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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 |
1,324 stories
- The Annual Migration to the Puyallup Valley
A historic snapshot of the diverse, bustling encampments that formed every autumn when the hop harvest drew thousands to the riverbanks.
- The Feeding Frenzy of 1889
Before the city’s meteoric rise, land developers in Seattle were already peddling the 'next big thing' across the water, promising smelters and shipyards to anyone with cash in hand.
- The West Seattle Gold Rush: How a Quarter-Mile of Waterfront Changed the City's Map
While miners chased gold in Okanogan and politicians debated Indian reservations, a new addition called 'West Seattle' was platted with water front lots for as little as $75, promising to beat all other additions.
- The Real Estate Gold Rush: How West Seattle’s ‘Cream of the Cream’ Was Sold to the Highest Bidders
In February 1889, developers Fargre and Sander were selling off lots in West Seattle for as little as $25 down, promising fortunes from a plateau that was then little more than mud and ambition.
- The Real Estate Fever of 1889
Before the city’s massive expansion, syndicates and speculators mapped out the future of West Seattle and Lake Union, promising a new 'pleasure and suburban resort' for the growing masses.
- The Real Estate Boom of 1888
A look at the frenetic land speculation and building sales in Seattle, as recorded by the city's abstractors during the week of May 1st, 1888.
- Seattle’s 1889 Debates on Race and Rule
A local group of attorneys gathered at a private cottage to debate the explosive question: 'Shall negro majorities rule?'
- The Promised Heights of West Seattle
A booster-era description of a neighborhood rising above the clouds, promising a future of wharves, factories, and mountain views.
- The Unspoiled Meadow of Fidalgo Island
Before the industry and the railroads took hold, Fidalgo Island was envisioned as a garden of prosperity for the growing city of Seattle.
- The Great Fire of 1889: Seattle’s Retail Phoenix
After the Great Seattle Fire leveled the city’s business district, Toklas, Singerman Co. rebuilt their massive dry-goods emporium, vowing to anchor the city’s economic recovery.
- The Boomtown That Almost Ate Bellingham
A look back at the competitive, high-stakes frenzy of 1890s Fairhaven, a once-separate industrial powerhouse racing to become the 'New York of the Pacific' before merging into modern-day Bellingham.
- The Miracle Doctor of Pine Street: How One Man’s ‘New Science’ Tamed Seattle’s Sickness
In the winter of 1890, Dr. J. Eugene Jordan’s 'Histogenetic' remedies were curing everything from scrofula to neuralgia, drawing testimonies from desperate locals who claimed conventional medicine had failed them.
- The Man Who Claimed to Cure What Killed Washington
A Seattle physician unveils a 'new system' of medicine that he says has cured his own chronic ailments—and predicts the end of the old medical establishment.
- The Great Seattle Land Boom of 1888
A look at the frenzied real estate market as Seattle's rapid expansion fills the ledger books with record-breaking capital.
- The Boom That Refuses To Bust
While critics predicted the collapse of the Washington boom, the territory points to its literal bedrock—coal, iron, timber, and grain—as proof of its enduring prosperity.
- The Boom on the Bay: How Seattle Suburbs Remade the City
Electric streetcars and new transit lines are transforming Seattle’s geography, pushing the city's identity into the outskirts as the 'slow, old horse-car' becomes a relic of the past.
- The Case for a Modern Fire Engine in 1880s Seattle
An urgent editorial call for the city to upgrade its firefighting capabilities to match Seattle's rapid expansion.
- The Growing Pains of a Frontier City
An 1888 editorial calls for a new municipal charter to manage Seattle’s rapid expansion and modern infrastructure needs.
- Seattle’s First Battle for a Long Weekend
In 1889, Seattle’s hardware merchants pioneered a movement to close shops early on summer evenings to give workers time for leisure and self-improvement.
- The Call for Frugality in 1889 Seattle
Following the Great Seattle Fire, the local press urged residents to abandon luxury and 'live within easy limits' to rebuild the city's fortune.
- The Price of Good Governance in 1889
As Seattle prepared to vote for new city leadership, a local editorial warned that the city's future would be decided by whether citizens cared more about the public interest or personal profit.
- The Migrant Tide Building Seattle
A look back at the restless wave of Eastern and Midwestern youth who, having drained the vitality of their home towns, arrived in the Pacific Northwest to build the city of Seattle.
- The Postmaster General's Forgotten 'Postal Telegraph' Scheme
Before the digital age, a visionary postmaster proposed merging the U.S. Mail with the telegraph to turn instant messaging into a public utility, aiming to bypass corporate monopolies.
- Wood & Osborne Bring Order to Washington Territory Deeds
As Seattle's property market surged, the city's premier title firm was forced to expand its operations to keep up with the frantic pace of land speculation.
- The Gold Rush That Never Was: Walla Walla’s Delusion of Wealth
In January 1889, a local paper in Walla Walla, Washington, published an ecstatic report claiming the city was awash in gold dust and twenty-dollar pieces, comparing its prosperity to the heyday of the Salmon River mines. It was a stark contrast to the reality of a region still recovering from economic busts.