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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 Audit Office Face-Off
A taxpayer stands her ground against a city commissioner over property tax hikes, leaving the local government bureaucrats stunned.
- The City's Broken Lumber Deal
When lumber prices soared in 1887, Seattle’s city contractors simply walked away from their obligations—and the city council let them get away with it.
- The Constable Who Stole a Deadbeat's Pants
When a persistent debt collector found a local man evading his dues, he turned to an unconventional, and highly public, method of enforcement at a popular swimming spot.
- The Invisible Safety Net of 1880s Seattle
When the boom of 1884 brought hundreds of desperate families to the Pacific Northwest with no resources, a group of Seattle women stepped in to build a child’s refuge where the county had failed.
- The Great Crew Shortage of 1887
Facing a labor scarcity and rising costs, Seattle ship owners considered an radical, cost-cutting plan to import crews from the East Coast.
- The Jailer and the Sheriff’s Keys
A power struggle inside the King County jail ends in a public firing after a suspicious security lapse involving lost keys and unauthorized visitors.
- The Switchback Brawl
A violent confrontation breaks out between railroad workers and locals over a disputed switchback rail line.
- The Struggle for a Fair Wage in Seattle's Garment Industry
A historic report on the 'Working Women's Union' advocacy for fair compensation and the battle against underpaid labor in Seattle’s growing industrial sector.
- The Trial of Prince the Dog
A Seattle jailhouse standoff erupts when two men both claim ownership of a local canine, forcing a judge to decide who the dog really belongs to.
- The Gift of Block 88
When George Kinnear gifted a plot of land for a city park in 1888, he demanded the city clear the dead trees and build a fence, sparking a long-term vision for Seattle's public spaces.
- The Wheels of Justice on the White River
Seven Indigenous petitioners take to the Seattle probate court to settle an estate, finding themselves navigating the complex and often impenetrable bureaucracy of settler law.
- The Fire Beneath the Floorboards
A careless act in a pumphouse triggers a blaze that halts production and leaves miners sprinting for their lives.
- The Struggle to Build the Territorial Penitentiary
A desperate plea from the prison board for funding to build essential living quarters, highlighting the dire state of the Washington Territorial Penitentiary in 1887.
- The Strange Disappearance of the Wharf Thief
A witness recounts the mysterious final moments of a man who stole a boat and seemingly vanished into thin air, leaving behind only a trail of questions.
- The Night Watchman Who Traded His Lantern for a Crab Net
After trading the damp misery of night-shift railroad duty for the docks, a Seattle man explains how he makes a living pulling crab from the bay—and why the job comes with its own set of neighborhood troubles.
- The Search for the Girl Who Welcomed Villard
A photograph of a young woman who delivered a welcoming address at the university grounds is sought by the wife of Henry Villard, prompting a city-wide search.
- The Realities of Homesteading in the Washington Territory
A pragmatic farmer pushes back against the romanticization of agricultural life, detailing the hard labor required to tame the land near Seattle in 1888.
- Trapped on the Tide: Two Boys Stranded in a Waterfront Shack
While the city went about its business, two boys were left to drift into danger—and nearly starved in silence.
- The Tragic Discovery of Francis Eurle
A desperate man is found barely alive, hidden away in a remote straw stack in Washington Territory.
- The Unintended Thief of Front Street
A disgraced attorney faces justice in Seattle for misappropriating client funds, pleading that his professional collapse was a desperate bid to survive.
- The Political Bazaar of 1887
Before the Washington State Legislature even convened, the corridors of Olympia hotels turned into a chaotic, horse-trading marketplace for the speakership.
- The Battle for the Council Floor
A legislative standoff in Olympia over petty offices and party control highlights the raw political maneuvering of the late Washington Territory era.
- Tacoma Watchman Joe Taylor Dies After Warehouse Fall
Joe Taylor, a fixture of Tacoma’s early frontier history, dies after a drunken fall at the wharf.
- The Art of the Political Stall
A look back at the legislative gridlock, railroad lobbying, and fierce parliamentary maneuvering in the Seattle council of 1887.
- A Democratic Patronage Fight in King County
A letter signed 'Alki Montgomery' protests a court clerkship appointment, accusing party leaders of rewarding latecomers and ignoring loyal King County Democrats.