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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 14 |
| 1858 | 3 |
| 1859 | 15 |
| 1860 | 5 |
| 1861 | 21 |
| 1862 | 7 |
| 1863 | 5 |
| 1864 | 4 |
| 1865 | 4 |
| 1872 | 26 |
| 1876 | 145 |
| 1877 | 133 |
| 1878 | 160 |
| 1879 | 12 |
| 1880 | 39 |
| 1882 | 14 |
| 1883 | 110 |
| 1884 | 87 |
| 1885 | 107 |
| 1886 | 73 |
| 1887 | 77 |
| 1888 | 48 |
| 1889 | 180 |
| 1890 | 56 |
| 1891 | 219 |
| 1892 | 488 |
| 1893 | 378 |
| 1894 | 374 |
| 1895 | 449 |
| 1897 | 21 |
| 1898 | 68 |
| 1899 | 34 |
| 1900 | 36 |
| 1902 | 4 |
| 1903 | 293 |
| 1904 | 133 |
| 1905 | 27 |
| 1907 | 11 |
| 1908 | 102 |
| 1909 | 253 |
| 1910 | 84 |
| 1911 | 6 |
| 1912 | 4 |
| 1914 | 54 |
| 1915 | 48 |
| 1916 | 122 |
| 1917 | 78 |
| 1918 | 11 |
| 1919 | 1 |
| 1922 | 3 |
| 1923 | 38 |
| 1924 | 34 |
| 1925 | 13 |
14 stories matching counti
- The Unfinished Business of Reuben Doyle
A legal notice from 1882 reveals the quiet end of a pioneer's estate in early Seattle.
- The Vagrant and the 'Iron Jewelry'
A petty theft on the Duwamish River lands a drifter in a Seattle jail, where he must trade his freedom for hard labor.
- 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.
- The Price of a Public Nuisance
A man dubbed 'Dirty Smith' faces the magistrate and finds himself working off his debt to society on the city’s construction projects.
- 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 Auction of a Widow’s Legacy: Seattle’s First Real Estate Sale
In May 1882, the Probate Court ordered the liquidation of Mary A. Smith’s estate, marking one of the earliest recorded public land auctions in Seattle’s history.
- 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 Sheriff vs. The Railroad
When the Northern Pacific Railroad refused to pay taxes in 1882, the local sheriff didn't just file a complaint—he seized their locomotives.
- The Great Mountain Trek for False Promises
Chasing the myth of high wages over the Snoqualmie Pass, one woodman discovers that even in the 1880s, 'labor shortages' were often just a cover for low-balling workers.
- The Tragedy at the Cabin
A pioneer settler is found dead in his home after a brutal struggle, sparking a local manhunt near Colfax.
- 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 Empire State of the West
An influential New York academic turns down California dreams to bet on the future of Washington Territory.
- The Great Divide: The Fight for a Mountain Rail Link
As the population of Western Washington booms in 1882, Seattle residents grow tired of paying for infrastructure projects while Eastern Washington neighbors demand the work for free.
- The Iron Rail Pipe Dream of 1882
A century and a half ago, the Post-Intelligencer pressed for a direct mountain rail line between Walla Walla and Puget Sound, promising prosperity—a debate over infrastructure and regional connectivity that still defines Washington politics.