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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 |
484 stories
- The Open Sewer at the Center of Town
A pedestrian’s fall into an unguarded sewer trench in front of the Odd Fellows Hall sparks a legal battle over municipal negligence in Seattle.
- The 75-Foot Coal Chute Plunge
A dock worker survived a terrifying descent through a ship's coal bunker, landing 75 feet below in the hold.
- The Forgotten Municipal Boarding House
In 1887, a Seattle councilman proposed a city-funded boarding house to protect immigrants from predatory boarding house operators and ensure the city welcomed its new arrivals.
- A Mother’s Fight for Her Stolen Child
After allegedly losing her daughter to a charitable mission years prior, a Tacoma woman turns to the district court to force a Seattle couple to surrender the child.
- The Seattle Rail Boom of 1888
A massive new contract with a Canadian firm promises to connect Seattle to the transcontinental rail line, fueling the city's rapid, foundation-building growth.
- The Unlucky Traveler of King County
A lonely worker injured on the job finds himself a pawn in a bureaucratic tug-of-war between the county and his employer.
- The Swindled Investor and the 'Silver Mine' Scam
A Seattle real estate dealer is arrested after selling fake claims to a nonexistent silver mine, sparking a heated legal battle and a courtroom confrontation.
- The Shadowed Rooms of Washington Street
A reporter dives into the underground 'stud poker' dens of 1880s Seattle, where railway men and laborers wagered their wages against the house.
- The Great Canal Dream of 1887
A visionary project to link Lake Union and Lake Washington promises to turn Seattle into a fresh-water harbor, revolutionizing the lumber industry and securing the city's future.
- The Unseen Crime Wave in Early Seattle
A local report exposes how the Seattle police force in the late 1880s suppressed news of burglaries to keep them out of the papers, hoping to solve the crimes quietly—with disastrous, ineffective results.
- The Waterfront Property War
A high-stakes legal battle over Seattle's tide lands pits powerful developers against squatters in a fight for the future of the harbor.
- Abandoned with an infant, a woman sues for her livelihood
A Seattle dentist’s wife seeks legal support after he leaves her and their child destitute, exposing the stark financial vulnerability of women in the 1887 frontier.
- The Burglary in the Cathedral
A legal loophole in Washington Territory prevents a man accused of living inside a church from being charged with burglary, sparking a public outcry against the prosecutor.
- The Sea Captain’s Return to Seattle
After surviving a shipwreck, an opium smuggling trial, and years of exile, a seasoned mariner decides he is done running and returns to Seattle to settle his debts.
- The Ghost Ship of Seattle’s Waterfront
A derelict bark ship, once a billboard for local businesses, is buried in sawdust and slabs to become the foundation of a new shoreline.
- Abandoned by the County: The Price of Survival for Injured Laborers
Two men, broken by the dangerous work of the local mills, were left destitute and homeless when the county authorities refused to bear the cost of their recovery.
- Tragedy in Fern City: Four Children Perish in Home Blaze
A mother’s brief errand ends in unimaginable loss when her home is consumed by flames, trapping her four young children inside.
- The Forgotten Fortune in the Chapin Mine
A Tacoma man claims he was cut out of a million-dollar mineral discovery that sparked a heated legal battle in the Washington Territory.
- The Sheriff Who Stopped a 'Socialist' Wedding
When the radical labor agitator August Spies and his bride attempted to marry while Spies was in custody, a Seattle-area official intervened to prevent the 'empty formality' from taking place.
- The Forgotten Map: When North Idaho Was Seattle’s Neighbor
For years, North Idaho residents pushed to break away from their own state and join Washington Territory, citing geographic reality and political isolation.
- The Final Voyage of the St. Stephen
Tragedy strikes the Pacific Northwest as a beloved vessel goes missing in a violent storm, leaving a city in mourning.
- The Weight of Reasonable Doubt in Early Seattle
A century and a half ago, a Washington judge meticulously laid out the standard of proof for a murder trial, reminding the jury that a man’s life hung not on suspicion, but on evidence.
- The Night the Milton Sawmill Burned
A late-night inferno consumes local businesses and a storehouse, leaving a rural community in financial ruin with no insurance to soften the blow.
- King County's Missing $61,000: Treasurer Accused of Embezzlement
A committee's report reveals that former County Treasurer George D. Hill is indebted to King County for over $61,000; the board orders legal action against him and his bondsmen.
- The Defiant Board of Registration
When the Supreme Court of Washington Territory ruled against women’s suffrage in 1887, Seattle officials openly revolted, ordering women to register for the upcoming city election anyway.