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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 62 |
| 1858 | 29 |
| 1859 | 52 |
| 1860 | 27 |
| 1861 | 101 |
| 1862 | 87 |
| 1863 | 69 |
| 1864 | 32 |
| 1865 | 11 |
| 1871 | 11 |
| 1872 | 140 |
| 1876 | 812 |
| 1877 | 678 |
| 1878 | 526 |
| 1879 | 64 |
| 1880 | 180 |
| 1882 | 130 |
| 1883 | 911 |
| 1884 | 499 |
| 1885 | 838 |
| 1886 | 492 |
| 1887 | 484 |
| 1888 | 440 |
| 1889 | 1,324 |
| 1890 | 287 |
| 1891 | 1,115 |
| 1892 | 2,855 |
| 1893 | 2,829 |
| 1894 | 2,116 |
| 1895 | 1,830 |
| 1896 | 2 |
| 1897 | 62 |
| 1898 | 196 |
| 1899 | 446 |
| 1900 | 114 |
| 1902 | 34 |
| 1903 | 1,332 |
| 1904 | 1,126 |
| 1905 | 124 |
| 1907 | 53 |
| 1908 | 351 |
| 1909 | 1,545 |
| 1910 | 413 |
| 1911 | 160 |
| 1912 | 73 |
| 1914 | 261 |
| 1915 | 300 |
| 1916 | 545 |
| 1917 | 332 |
| 1918 | 45 |
| 1919 | 5 |
| 1920 | 1 |
| 1922 | 18 |
| 1923 | 185 |
| 1924 | 151 |
| 1925 | 64 |
| 1928 | 14 |
| 1929 | 19 |
130 stories
- The Skagit River Claims the Steamer Josephine
A local steamer is reported to be in a 'very perilous position' after sinking in the Skagit River, with its hurricane deck submerged.
- A Deathbed Reconciliation
A tragic loss brings a long-estranged couple back together in Seattle.
- Smallpox Terror in Newcastle
A traveler arriving from California triggers a panic in the mining town, recalling the painful toll of an outbreak the previous year.
- The Real Estate Fever That Never Broke
As coal shipments swell and new wharves rise, Seattle’s property market remains feverish in May 1889—just months before the Great Fire reshaped the city.
- The Shipbuilder Who Wasn't: A Swindler’s Bogus Checks and a Wife’s Shame
Captain John E. Higgins arrives in Seattle posing as a respected Bath, Maine shipbuilder, only to be exposed by Harbor Police Officer Metzler after cashing forged checks on local merchants.
- The Struggle for American Seafaring
A local captain laments the decline of U.S. merchant shipping as foreign vessels dominate Puget Sound coal routes.
- The Judge Who Was Only 'Sober as a Judge'
A legendary anecdote from the Seattle police court where a witness’s inadvertent insult revealed the bench's own notorious reputation for intoxication.
- The Gas Company vs. The Crossing
A minor civic dispute in 1882 reveals the early friction between private utility companies and public infrastructure maintenance in downtown Seattle.
- The Senator’s Crusade for Public Education
An 1882 Congressional proposal sought to use whiskey tax revenue to fund the nation's public schools, promising tens of thousands of dollars to Washington Territory.
- The Unsung Pioneer: A Plank Road to the Beach
While Seattle boomed, a local booster named Michael Kelly set out to connect the rural fringes of the Duwamish Valley to the city, one subscription at a time.
- The First Ice Factory Comes to Seattle
As Seattle prepared for a hot summer in 1882, the city broke ground on its first industrial ice plant to keep the town cool.
- The Great Stink of 1882
When Makah schoolgirls in Neah Bay proved to their matron that rotting whale blubber smelled better than imported Limburger cheese.
- The Roller Rink's Strict Rules
An 1881 Seattle rink owner moves to sanitize the reputation of his roller skating establishment.
- The Struggle to Find Your Way in Early Seattle
Before the city had a standardized grid, navigating its muddy, stump-filled streets was a chaotic task—until one resident proposed a system that still echoes today.
- The Sheriff’s Shabby Costume: A Prisoner’s Trick to Escape the Penitentiary
In a bizarre twist of early Washington Territory justice, a sheriff attempted to smuggle a prisoner into the territorial penitentiary by disguising him in shabby clothes. The trick failed, but not before the warden made a memorable quip.
- The Church Fair Grind: A Young Man’s Ordeal with Charity and Cake
In a tale of social pressure and predatory fundraising, one Seattleite recounts his harrowing escape from a church bazaar where 'charity' meant forced purchases, fake fortunes, and extortionate flower prices.
- The $75 Smallpox Bill: A Theater Manager’s Mercy in the Face of Plague
When a member of the Nellie Boyd Dramatic Company contracted smallpox upon arriving in Seattle, his employer stepped up to cover half the medical costs, setting a precedent for worker care during a public health crisis.
- The Fight for Statehood: A 1882 Pitch for Washington’s Future
Before Washington was a state, its Congressional delegate fought a 'hard fight' to convince Washington D.C. that the territory was ready to join the Union.
- A Frontier Community’s Mercy
After their young daughter suffered a catastrophic burn in 1881, a family in Whatcom County found support from total strangers across the Pacific Northwest.
- Midnight Elopement: Judge Canned Saves the Day for King County Lovers
When Mary Hayes' father forbade her union with Gilbert McKinley, the couple didn't run away to Canada—they ran to Justice of the Peace Cannon at midnight. A local romance that proves love conquers all, even paternal disapproval.
- The Backyard Brawl That Rattled 1882 Seattle
A neighborhood dispute over a ballgame turned physical, prompting a public argument in the local paper about the nature of justice and the legitimacy of 'backyard' law.
- The Mailroom Kerfuffle in New Tacoma
A secret telegram, a local feud, and a postmaster who chose 'higher law' over departmental secrecy.
- The New Steamboat Revolutionizing the Chehalis River
As industry and sawmills take root at Grays Harbor, a new steamer brings promise of a 'new era of prosperity' to the Chehalis valley.
- The Seattle Railroad Dream Gets New Life
After years of uncertainty, local rail boosters secure backing from a California investor, promising to bridge the gap between Seattle and the inland empire.
- The Iron Road Approaches: Surveying the Seattle, Walla Walla and Baker City Railroad
While Seattle dreams of a rail terminus, crews map out the path through local gardens and hills to reach the bay.