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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 |
440 stories
- Domestic Violence and the Law in 1888 Seattle
A woman's desperate cry for police assistance after a brutal assault by her husband highlights the struggle for safety and accountability in the early days of the city.
- Seattle Deeds Top $29,000 in a Single Day
Public records from July 1888 detail a frantic wave of property transfers, capturing the speculative fever that defined the city's early expansion.
- The Boom on the Heights: How Seattle’s Real Estate Hype Reached for the Sky in 1888
Long before today's high-rise fever, ambitious developers were betting on the future of Seattle's hillsides with promises of a 'Queen City' rising from the sound.
- Seattle's Jackson and Rainier Lots Offered Cottage Bonuses
A speculative real estate scheme offered a 'fortune' in cottage homes to entice buyers into Seattle's rapidly expanding southern suburbs.
- Ten Cottages and 110 Lots in an 1888 Seattle Drawing
In 1888, real estate developers in Seattle drummed up interest in a new subdivision by raffling off modern cottages to property buyers.
- The Boomtown Hype of 1888
A real estate advertisement masquerading as news paints a picture of a city on the precipice of industrial greatness, promising that Seattle will soon become the 'Queen City of the Pacific.'
- The Salvage Diver of Elliott Bay
A local diver describes his successful, DIY operation to raise a sunken boiler from the depths of Puget Sound to sell for scrap.
- The Dream of Palatine: 1888 Real Estate Hype in Seattle
A sprawling advertisement for a 'suburban' development in the Salmon Bay area reveals how developers promised working-class families a foothold in the rapidly industrializing north Seattle.
- The 1888 Seattle Housing Gamble
Developers promised a 'small fortune' to lucky buyers in this early Seattle land scheme.
- The 1888 Land Grab: Seattle’s First Lottery-Style Housing Development
Before modern zoning and master plans, developers in the boom-era Northwest used gimmicks like house-lot raffles to sell undeveloped land on the city’s fringes.
- The Three-Year-Old Who Stowed Away to Gilman
When a toddler wandered away from his Second and Lenora home, he didn't just get lost—he boarded a train and embarked on an accidental adventure to the coal mining town of Issaquah.
- The 1886 Real Estate Lottery
In the booming territory of Washington, developers promised a house to lucky buyers—if they could win the land draw.
- The Boom at Ross Station: Selling the Future of Seattle
Developers pitch affordable suburban lots near Salmon Bay to laborers, promising a new hub of industry just three miles from downtown.
- The Political Circus Comes to Seattle
A visiting delegation of Indiana Republicans finds the city 'full of enthusiasm' while disparaging Democratic efforts to court the labor vote.
- Seattle's Jackson and Rainier Lots Came With Cottages
In 1888, a massive housing development promised buyers a 'small fortune' by raffling off luxury cottages to lucky land purchasers.
- The 'Small Fortune' Lottery in Early Seattle
A 1888 real estate promotion for Jackson and Rainier streets promised investors not just a home, but a chance at a windfall in a property lottery.
- The Great Debate Over Naming Washington
When the territory was preparing for statehood in 1888, a local newspaper polled residents on whether to keep the name 'Washington'—and many feared confusion with the nation's capital.
- The $1,000 'Good Faith' Check That Became a Prisoner of Its Own Terms
Seattle’s streetcar pioneers petition the City Council to return their forfeited deposit, arguing the project stalled due to circumstances beyond their control. The paper argues they have no moral right to reclaim the money.
- The Tragic Ambiguity of Annas Rogers: Suicide or Accident in Uniontown?
A young shepherd’s sudden death under mysterious circumstances has the small community of Uniontown (near Pullman) debating whether he took his own life or fell victim to a fatal mishandling of strychnine.
- The Webster's Wild Ride: A Steamship’s Storm-Tossed Survival in Puget Sound
After being battered by a violent gale and running dangerously low on coal, the steamer *Webster* limped into port just days after its sister ship foundered nearby, leaving passengers shaken but alive.
- The Steel Giant That Will Double Seattle’s Population
An editorial analysis of the Moss Bay Iron and Steel Works in Kirkland, predicting how a single industrial site will transform King County into a manufacturing hub.
- The Hill That Couldn't Be Saved: Fire Chief Pleads for Water on Seattle’s Steepest Slopes
In a stark report from June 1904, Chief Joshua Phillips warns that the city’s volunteer fire brigade is powerless against blazes in the steep upper districts, where gravity defeats their hoses and time kills buildings.
- The Cable Car Scheme: How Seattle’s Council Blocked a Franchise to Save Front Street
In a decisive move against corporate influence, the City Council rejected the Seattle Electric Railway Company’s bid for a new cable car line on Front Street, citing public safety and narrow roads over private profit.
- The Day the Law Said 'No': A Seattle Court Blocks Wage Claims Against a Brigantine
In a ruling that highlights the precarious legal standing of maritime workers in the early 1900s, Judge Alye dismisses a suit by five sailors seeking wages from their captain and owner.
- The Tragedy at the Arcade Saloon
A well-known Seattle boarding house keeper ends his life, leaving behind a young daughter and a legacy of property, marking a grim moment in the city's growth.