Research the archive

• 1878 ×

1. The Newspaper Feud of 1876

   A local editor’s blistering public breakdown of an auditor who dared to write letters to the editor.

   May 11, 1878Puget Sound DispatchJames Street, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall · Scandal

2. The Disappearing Patient of King County

   A small-statured man, well-dressed in slate colors, walks out of the Territorial Insane Asylum and vanishes without a trace.

   Jun 1, 1878Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

3. The Devil-Fish of Port Orchard

   A local fisherman's harrowing encounter with a tentacled beast off the coast of Kitsap County.

   Jun 8, 1878Puget Sound DispatchPort Orchard, Kitsap CountyStrange But True

4. The Desert Town That Finally Found a Well

   For years, the residents of Port Townsend relied entirely on collected rain for drinking water, fearing the earth held nothing but salt.

   Jun 22, 1878Puget Sound DispatchPort Townsend, Jefferson CountyStrange But True

5. Seattle’s Desperate Need for Modern Firefighting

   As the city rapidly expands, the Common Council scrambles to replace inadequate, antiquated fire gear before a disaster strikes.

   Jun 29, 1878Puget Sound DispatchSeattle City Hall, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

6. The Price of Sin in Pioneer Seattle

   While the city's elite debated municipal elections and infrastructure, a thief made off with a trunk full of coins and jewelry from a house on the margins of society.

   Jul 13, 1878Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

7. The Hustlers of the Waterfront: Regulating Seattle's Hotel Runners

   In 1878, the Seattle City Council cracked down on the aggressive solicitors who haunted the docks, requiring them to wear badges and pay a quarterly tax for the right to hawk boarding houses.

   Aug 17, 1878Puget Sound DispatchSeattle Waterfront, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

8. Seattle’s Early 1878 Council Meetings

   Before the skyline, the city was built on ordinances, grain dryers, and the push for a trans-mountain railroad.

   Aug 17, 1878Puget Sound DispatchWashington Street, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

9. The Pioneer Woman Who Kept the Palouse Dream Alive

   A mother who crossed the continent alone with nine children and a wagon team became the unsung hero of a new homestead in the Palouse, proving she could 'make a lazy man succeed in this country.'

   Aug 31, 1878Puget Sound DispatchWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyStrange But True

10. The Day the Talking Machine Arrived in Seattle

    In 1878, Seattle citizens gathered at Yesler’s Hall for a demonstration of Thomas Edison's 'wonderful invention' that could capture and replay human speech.

    Sep 14, 1878Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

Download all 526 as a spreadsheet (CSV)