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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 5 |
| 1858 | 2 |
| 1859 | 7 |
| 1860 | 3 |
| 1861 | 9 |
| 1862 | 5 |
| 1863 | 4 |
| 1864 | 3 |
| 1865 | 3 |
| 1871 | 2 |
| 1872 | 31 |
| 1876 | 163 |
| 1877 | 113 |
| 1878 | 68 |
| 1879 | 13 |
| 1880 | 25 |
| 1882 | 29 |
| 1883 | 149 |
| 1884 | 86 |
| 1885 | 144 |
| 1886 | 75 |
| 1887 | 71 |
| 1888 | 93 |
| 1889 | 285 |
| 1890 | 42 |
| 1891 | 172 |
| 1892 | 336 |
| 1893 | 315 |
| 1894 | 290 |
| 1895 | 363 |
| 1896 | 1 |
| 1897 | 16 |
| 1898 | 41 |
| 1899 | 83 |
| 1900 | 8 |
| 1902 | 9 |
| 1903 | 203 |
| 1904 | 164 |
| 1905 | 12 |
| 1907 | 12 |
| 1908 | 66 |
| 1909 | 224 |
| 1910 | 66 |
| 1911 | 23 |
| 1912 | 14 |
| 1914 | 57 |
| 1915 | 53 |
| 1916 | 83 |
| 1917 | 39 |
| 1918 | 7 |
| 1922 | 2 |
| 1923 | 16 |
| 1924 | 13 |
| 1925 | 5 |
| 1928 | 7 |
| 1929 | 4 |
144 stories matching busi
- The Price of Laundry in 1885 Seattle
As anti-Chinese sentiment surged in 1885, a local steam laundry operator touted the business growth of his 'all-white' enterprise as a replacement for Chinese-run labor.
- The Licensing Dispute on Madison Street
A fiery editorial challenge to city officials regarding the selective enforcement of business and liquor licenses in 1885 Seattle.
- The Sunday Saloon Wars: How Seattle Debated the 'Law and Order' Ordinance
In 1885, Seattle’s City Council erupted into a fierce debate over a proposal to force saloons to close on Sundays, pitting reformers against tavern owners in a struggle over civic control and personal liberty.
- The Captain's Feud on the Neah Bay Frontier
A seafarer and trade negotiator publicly spars with a rival over the treatment of Indigenous laborers and local business ethics.
- The Day the Nation Stood Still for General Grant
Across the country, business halted and the streets of cities from Seattle to Charleston grew silent as the nation mourned the funeral of Ulysses S. Grant.
- Why Seattle Is Quiet While Tacoma Booms
A comparison of economic philosophies reveals Seattle’s conservative approach to business and growth in 1886.
- The Great Seattle Main Street Flood of 1886
Heavy rains turn a bustling thoroughfare into a literal river, driving residents from their homes and stalling city business.
- The Price of Speculation: A 1885 Analysis of Market Volatility
An editorial from 1885 diagnoses the era’s economic woes, blaming a collective obsession with get-rich-quick schemes over steady industry.
- The Struggle for a Rail Link: Seattle Demands Better Transit
In 1885, Seattle business leaders met with the president of the Northern Pacific Railroad to demand better freight service, arguing that a lack of rail connectivity was choking the city's economic growth.
- The Tragic End of a Seattle Butcher
A local man, recently engaged in the livestock business, takes his own life in a cabin on the beach road, leaving behind hopes of a family venture.
- The Price of a Drunkard’s Grave
A teenage boy is fined for public intoxication, sparking an editorial demand to hold the 'Blue Front' saloon owner accountable for serving minors.
- The Grocer and the Holstein Cattle
A local grocer refutes retirement rumors while planning his move to Salmon Bay.
- The Railroad's Greed: How the Northern Pacific Extorted Kittitas County
Newly discovered reports reveal how the Northern Pacific railroad company used its immense corporate power to extort land from settlers and small-town business owners in Kittitas County.
- The Political Brawl of 1885
As Seattle prepared for a high-stakes municipal election, a chaotic 'Business Men’s' rally struggled to gain traction against the reformist 'Law and Order' movement, exposing deep class and moral divides in the young city.
- The Battle for Belltown's Fire Engine
A citizen's fiery demand that the city stop hoarding firefighting resources in the business district and grant the northern residents the protection they pay for.
- The Tale of Two Towns: A Battle for the Depot
As the railroad bypasses established settlements, a bitter conflict erupts between long-time residents and land speculators creating a brand-new town three miles away.
- The Great Seattle Newspaper Boycott of 1885
When local liquor interests tried to silence the press for advocating Sunday sobriety, the community drew a line in the sawdust.
- The Saloon-Keepers’ Council
A scathing editorial exposes how Seattle’s early city government was dominated by saloon owners, liquor distributors, and property men who thrived on the vice trade.
- The Fight for a Port Townsend Customs House
A Congressman makes a spirited plea to Washington D.C. for funds to house the booming commerce of the Puget Sound district.
- The Battle for the Rails: Monopoly vs. The Public Good
A scathing editorial from 1885 outlines the clash between the Union Pacific’s 'business-first' model and the Northern Pacific's alleged strategy of political bribery and town-site speculation.
- The Tragic Pact of a Seattle Love Triangle
When an engineer tasked his best friend with watching over his fiancée, the resulting forbidden love led to a desperate, fatal end in 1885.
- The Industrial Hubris of Puget Sound
A visiting machinery salesman critiques the stubborn confidence of Seattle's sawmill operators, who insisted on rigging their own equipment rather than following Eastern standards.
- The Coastal Sailors’ Strike
Vessel crews refuse to work at low rates, sparking a confrontation on the Seattle waterfront.
- The Preacher Who Turned Court Into a Prayer Meeting
A local street preacher, arrested for his public fervor, turns the tables on the magistrate by forcing a courtroom to its knees.
- The Scandal of Chief Woolery
A scathing 1885 editorial accuses Seattle's Chief of Police of protecting gambling dens and brothels while posing as a moral martyr.