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5,298 stories

  1. The Judge Who Drank: A Local Magistrate’s Confession to the Grand Jury

    In a stunning display of candor, Seattle Justice of the Peace John Mercer admits to his courtroom that he was frequently intoxicated while on the bench, blaming 'political enemies' for his drinking and accusing the city of turning a blind eye to saloon owners who ruin working men's wages.

    Jun 12, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall · Scandal

  2. The Ghost in the Yellow Trunk

    A tip from surveyors leads two intrepid reporters to the shores of Alki Point, where they unearth a grim secret hidden in the brush.

    Jul 17, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWest Seattle, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  3. The Woman Who Defended Her Home With a Shotgun

    When city laborers arrived to tear down Mrs. Williamson's fence for a road-widening project, she made it clear that some property rights are defended by force.

    Aug 31, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSecond Street, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money · Strange But True

  4. The Great Rabbit Drive: Blood, Snow, and the Hunt for Sport in Yakima

    Hundreds of men, boys, and ladies converged on a four-mile line to corral hundreds of jackrabbits into a killing field, resulting in more broken bones than dead rabbits.

    Jan 30, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerYakima, Yakima CountyStrange But True

  5. The North Seattle Commuter Who Fought Back

    When two armed men attempted to rob a local resident near the Grant-Street bridge, he chose to defend his coin with a kick and a fistfight.

    Apr 21, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  6. The Tragic Cost of Seattle's Growth: The Death of C. Toellner

    A tragic train accident at the Grant Street Bridge exposes the perils of Seattle’s rapidly expanding infrastructure in the late 1880s.

    May 15, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyDisasters

  7. Ten Inmates Crawl Through City Jail Roof

    A dozen prisoners rip the roof off the city jail, leading to a night of escapes, returns for more whiskey, and public mockery of the facility.

    Jul 30, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPioneer Square, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall · True Crime

  8. The Siege of Third Street

    When tenants refused to vacate their boarding house, a Seattle landlord responded by nailing the gates shut and mounting a guard.

    Aug 2, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThird Street, Seattle, King CountyHousing & Rent

  9. The Electrified Watchman

    When the Seattle Electric Railway’s infrastructure turned the city into a hazard, a local watchman learned the hard way that his job required handling more than just time.

    Aug 28, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSouth 1st Street, Seattle, King CountyWork & Pay · Strange But True

  10. The Pox Patrol: When Smallpox Patients Went Out for Whiskey

    In 1880, Seattle's quarantine measures were so lax that victims were reportedly slipping out of the pesthouse at night to hit the saloons.

    Nov 11, 1880The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall · Nightlife

  11. The Shadowy Business of Patent Medicines

    A cynical drug clerk reveals the grisly truth behind 'medical' concoctions and the dangerous incompetence of the pharmacy trade in 1880s Seattle.

    Nov 13, 1880The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountySnake Oil

  12. The Clam-Seller and the Street-Car: A Seattle Reckoning

    When a man was killed by a train on a Seattle street, a bystander's callous comment sparked a confrontation that exposed the deep-seated tensions of the city's growing industrial landscape.

    Nov 16, 1880The Daily IntelligencerCommercial Street, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money · Strange But True

  13. The Name Debate: Why Seattle Nearly Became 'Tacoma'

    When an Eastern Senator tried to force a name change on the future state, the people of the Washington Territory pushed back with fierce regional pride.

    Jan 1, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money

  14. The Ghost of Dynamite on the Northwestern Road

    A train passenger train narrowly escapes derailment when a forgotten cache of giant powder detonates eight miles outside of Seattle.

    Apr 23, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyDisasters

  15. The Desperate Leap at Jackson Street

    A local woman struggling with poverty and addiction finds herself in the bay after a public cry for help.

    May 2, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

  16. Inquest Held for Remains Found in Seattle Cellar

    A jury convenes to address the discovery of unidentified Chinese remains in a cellar, raising questions about municipal neglect and health risks.

    Sep 18, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerMain Street, Seattle, King CountyExclusion & Resistance · True Crime

  17. An Infernal Machine on the Tracks

    A dangerous, home-made bomb was discovered on the streetcar tracks in Seattle, chilling a city already tense from labor agitation.

    Oct 22, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyWork & Pay · True Crime

  18. Republican Rally at the Opera House

    Judge Wood defends the Sheriff’s record in the anti-Chinese expulsions of 1886.

    Oct 26, 1886Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerOpera House, Seattle, King CountyExclusion & Resistance

  19. The Opium Smugglers of the Idaho

    A federal investigation uncovers a massive scheme to hide contraband in the bilges and barrels of a Pacific steamship, revealing a deep culture of corruption in the Sound’s maritime trade.

    Dec 18, 1886Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerPort Townsend, Jefferson CountyTrue Crime

  20. The Bachelor of South Lake and the One-Dollar Fine

    A territorial dispute over a fence escalated into a shooting and a lake-dunking, leading to an unlikely legal entanglement for an elderly hermit.

    Feb 24, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerRenton, King CountyLocal Legends

  21. The Evangelists and the Brothel

    In 1887, a group of women conducted prayer meetings inside Seattle’s houses of prostitution, confronting the grim reality of life for the women living and working within.

    Mar 15, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerC Street, Seattle, King CountyNightlife

  22. The Price of a 'Sharp Practice'

    An early Tacoma settler recounts how a handshake deal for a town site—and his trust in corporate promises—cost him a half-million-dollar fortune.

    May 17, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerCommencement Bay, Tacoma, Pierce CountyFollow the Money

  23. The Waterfront Vigilante: A Seattle Harbor Scandal

    A customs official and a boatman ambushed a crew of sailors returning to shore at Point Hudson, leading to a senseless shooting that left a seaman's life hanging in the balance.

    May 28, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerWater Street, Port Townsend, Jefferson CountyTrue Crime

  24. The Human Cargo of the 'Wolcott'

    A government customs vessel intercepts a fishing boat off Smith Island, revealing a harrowing attempt to smuggle nine men into Seattle.

    Jul 7, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyExclusion & Resistance · True Crime

  25. The Forgotten Paupers of King County

    A backlog of 800 unburied individuals, kept in temporary graves due to a lack of city funds, sparks a call for municipal accountability.

    Aug 13, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

Download all 5,298 as a spreadsheet (CSV)