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1. The Midnight Hog Thieves of Seattle

   A neighborhood slaughterhouse foreman turns the tables on a persistent gang of livestock rustlers who had been terrorizing the area.

   Sep 17, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

2. The Great Firemen's Brawl of 1889

   A regional firefighting tournament in Tacoma dissolved into a chaotic dispute over prize money, accused dictators, and local pride, forcing Seattle firemen to offer a do-over on home turf.

   Sep 20, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyScandal

3. A Sloop Killing on the Waterfront

   After a violent altercation on a boat docked between Pike and Union streets, a coroner's jury investigates the stabbing death of Benedict Sare.

   Sep 20, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

4. The Great Seattle Brick Shortage of 1889

   As Seattle rebuilt from the ashes of the Great Fire, a local brick supplier defended himself against accusations of price gouging, pinning the city's housing crunch on a simple lack of supply.

   Sep 21, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money

5. Seattle's Great Tent Crisis

   After the Great Fire of 1889, the city struggled to regulate the makeshift shanties and board-and-canvas tents cluttering the city limits.

   Sep 21, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

6. The Whidby Island Land Boom

   A remote island community sees land values double in four months as entrepreneurs push for a new industrial future.

   Sep 23, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSan de Fuca, Coupeville, Island CountyBoom & Bust

7. A Trail of Fire Through Port Townsend

   When four hundred torch-bearers paraded the bluff at night, they turned the seaside town into a spectacular display of political theater.

   Sep 23, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPort Townsend, Jefferson CountyCity Hall

8. A Moment of Grace Amidst the Pageantry of Politics

   During a political procession in Seattle, a bedridden girl’s fleeting interaction with President Benjamin Harrison captures a rare moment of humanity.

   Sep 23, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

9. The Struggle of the Sailors' Home

   While Seattle’s churches held regular Sunday services, a pressing plea for a new facility on the wharves highlighted the neglect faced by the city's waterfront laborers.

   Sep 23, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerBattery Street, Seattle, King CountyNightlife

10. A Barber’s Violent Defense in 1889 Seattle

    After a shootout on Front Street, the grand jury is tasked with untangling conflicting accounts of self-defense versus malice between two men.

    Sep 25, 1889The Seattle Post-Intelligencer1st Avenue, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

11. The Transit Dream of 1889

    A Seattle streetcar consolidation promised a single nickel fare from the bay to Salmon Bay, linking the city's future through private transit deals.

    Sep 27, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerCommercial Street, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

12. The Great Pasco Land Grab of 1889

    Capitalists from across the U.S. descended on the junction of the Columbia and Snake Rivers, pitching a 'Gate City' to Seattle investors.

    Sep 29, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPasco, Franklin CountyBoom & Bust

13. The Fight for Washington’s Capital City

    A Seattle writer argues that moving the seat of government east of the Cascades would cripple maritime commerce.

    Sep 30, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

14. The Great Ellensburg Map Scandal

    A bitter, humorous local feud between North Yakima and Ellensburg reveals the lengths to which frontier boosters went to lure railroads and settlers with 'imaginary' geography.

    Feb 7, 1889The Yakima HeraldEllensburg, Kittitas CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

15. The Growing Pains of North Yakima’s Schools

    A newly built schoolhouse is already overflowing with students, sparking a civic debate on the city's rapid expansion and the future of its children.

    Feb 14, 1889The Yakima HeraldSecond Street, Yakima, Yakima CountyBoom & Bust

16. The Great Detective Panic of North Yakima

    When word reached town that a Chicago detective had arrived by stagecoach, dozens of the city’s leading men fled into the freezing wilderness, resulting in frozen limbs, broken bones, and a ruined reputation.

    Feb 14, 1889The Yakima HeraldYakima, Yakima CountyStrange But True

17. The Cowychee Valley Road Struggle

    Settlers in the Cowychee Valley fight for a direct path to North Yakima, trapped by encroaching fences and rugged terrain.

    Feb 21, 1889The Yakima HeraldWide Hollow, Yakima, Yakima CountyCity Hall

18. The Battle for North Yakima’s Future

    As the territory prepared for statehood in 1889, land agents and local boosters scrambled to convince newcomers that North Yakima—not Ellensburg—was the region's inevitable capital.

    Feb 28, 1889The Yakima HeraldYakima Avenue, Yakima, Yakima CountyBoom & Bust

19. The Yakima Valley's Tobacco Future

    New experiments on the Moxee plantation show that Yakima’s climate and soil could produce tobacco to rival Cuba’s.

    Mar 21, 1889The Yakima HeraldYakima, Yakima CountyBoom & Bust

20. A Disappearance in North Yakima

    A local man seized his two children and fled after a bitter separation, leaving his wife and the community in the dark.

    Mar 21, 1889The Yakima HeraldYakima, Yakima CountyTrue Crime

21. The Making of a Suburb

    A speculative land development project christened 'Sunnyside' promises a model residential section and a dedicated site for a state capital.

    Mar 28, 1889The Yakima HeraldSunnyside, Yakima, Yakima CountyBoom & Bust

22. Tragedy at the Miners' Arms Saloon

    A senseless killing in a Roslyn saloon ends in the arrest of a suspect and the burial of the victim.

    Apr 11, 1889The Yakima HeraldRoslyn, Kittitas CountyTrue Crime

23. The Growing Pains of Yakima

    Civic leaders push for a permanent, fire-safe courthouse to replace the aging, cramped wooden structure that no longer serves a booming frontier city.

    Apr 25, 1889The Yakima HeraldSecond Street, Yakima, Yakima CountyCity Hall

24. The Growing Pains of North Yakima

    A surging population leads to a heated debate over school funding and where the next district building should be placed.

    May 23, 1889The Yakima HeraldYakima, Yakima CountyCity Hall

25. The Call to Abolish the Jury System

    A territorial editor argues that the jury system is a cumbersome obstacle to justice in a lawless frontier.

    May 30, 1889The Yakima HeraldYakima, Yakima CountyCity Hall

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