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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 7 |
| 1858 | 4 |
| 1859 | 11 |
| 1860 | 3 |
| 1861 | 17 |
| 1862 | 11 |
| 1863 | 7 |
| 1864 | 5 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 27 |
| 1876 | 132 |
| 1877 | 131 |
| 1878 | 66 |
| 1879 | 5 |
| 1880 | 21 |
| 1882 | 31 |
| 1883 | 116 |
| 1884 | 62 |
| 1885 | 78 |
| 1886 | 37 |
| 1887 | 60 |
| 1888 | 64 |
| 1889 | 183 |
| 1890 | 24 |
| 1891 | 134 |
| 1892 | 284 |
| 1893 | 219 |
| 1894 | 289 |
| 1895 | 486 |
| 1896 | 1 |
| 1897 | 13 |
| 1898 | 22 |
| 1899 | 92 |
| 1900 | 11 |
| 1902 | 4 |
| 1903 | 164 |
| 1904 | 109 |
| 1905 | 16 |
| 1907 | 8 |
| 1908 | 66 |
| 1909 | 185 |
| 1910 | 50 |
| 1911 | 20 |
| 1912 | 10 |
| 1914 | 24 |
| 1915 | 38 |
| 1916 | 75 |
| 1917 | 43 |
| 1918 | 6 |
| 1922 | 2 |
| 1923 | 12 |
| 1924 | 9 |
| 1925 | 5 |
| 1928 | 3 |
| 1929 | 6 |
64 stories matching may
- The Founding Charter of the Seattle Public Library
A look back at the 1888 constitution of the city's first library association, which operated on membership dues, fine-print regulations, and a dream of civic enrichment.
- The Exclusion of 1888
A new federal law mandates harsh restrictions and identification requirements for Chinese laborers, forcing them to exit and enter through only six designated ports, including Port Townsend.
- The Senate’s Betrayal: A Treaty That Gave Away Seattle’s Future
A scathing Senate report warns that the new fisheries treaty with Britain surrenders American fishing rights and invites foreign control over Pacific waters.
- The Day the Territorial Supreme Court Killed Women's Suffrage in Washington
In a landmark test case from May 1902, Judge Sash ruled that the Organic Act of Washington Territory only granted voting rights to males, effectively striking down local efforts to enfranchise women.
- The Great Assessment Scam: How King County Taxpayers Were Fooled by 'Blunders'
A local reporter exposes the absurdity of county tax assessments, where landowners receive notices for huge back-taxes on property they already paid off, forcing them to chase down exhausted commissioners in a cycle of bureaucratic error.
- The Leap Year Proposal That Stole the Show
In 1896, a group of young women in Seattle’s mill district turned tradition on its head, organizing and managing their own social event to celebrate the rare calendar day.
- The Water That Wasn't There: Seattle's First Major Infrastructure Crisis
As the city prepares for its first major expansion, the Seattle Water Company announces a total shutdown of supply to upper levels, leaving residents and businesses in the dark.
- The Great Rainier Climbing Debate
A classic Pacific Northwest squabble over who actually reached the summit of Mount Rainier first.
- 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 Shadowy Real Estate Dealings of Louis R. Kidd
A local legal battle reveals a trail of suspicious property transfers designed to shield assets from creditors in the middle of a city boom.
- 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 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 Last Breath in Walla Walla: A Mother’s Collapse as Her Son Faces the Gallows
In May 1888, John Ham was sentenced to death for murder in Washington Territory. His mother, Mrs. Pyle, broke down in court, while their co-conspirator fled the state, leaving the family to face the ultimate penalty.
- The Labor of Living: A 1888 Plea for Early Closing
Seattle store clerks organize to secure a shorter workday, challenging the relentless 'open-until-late' culture of the booming city.
- The Steamboat 'Fleetwood' Over-Packed
A federal seizure looms after the steamboat Fleetwood is caught hauling dozens of passengers over its legal limit between Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia.
- The Chloroform Attack: A Seattle Woman’s Narrow Escape from a Robber’s Grip
Julia Torrillia fights back against an assailant who tried to drug her on Washington Street, leading to the arrest of a local baker.
- The King of Oil Comes to Call: Standard’s Rockefeller Eyes Seattle's Future
John D. Rockefeller arrives in the Pacific Northwest, promising to train local workers for his new refinery and dominate the regional fuel market.
- Riot in Port Townsend: Citizens vs. Sailors on the Verge of Violence
A tense standoff erupts as local citizens arm themselves to prevent Coast Seamen's Union members from boarding the steamer Sumatra, leading to arrests and imminent bloodshed.
- The Mugwump’s Ledger: How Seattle’s Territorial Secretary Gamed the Law Printing Contract
A fierce editorial exposes Secretary Owings for delaying the publication of territorial laws to favor a cronies’ printing bid, while padding the bill with 40 pages of his own party platform.
- The Smell of Death: Seattle’s First Fight Over Industrial Zoning
In May 1890, a tannery near Seneca and Front streets was driving neighbors to the brink of eviction with its noxious fumes. One resident took to the press to demand the city council act before property values collapsed.
- The Steamboat That Carried Too Many
A legal dispute over overcrowding on the Seattle-Tacoma run exposes the strict—and often ignored—limits placed on Puget Sound steam travel in 1888.
- The 'Indian Doctoress' and the Seattle Faith Cure
A grueling, sworn testimony reveals the desperate medical landscape of 1888 Seattle, where patients turned from failed traditional surgery to 'Histo-genetic' remedies.
- 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 Unlucky Lodging House Keeper
A woman attempts to rebuild her life at a Seattle lodging house after her husband's attempted murder-suicide leaves her scarred, only to find herself the target of another man's duplicity.
- The Theater That Wanted the Street
Tacoma’s grand new opera house design sparks a city council debate over encroaching on public sidewalks and creating private carriage driveways.