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• 1880–1889 ×
• Chehalis ×

1. The Suicide of H. A. Ray: A Seattle Man’s Tragic End Amidst Scandal and Debt

   Prominent waterworks official takes his own life in Chicago after financial ruin and a complex romantic entanglement with a woman he claimed was his sister.

   Feb 19, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerChehalis, Lewis CountyFollow the Money · Scandal

2. The Price of Challenging the Northern Pacific

   After suing a railroad giant for injury, George Conroy was met with a perjury charge, jailed for the summer, and driven to insanity.

   Oct 27, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerChehalis, Lewis CountyFollow the Money

3. Women Serve on Grand Jury in Chehalis

   A landmark moment in Washington Territory as women take their seats in the courtroom.

   Jan 22, 1884Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerChehalis, Lewis CountyCity Hall

4. Homesteaders Fight Railroad Land Grab

   Settlers at Opera Hall band together to challenge the railroad company's claim to the land they built their homes on.

   Mar 20, 1884Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerChehalis, Lewis CountyFollow the Money

5. The Sawdust Menace: A 19th Century Struggle for Our Rivers

   Decades before modern environmentalism, Chehalis locals were already fighting the devastating impact of industrial waste on their salmon and trout streams.

   May 24, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerChehalis, Lewis CountyFollow the Money

6. A Desperate Hour in Chehalis

   After a domestic quarrel, a former probate judge in Chehalis attempts to end his life in the same room where a gruesome murder occurred years prior.

   Jun 21, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerChehalis, Lewis CountyScandal

7. A Widow’s Gritty Resolve in the Chehalis Wilderness

   After her husband was crushed by a falling tree in the remote woods, a woman used a saw to free his body and kept vigil alone through the night.

   Apr 8, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerChehalis, Lewis CountyHousing & Rent

8. The Great Hotel Hunger: Chehalis Builds to Catch the Rail

   As the Northern Pacific Railroad surveys threaten to bypass the town for a rival route, citizens scramble to build a modern hotel and waterworks just to stay relevant in the race for territorial dominance.

   Jan 26, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerChehalis, Lewis CountyBoom & Bust

9. The Great Chehalis Flood

   A historic deluge leaves mill workers homeless and livestock lost as record tides overwhelm the river valley.

   Dec 18, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerChehalis, Lewis CountyDisasters

10. The Railroad Land War

    A farmer on the Chehalis River accuses local officials and railroad contractors of corruption and 'bulldozing' tactics regarding land appraisals and property rights.

    Mar 1, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerChehalis, Lewis CountyFollow the Money

11. The Political Erasure of Lewis County

    Citizens in rural Washington cry foul as the 1889 constitutional convention districting map threatens to strip their county of political representation.

    Apr 17, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerChehalis, Lewis CountyCity Hall

12. The Unearned Empire of the Northern Pacific

    Citizens and county commissioners clash with the Northern Pacific Railroad over land grants and tax evasion in Lewis County.

    May 4, 1884Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerChehalis, Lewis CountyFollow the Money

13. The Fugitive from the Territorial Pen

    After two years on the run, a Lewis County killer is returned to custody.

    Jun 7, 1884Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerChehalis, Lewis CountyTrue Crime

14. The Rowdy Bible Debate

    A theological debate between an ex-rev and a professor turns into a shouting match, leaving the audience divided and the town of Chehalis unsettled.

    May 25, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerChehalis, Lewis CountyStrange But True

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