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• 1904 ×

1. Democrats Rally to Break the Pierce County Republican Stronghold

   Delegates gather at Germania Hall to nominate a full slate of candidates, hoping to disrupt the Republican dominance of Pierce County politics.

   Sep 2, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

2. Tacoma Labor Unions March in Seattle

   Two thousand Tacoma union members chartered steamboats to participate in a massive Labor Day parade in Seattle.

   Sep 5, 1904The Tacoma TimesPike Street, Seattle, King CountyWork & Pay

3. The Great Sidewalk Standoff

   Tacoma residents vent frustration at contractors who leave streets in ruins during the long-awaited public improvement projects.

   Sep 17, 1904The Tacoma TimesYakima Avenue, Tacoma, Pierce CountyBoom & Bust

4. Tacoma’s Mercy for Fraviola

   Citizens rally to fund the final journey home for a sick child.

   Sep 19, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyStrange But True

5. A Territorial Tug-of-War Over School Funds

   A long-standing dispute between the State of Washington and Walla Walla County centers on the proceeds from an illegal 1860s land sale.

   Jan 1, 1904The Evening StatesmanWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyFollow the Money

6. Ellen Dorr, Dayton Pioneer, Dies at Sea

   Mrs. Ellen R. Dorr of Dayton passes away in mid-ocean while returning home from Manila, leaving a family spread across the Pacific.

   Jan 4, 1904The Evening StatesmanDayton, Columbia CountyScandal

7. The Battle for Rail Oversight

   Mayor A. L. Black of Bellingham clashes with rail giants, demanding a commission to regulate rates and combat monopoly practices.

   Jan 5, 1904The Evening StatesmanBellingham, Whatcom CountyFollow the Money

8. The Final Fight of a Local Sporting Legend

   Once a celebrated middleweight who drew crowds, Patsy Carroll died in poverty at a Seattle mission, remembered by the city’s sporting fraternity.

   Jan 6, 1904The Evening StatesmanSeattle, King CountyLocal Legends

9. The Wanderer of Everett

   A man allegedly shanghaied and rescued by police vanishes again, leaving behind unanswered letters and a history of unexplained absences.

   Jan 8, 1904The Evening StatesmanEverett, Snohomish CountyLocal Legends

10. Local Osteopaths Issue Warning Against Unqualified 'Fakirs'

    Practitioners in Washington state publish a list of verified graduates to distinguish themselves from unlicensed impostors.

    Jan 9, 1904The Evening StatesmanWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountySnake Oil

11. The Fight Against Railroad Extortion

    Business owners in Walla Walla face broken promises from rail monopolies, but the editor argues that federal and state regulation—not empty lobbying—is the only way to break the gridlock.

    Jan 13, 1904The Evening StatesmanWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyFollow the Money

12. The Great Tax Cleanup of 1904

    Walla Walla commissioners initiate a massive effort to purge decades of uncollectable tax debt, including lingering railroad disputes.

    Jan 13, 1904The Evening StatesmanWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyCity Hall

13. Adams County Farmers Challenge New Road Laws in Court

    A legal battle in Ritzville challenges the constitutionality of a state law that stripped local road supervisors of their autonomy and tax-work privileges.

    Jan 15, 1904The Evening StatesmanRitzville, Adams CountyCity Hall

14. Trapped by the Beast in Eden Valley

    A rancher’s attempt to capture a predatory panther results in a harrowing fight at the edge of a cliff.

    Jan 19, 1904The Evening StatesmanWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyStrange But True

15. The Politician Who Inspected Factory Safety

    State Labor Commissioner William Blackman visits Walla Walla to enforce safety laws while dodging rumors of a gubernatorial run.

    Jan 19, 1904The Evening StatesmanWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyWork & Pay

16. The Produce Hustlers of Western Avenue

    A newspaperman walks Seattle's commission district and finds winter vegetables, Yakima potatoes and shipments bound for Alaska, Asia and the East.

    Feb 15, 1904The RanchWestern Avenue, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

17. The Cream Check That Didn't Add Up

    A Whatcom County dairyman shipping cream to Seattle says the buyer's statement shorted him on butter fat and price — and he wants the other side to answer.

    Mar 1, 1904The RanchNooksack, Whatcom CountyWork & Pay

18. The Puyallup Berry Men Take On the Midwest — and Win on Freight

    Growers meet in Puyallup to chase cheaper rail rates and a St. Louis World's Fair exhibit, while a North Dakota buyer tells them their fruit beats the Minnesota competition even after 1,500 miles in a refrigerator car.

    Mar 15, 1904The RanchPuyallup, Pierce CountyBoom & Bust

19. The Philanthropic Stock That Actually Paid

    Whatcom County investors expected nothing back from their creamery subscriptions. Then the dividend checks arrived—while their profit-minded bets went dry.

    Apr 1, 1904The RanchBellingham, Whatcom CountyStrange But True

20. When the Hay Ran Out, the Neighbours Around Brewster Signed Their Names Together

    An Okanogan County fodder famine had stockmen facing the loss of whole herds they had no money to feed — until country people who owed them nothing co-signed a note to buy the hay.

    Apr 15, 1904The RanchBrewster, Okanogan County

21. A Bartender's Affair: Sumner Wife Flees with Her Lover

    When Henry Brianer left for a business trip, bartender B. Grant moved in on his wife. Now the couple—and her two children—are missing, presumed headed to Seattle.

    Jan 1, 1904The Tacoma TimesSumner Inn, SumnerScandal

22. The Wood Yard Hurt Him Three Years Ago. This Morning It Killed Him.

    William Hackett, 68, never left the hospital after an injury at Cleveland's wood yard — and his body now waits at the undertaker's until friends back East can be found.

    Jan 12, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyWork & Pay

23. The Anti-Saloon League Tells Tacoma's Churchgoers to Get Their Hands Dirty

    A packed house at the First Presbyterian church heard the national superintendent of the Anti-Saloon League argue that pious voters who stay out of politics are the reason the saloons stay open — and that the worst anarchist in town is the official who picks which laws to enforce.

    Jun 6, 1904The Tacoma TimesFirst Presbyterian Church, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall · Nightlife

24. Fifteen Hundred Wanted Seattle; the Flyer Had Room for Five Hundred

    Holiday travelers packed the Flyer dock until police were called, then counted every passenger down the gangplank one by one while a thousand sorely disappointed people turned to the Interurban.

    Jul 5, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyStrange But True

25. Tacoma Is Building—and Mostly for People Who Plan to Stay

    Building permits jumped 68 percent over 1903, with new homes rising for owners rather than investors.

    Jul 23, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyHousing & Rent · Boom & Bust

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