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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 |
1,115 stories
- The Rat Out of the Hole
A bitter public feud erupts between two of Seattle's major industrial firms over the construction of a city fireboat.
- The Great Seattle Fire Hose Scandal of 1891
A fiery Board of Public Works meeting uncovers allegations of bribery, price-fixing, and backroom deals in the city's quest to equip its fire department.
- Sloop Louisa Seized in 1891 Chinese Laborer Case
Federal authorities clamp down on the waterfront as the government moves to forfeit a vessel for allegedly smuggling Chinese laborers into Elliott Bay.
- The Price of 'Immorality' in 1891 Seattle
When the city council targeted a saloon keeper for moral failure, the debate exposed deep divisions over class, race, and selective enforcement of the law.
- The Political Toboggan: Tacoma's Revolt Against a Carpetbagger Candidate
As the state legislature prepared to convene in 1891, prominent Tacoma Republicans publicly abandoned their own local candidate, labeling him an opportunist from Indiana.
- The Price of Progress: Seattle’s Legal Tug-of-War Over Street Grades
In 1891, the city was forced to reckon with the constitutional requirement of paying damages to property owners before regrading streets, a lesson that paralyzed public works and exposed the city's precarious financial state.
- The Sloop Louisa and the Contraband Laborers
A federal seizure notice reveals the 1890 crackdown on illicit maritime transport of Chinese laborers into the Puget Sound.
- The Price of Progress on Lake Washington
A century before Seattle’s modern infrastructure battles, property owners in 1891 fought a railroad’s attempt to claim waterfront for a 'Belt Line' at a discount.
- The Slungshot Saloon Brawl
A scion of an ex-governor, fueled by opium and drink, faces arrest for a brazen assault in a Second Street tavern.
- The Sloop Louisa and the Contraband of 1891
A federal seizure notice reveals the high-stakes battle over immigration and maritime law on the waters of Elliott Bay.
- The Art of the Con: How a Swindler Sold 'Rare' Books to Seattle’s Elite
A clever grifter conned prominent Seattle society women into buying ordinary books at exorbitant markups by selling them on a false promise of exclusivity and 'easy' monthly payments.
- The Smuggling Sloops of Elliott Bay
Federal authorities launch an admiralty crackdown on the illicit landing of laborers along the Seattle waterfront in 1891.
- The Mortgage Hangover: Seattle’s Post-Fire Reckoning
A federal census agent tallies the heavy toll of reconstruction, revealing how the city’s rapid rebuilding after the Great Fire of 1889 fueled a massive wave of high-interest debt.
- The Great Butter Robbery of West Street
A bold waterfront heist ends with an unlikely intervention by an old gentleman, a flight across the city, and a classic retort from a local thief.
- The Perilous Descent of Professor Parker
A daredevil aeronaut nearly meets his end in a tangle of city wires and building cornices during a botched parachute stunt over downtown Seattle.
- A Senator’s Lake Washington Commute
Senator Watson C. Squire returns to Seattle to mediate a messy standoff with the Belt Line railroad, which carved a deep, uncrossable ditch right through his prized farmstead.
- The Unbuilt Dream: Engineering Seattle’s Ship Canal
In 1891, engineers surveyed the feasibility of connecting Puget Sound to Lake Washington, wrestling with the same geographical challenges and environmental trade-offs that define the city's infrastructure today.
- The Shack Clearers of the Waterfront
A laborer finds himself in jail after being ordered by a railway company to tear down the homes of squatters living on the Seattle tideflats.
- The 'Three-Dollar' Libel Suit
A Tacoma police captain sues the local newspaper for $10,000, alleging they falsely accused him of gambling, bribery, and corruption.
- The Ghost of Labor Unrest in Newcastle
A local coal miner pushes back against sensationalist newspaper reports of an 'impending strike,' exposing the tense standoff between workers, company bosses, and imported armed guards.
- The Baker’s War: Seattle’s Sweet Tooth Goes on Strike
As the city's bakers walk out for better wages, only four stubborn shops remain open, turning a labor dispute into a daily crisis for hungry locals.
- The Senator’s Homecoming: A City Roars for Watson Squire
Thousands line the Seattle waterfront as the Bailey Gatzert steamer arrives, carrying newly re-elected U.S. Senator Watson C. Squire home from Olympia in a spontaneous ovation of cheers, champagne christenings, and civic pride.
- The Senator Who Stood on the Train
In the dead of night, a torch-lit mob marched through Spokane to greet U.S. Senator Warren G. Squire. But as he stepped onto the platform to deliver his victory speech, the rails betrayed him: the train pulled away before he could finish, leaving only his voice echoing into the dark.
- The Eight-Hour Day That Was Amended to Death
A bold proposal to limit public works labor to eight hours faces a grim fate in the Washington State Senate, where 'amendments' have stripped the bill of its power before it can even reach the House.
- The $5,000 Price of a Farmer’s Freedom
In January 1891, Seattle Judge Humes upheld an excessive bail for George Watkins, sparking a legal debate over whether justice should be measured by wealth rather than guilt.