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1. Seattle's 1889 Fight Over Tide Flats and Docks

   As Washington prepares for statehood, a contentious battle emerges over who owns—and who profits from—the valuable tide lands bordering Seattle.

   Apr 28, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle Waterfront, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money

2. A Deadly Afternoon on the Duwamish

   A quiet afternoon of target practice turns into a desperate race for survival as a husband accidentally shoots his wife, triggering a high-speed rescue down the river.

   Apr 30, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerDuwamish River, Seattle, King County

3. The Great 'Broad Gauge' Railway Riot

   When two rival railroad companies turned the Seattle tideflats into a battlefield, hundreds of hired hands and lawyers clashed over a single strip of land.

   May 4, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money

4. The Groom Who Didn't Exist

   A jilted lover's lawsuit in the Lewis River country unravels a bizarre family scheme to pass a son off as a different man to save the family farm from seizure.

   May 5, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerKalama, Cowlitz CountyScandal

5. Tragedy in Tacoma: The Sudden Collapse of a New Building

   A newly constructed building on Tacoma Avenue falls, leaving the community reeling and survivors in critical condition.

   May 15, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma Avenue, Tacoma, Pierce CountyDisasters

6. The Confidence Man of Madison Street

   A charismatic stranger built a house in Seattle, charmed local investors, and pulled off a sophisticated bank fraud that left the city stunned.

   May 26, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMadison Street, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

7. The Narrow Escape of Mr. Browne

   A prominent Seattleite faces a targeted arson attempt at his residence, marking the second such attack in a wave of local intimidation.

   May 28, 1889The Seattle Post-Intelligencer907 4th Street, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

8. After the Great Fire: Seattle’s Hard-Won Resilience

   Days after the fire of 1889 decimated the city, the community faces mass homelessness and a desperate need for labor while relying on neighboring cities for support.

   Jun 12, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyHousing & Rent · Disasters

9. After the Fire, A New Blueprint for Seattle

   When the flames destroyed the commercial district, city leaders fought to enforce strict building codes to prevent a repeat of the disaster.

   Jun 12, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerYesler Avenue, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall · Disasters

10. From the Ashes of the Great Seattle Fire

    A desperate plea for resilience and community support in the days following the catastrophic 1889 fire that leveled the city’s business district.

    Jun 15, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerGreat Seattle Fire, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust · Disasters

11. The Great Reconstruction Logjam

    Following the 1889 fire, a desperate, city-wide shortage of building materials and poor infrastructure leaves Seattle’s recovery stalled.

    Jun 20, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerFront Street, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

12. The Great Seattle Rebuild: Rethinking Fire Safety After the Ashes

    In the wake of the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, experts and local leaders scramble to replace wooden tinderboxes with new, fireproof standards and modern building codes.

    Jun 20, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerFront Street, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall · Disasters

13. The Rebuilding of Seattle

    A desperate plea to voters in 1889 to elect leaders who could manage the massive, necessary reconstruction of a city decimated by fire.

    Jun 21, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerFirst Avenue, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

14. The Great Seattle Fire: A Call to Rebuild

    In the shadow of the 1889 Great Seattle Fire, a local editor calls for unity, resilience, and an end to public complaining as the city begins the monumental task of reconstruction.

    Jun 26, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerGreat Seattle Fire, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

15. The Great Rebuilding: Seattle’s Post-Fire Lumber Rush

    In the wake of the 1889 Great Seattle Fire, the local lumber trade faces an unprecedented surge in demand as thousands rush to rebuild, signaling a massive shift in the city’s economy and labor market.

    Jul 3, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMill Street, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

16. The Great Reconstruction: Seattle’s Waterfront Rises from the Ashes

    Less than a month after the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, the city’s wharves are a hive of frantic, round-the-clock labor to restore the vital commerce of the Pacific.

    Jul 3, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWaterfront, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

17. Seattle's Burnt District Rebuilds in Brick After 1889 Fire

    Following the Great Seattle Fire, the city's burnt district transforms as brick blocks replace wooden ruins and the city plans for a modern infrastructure.

    Jul 4, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerBallard, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust · Disasters

18. The Palouse Massacre: A Family Destroyed by Religious Mania

    A farmer takes his own life after killing his wife and children in a brutal religious mania, leaving a chilling note behind.

    Jul 12, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerFarmington, Whitman CountyTrue Crime

19. Walla Walla Devastated by Lower Main Street Blaze

    A massive fire wipes out a half-block of wooden buildings, revealing the city's total lack of adequate firefighting equipment.

    Jul 13, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyCity Hall · Disasters

20. The Battle Over Seattle’s Waterfront

    Delegates at the constitutional convention debate the legality of old railroad land grants that once promised to privatize Elliott Bay.

    Jul 14, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerElliott Bay, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money

21. Government Moves to Forfeit Railroad Land Grants in Washington

    Federal attorneys begin the legal process to reclaim millions of acres granted to railroad companies that failed to fulfill their construction promises.

    Jul 21, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money

22. The Strange Confession of Henry Lattimore

    After the murder of C. Grant in a Tacoma boarding house, a 19-year-old drifter with a 'straightforward' story was captured by rail workers and police.

    Jul 25, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

23. Who Owns the Water's Edge?

    A legal brief detailing the property rights of landowners whose lots border the tides and navigable waters of Seattle.

    Aug 4, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerElliott Bay, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money

24. The 1889 Great Seattle Thirst

    As Seattle boomed toward 30,000 residents, the city faced a critical choice: build a dual system of salt water for fire and fresh for drinking, or bet everything on Lake Washington.

    Aug 4, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerDowntown Seattle, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money

25. Washington’s Constitution Takes Shape Amid Chaos

    As Spokane Falls burns, the state’s constitutional delegates pivot from catastrophe to the fiery debate over regulating railroads and monopolies.

    Aug 6, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWashington State Capitol, Olympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money

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