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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
- The Dentist and the Pistol: A Tacoma Domestic Violence Crisis
When a local dentist was arrested for an armed assault on his wife, the incident sent shockwaves through the emerging city of Tacoma.
- The Ghost of a Property Blunder
Years after a land sale to the federal government for a Seattle lighthouse, officials find a clerical error that threatens the entire title to the property.
- The Political Machine at the Engine House
Seattle Republicans assemble at the local engine house to organize their county convention and choose delegates, marking a night of high-stakes civic coordination in the city's early history.
- The Bear Hunter of First Avenue
When a bear threatened a farm near Seattle, one determined man took matters into his own hands—and his own shotgun.
- The Chautauqua Assembly's First Season at the Sound
After a summer of lectures and illumination, Seattle and Tacoma residents bid farewell to the gathering that organizers hope will define a permanent Puget Sound cultural tradition.
- The Girl Who Survived a Broken Seat: A Pullman Accident
Miss Lelia Bowman was thrown from her carriage when the seat collapsed, with the wheel crushing over her shoulder. Miraculously, she survived.
- The Governor’s Brick Fortress: W.C. Squire Plans to Reshape Seattle’s Corner
As the territory transitions to statehood, Governor Squire announces plans for a massive new brick block on South Second and Main, signaling his permanent shift from territorial politics to local real estate development.
- The Great Flour Rush: Arkansas Millionaire Plans to Reshape Seattle’s North End
N.P. Elsenmeyer arrives from Little Rock with hundreds of feet of waterfront property and a promise to build a massive mill, sparking hopes for a new industrial boom in the city.
- The Great Snoqualmie Adventure: A Victorian Weekend Outing
A group of Seattle elites and their spirited guide, 'Mac,' trek into the wilderness to discover if the legends of Snoqualmie Falls and the local fishing are truly as grand as promised.
- The Iron Heart of Seattle: New Steel Mills Promise Wealth and Work
As the city prepares for a population boom to 20,000, local leaders celebrate the arrival of heavy industry that will define Seattle's economic future.
- Variety and Hilarity at Frye’s Opera House
A packed house in 1888 Seattle revels in everything from German mimicry to 'dashing soubrettes'—with one notable exception.
- The Boomtown Spirit: Black Diamond Cheers a Presidential Ticket
While the nation looked to Chicago for the 1888 Republican ticket, the coal-mining town of Black Diamond organized a rousing local celebration to back Harrison and Morton.
- The Great Fourth of July Exodus: Tacoma’s Streets Empty as Seattle Claims the Holiday
While Tacoma lay quiet and deserted on Independence Day, its residents flocked to Seattle for steamers, picnics, and political meetings, leaving behind only a few 'pocket pickets' and a marching army of women.
- The Last Prisoner of the Thurston County Jail
While the territory debates the future of its legal system, one man finds a solitary rhythm in his cell.
- The Great Scrubdown of 1888
Seattle’s new police chief takes a hose to the city jail, sweeping away years of filth and notoriety.
- The Governor’s Grand Brick Block
As Seattle expands, former Washington Territorial Governor Watson C. Squire commissions a massive new downtown commercial building on South Second and Main Streets.
- The Vanishing Boys of Seattle
While the city grew rapidly, parents found themselves in a recurring panic as children repeatedly 'flitted away' from home, triggering police searches and frantic reunions.
- The Juvenile Outlaws of South Seattle
Three pre-teen boys are caught after attempting to steal horses to fund a life of adventure and pleasure.
- The Lost Letter of Port Townsend
A postal worker at the Port Townsend wharf brushes off a man’s frantic search for a missing letter, revealing a small, forgotten drama of 1888.
- The Steamship 'Ancon' and the Boom of the Alaska Trade
Captain Carroll discusses the rapid growth of the Alaska route, dismisses critics of his ship, and reveals his plans for a revolutionary glass-walled excursion steamer.
- The Unlucky Speckled Hen and the Tarring Party
In an era of domestic tension, a Washington housewife's patience for her husband's sloth and a neighbor’s story of a local scoundrel collide in a kitchen mishap.
- The Real Estate Dreams of Palatine Hill
In 1888, developers pitched a 'future great city' just north of Salmon Bay, promising a booming industrial paradise that never quite materialized as planned.
- The Real Estate Fever of 1888: Selling 'Palatine Hill'
A classic 19th-century real estate advertisement lures workers to a future Seattle suburb with the promise of cheap lots and industrial prosperity.
- The General's Last Stand: Seattle Watches Sheridan’s Heartbeat
As the nation holds its breath over General Philip Sheridan’s critical illness in Washington D.C., local doctors and citizens here in Seattle track his vital signs with the same intensity as a presidential convention.
- The Lonely Plea of Miss Martha Bronson
An Eastern woman takes out a newspaper advertisement to find a husband in Washington Territory, declaring she is 'already grown up' and looking to build a life in the West.