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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 Ghost of a Civic Dream: Seattle’s Lost City Hall
A century-old bequest for a grand municipal building sits unclaimed, as a local property owner laments the city's scattered, inefficient offices.
- The 1888 Rental Crisis in Puyallup
As the timber industry boomed and population surged, local workers found themselves in a housing crunch that sounds all too familiar today.
- The Great Escape Attempt at the King County Jail
A desperate dig through the ceiling of a Seattle jail cell ends with the sheriff turning fire hoses on the inmates to quell the chaos.
- The Battle Against the Fire Limits
A Seattle property owner races to build a wooden structure before new city fire regulations take hold.
- A Grand Hotel for the Growing City
A wealthy citizen petitions the city to vacate public streets for a massive, modern hotel, arguing that Seattle’s burgeoning reputation requires world-class accommodations.
- The Bustle That Ambushed a Gentleman
A chivalrous attempt to help a lady on Main Street goes hilariously and disastrously wrong.
- The Hermit of Hillsford’s Christmas Surprise
When the town's most ridiculed recluse fell ill, the 'prominent citizens' tried to force him into the poorhouse—until a local widow’s act of mercy revealed a shocking secret.
- The 'Black Hole of Calcutta' in Colfax
A judge declares the Whitman County jail a public health nightmare, forcing the sheriff to find humane quarters for the detained.
- The Forgotten Fire at Roslyn
After a devastating fire leaves twelve hundred people homeless in the mining town of Roslyn, the Seattle press calls for the city to rise to the occasion and provide aid.
- The Outlaw Who Bought His Way Into a Saloon
Frank Mossman, a notorious repeat offender with three prior jail breaks, walked into a Port Townsend saloon on Sunday night and refused to leave—until he threw rocks at the bartender.
- The Confession That Stunned the Bench: A Stevedore’s Shameful Theft
In a Tacoma courtroom, Fred Wells didn't just admit to stealing from his sleeping bunkmate—he detailed how he lived like a king on stolen cash before being caught red-handed.
- The One-Armed Compositor: A Seattle Printer Defies Gravity and Doubt
Harry Penrod, who lost his left arm in a train accident three years ago, has mastered the art of typesetting with one hand—working faster than two-handed men and setting records that baffle the industry.
- The Prickly Pear That Changed a Life: How a Boy’s Prank in Iowa Sent Him to Seattle
A local resident reveals the bizarre chain of events that led him from an Iowa farm to the Pacific Northwest, starting with a screwdriver and a pair of boots.
- The Boy Who Stole a Horse to Earn His Keep
A 17-year-old’s desperate attempt to fund his future ends in jail, sparking a local debate on juvenile justice and the harsh realities of poverty in early Seattle.
- The Senator Who Called a Race 'Hell on Wheels'
In the smoke-filled backroom of the Seattle Jockey Club in 1888, U.S. Senators discussed tariffs and whiskey while recounting a chaotic horse race where the crowd 'yelled like demons' and hats flew like confetti.
- 1888 Seattle Land Sale Included Ten Cottage Prizes
A real estate development in South Seattle offered prospective buyers not just a plot of land, but a literal chance to win a 'Queen Anne' cottage in a public drawing.
- The Great Seattle Lot-and-Cottage Lottery of 1888
Developers Kittinger Brothers launch an ambitious and speculative real estate scheme, baiting buyers with the chance to win a fully finished home on the outskirts of 1880s Seattle.
- Five Cottages Lured Buyers to 1888 Seattle Lots
A real estate promotion promised a 'small fortune' by raffling off five luxury cottages to buyers of building lots near the burgeoning Jackson Street cable line.
- The Dream of 'Palatine Hill': Selling the Industrial Suburb
Promotional copy from 1888 captures the rapid-fire development of Seattle’s outskirts, dangling the promise of affordable housing to laborers near the new railroad lines.
- The House-Lot Lottery of 1888
In an era of rapid expansion, Seattle developers entice buyers with a high-stakes gimmick: buy a lot, and you might just win a free cottage.
- Five Free Cottages Offered With Seattle Building Lots
Developers Kittinger Brothers launch a marketing blitz for their new 'Jackson and Rainier Streets Addition,' complete with a promise to raffle off modern cottages to random lot buyers.
- Jackson and Rainier Lots Came With Cottage Prizes
Before the city’s massive growth, real estate developers used high-stakes gambling to entice buyers to the edges of town.
- 1888 Seattle Development Offered 60 Lots and Five Cottages
Developers used a high-stakes giveaway to lure buyers to the city’s growing outskirts, blending real estate speculation with a chance at a 'small fortune.'
- The 1888 Lottery of Homes: A Seattle Real Estate Gamble
Developers used a high-stakes drawing for five brand-new cottages to drum up interest in the nascent Jackson and Rainier Streets Addition.
- The Real Estate Giveaway That Promised a 'Small Fortune'
In 1888, developers sold off 60 lots in Seattle with a high-stakes gambling hook: a chance to win a fully built cottage on your property.