomish resident learns that Washington's territorial legislature lacks the power to create municipalities like Seattle—and whether your city can legally bill you for street improvements.

    Mar 10, 1877The Northern StarSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

16. The Railroad's Land Grab: How Northern Pacific Hoarded Snohomish’s Future

    A local resident exposes the legal loopholes allowing the railroad to retain millions of acres in Western Washington, arguing that this concentrated ownership is strangling settlement and keeping land prices artificially high.

    Apr 28, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

17. The Great Olympia Fire: How a City Rallied Against the Flames

    When an August blaze threatened to consume Olympia's business district, the community, including local women, rushed to save the heart of the town.

    Aug 11, 1877The Northern StarOlympia, Thurston CountyDisasters

18. A Community Under Siege: The Whidbey Island Diphtheria Outbreak

    A harrowing account of how a single family was devastated by diphtheria in Oak Harbor during the summer of 1887.

    Aug 18, 1877The Northern StarOak Harbor, Island CountyDisasters

19. The Loggers' Stand Against the Mill Cartel

    Facing a coordinated effort to depress timber wages, loggers in the Snohomish valley chose to halt production, sparking a classic confrontation between labor and capital.

    Sep 1, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyWork & Pay

20. The Struggle for the Pacific Northwest’s Iron Backbone

    As the Northern Pacific Railroad languished in 1877, the Governor of Washington Territory demanded the company fulfill its land grant promises to break the cycle of land speculation and stagnation.

    Oct 20, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

21. Debating the Northern Railroad's Route to Puget Sound

    As the Northern Pacific Railroad eyed a Portland terminus to maximize its land grants, a fierce editorial demands the company fulfill its promise to connect the Columbia River to Puget Sound or forfeit its territory.

    Oct 20, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

22. The Siege at Keets Mine

    A desperate labor standoff unfolds as miners seize a Washington claim over unpaid wages, fortifying their position against the contractor.

    Nov 17, 1877The Northern StarCentral City, Pierce CountyWork & Pay

23. The Judge Who Lobbied for the Church

    A scathing critique of Washington Territorial Judge Roger B. Greene, accused of using his office to force tax exemptions for church property through a back-door deal.

    Dec 1, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyCity Hall · Scandal

24. The Stranger at the American House

    A quiet traveler claiming to be a homesteader is revealed to be a double-murderer hiding from an Oregon bounty.

    Dec 22, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyTrue Crime

25. The Great Quarantine: Port Ludlow’s Armed Stand Against 'Commercial Agents'

    In a rare display of local vigilante health policy, armed residents of Port Ludlow blocked a boat from Victoria, British Columbia, forcing it away after learning the passengers had smallpox.

    Mar 17, 1877The Northern StarPort Ludlow, Jefferson CountyStrange But True

Download all 220 as a spreadsheet (CSV)