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35 stories
- The Expulsion of Bellingham’s Chinese Residents
In 1885, citizens of Bellingham signed a pledge to systematically boycott and remove their Chinese neighbors, marking a dark chapter in Washington's labor and social history.
- The Boom That Built Bellingham: How Four Towns Merged Into One City
In the spring of 1904, the bustling communities of Sehome, Whatcom, Fairhaven, and Bellingham were rapidly converging. With housing prices soaring and carpenters working day and night, this historic merger created the city we know today.
- The Whatcom Million-Dollar Bet
Citizens of Bellingham Bay pledge their own wealth to lure the railroad, hoping to transform their sleepy coastal town into a Pacific terminus.
- The Boom, The Bust, and The Fire That Haunted Whatcom
A pioneer chronicles the rise and fall of the Bellingham Bay settlements, from the discovery of coal to the geopolitical ironies that stifled a regional metropolis.
- The Bold Ambitions of Bellingham Bay
A committee of local leaders assembles at the Whatcom Hotel to plan a regional future of railroads, universities, and industrial growth.
- The Knights of Labor Strike Back in Whatcom
A fiery public letter from the local labor organization dismantles the 'social assassins' and 'poltroons' who questioned their political legitimacy in 1886.
- A Legal Battle for an Inheritance
The abandoned son of an early Whatcom pioneer fights for his father's homestead after collateral heirs sell the land out from under him.
- A Family Tragedy in the Whatcom Courtroom
A mother and her twelve-year-old son were convicted of manslaughter after a deadly land dispute, highlighting the violent risks of territorial-era frontier claims.
- Battle for the Waterfront
A legal fight over Bellingham Bay water rights highlights the city's desperation for fire protection.
- The Well That Killed Twice
A promising new homestead a few miles east of Whatcom became a death trap when a pocket of gas swallowed John Kidwell and the neighbor who tried to save him.
- Real Estate Standoff Paralyzes Whatcom
A townsite dispute between original owners and a land colony halts development and freezes local business.
- Bellingham’s Industrial Boom of 1888
A look back at the rapid transformation of the three Bellingham Bay towns as railroads and mills reshaped the landscape.
- The Political Tax Revolt of 1885
In a scorched-earth letter to the editor, a Whatcom resident decries the rise of 'Knights of Labor' candidates, claiming their victory at the polls signaled a collapse of property values and fiscal responsibility.
- Whatcom Vigilantes Warn Local Troublemaker
A known card sharper and thief was given a blunt invitation to leave town or face a 'necktie festival' at the hands of local residents.
- The Whatcom Land Dispute Resolved
After years of litigation, the standoff between town-site owners and the Whatcom Colony ends, signaling a new era of growth.
- The Ill-Fated Divorce of Whatcom County
A couple of thirty years' standing attempted a DIY divorce through a notary, only to find themselves inadvertently back in the bonds of matrimony when the law intervened.
- The Wild West of Washington Rail Speculation
As Seattle rapidly expanded, a flurry of shadowy railroad companies and land speculators rushed to claim water-front territory, hoping to dictate the future of commerce in the Pacific Northwest.
- The Girl Who Ran Away: A Battle for Custody in Whatcom County
When W.M. Hart returned from British Columbia with a young girl he had sent to school, he sparked a public feud with her father, revealing the complex realities of child welfare and family law in the Pacific Northwest.
- The Dramatic 'Dynamite' Incident at the Whatcom Mill
A quiet Bellingham neighborhood was shattered when a private residence was leveled by a mysterious blast, sparking a urgent search for the perpetrators.
- A Tragic Afternoon at Whatcom Creek
A seven-year-old boy drowns while playing on log booms, sparking a somber community funeral.
- A Corporate Heist in Whatcom
A shareholder warns Seattle merchants not to purchase illegal drafts from a Whatcom corporation attempting to bleed its own company dry.
- Showdown at the Whatcom Land Dispute
A contentious meeting regarding a contested land claim ended in an attempted confrontation with the Pettibone brothers.
- The Doctor’s Great Escape Was Thwarted at the Wharf
A debt-ridden doctor attempts to skip town on a steamer, but his disgruntled creditors have a different plan for his luggage.
- Coal Claims Filed in Chuckanut Mountains
Conflict arises over land rights between coal claimants and timber interests near Bellingham.
- Steaming Through the Puget Sound Boom, Town by Town
A Seattle traveler’s 1883 voyage aboard the Idaho finds crowded wharves, railroad dreams, and real-estate prices high enough to check the very boom they fed.