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1. Engineers Say Snoqualmie Falls Can Light the Sound

   A New York journal sizes up the 260-foot falls at 18,000 horsepower and predicts a company will soon wire Seattle and Tacoma to the river.

   Apr 7, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSnoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, King CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

2. The Tragic Leap Over the Falls

   A man with a prosthetic leg made a final, fatal decision to go over Spokane's Upper Falls.

   Jun 18, 1914The Kennewick Courier-ReporterSpokane Falls, Spokane, Spokane CountyStrange But True

3. The Black Diamond Wrestling Grudge

   A boastful challenge leads to a bizarre wrestling match in the Black Diamond mining camp, resolved in mere seconds.

   Dec 7, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerBlack Diamond, King CountyNightlife

4. Tacoma Watchman Joe Taylor Dies After Warehouse Fall

   Joe Taylor, a fixture of Tacoma’s early frontier history, dies after a drunken fall at the wharf.

   Dec 16, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce County

5. Chasing the Phantom Falls: A Lost Expedition to the Cedar River

   In 1885, two explorers ventured deep into the rugged wilderness above Cedar River to document the elusive, towering waterfalls known only to local legend.

   Aug 16, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerCedar River, Maple Valley, King CountyStrange But True

6. The Falls That Would Light Seattle

   In January 1895 a syndicate of New York capitalists and Seattle men capitalized a company at $1,500,000 to dam Snoqualmie Falls and wire 5,000 horsepower twenty-five miles into the city — the Northwest's answer to Niagara.

   Jan 30, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSnoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, King CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

7. A Heroic Sacrifice in the Woods

   A 12-year-old boy in Yagar dies while saving his sister from a falling fir tree during a windstorm.

   Feb 16, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWhatcom CountyDisasters

8. The Battle for the Land Office

   Spokane Falls and Cheney trade barbs over the relocation of the federal land office, a prize that signifies the region's future growth.

   Jul 14, 1883Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyBoom & Bust · City Hall

9. The Battle for the Stevens County Seat

   Colville fights to remain the seat of government as the county commissioners attempt to move it to Kettle Falls.

   Nov 19, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerColville, Stevens CountyCity Hall

10. Drought Forces Franklin County Farmers to Pivot

    After a difficult harvest hampered by insufficient rainfall and improper cultivation, local ranchers shift to fall-sown wheat.

    Sep 19, 1903The Evening StatesmanConnell, Franklin County

11. Harnessing the Cedar River's Might

    Investors eye the Cedar River Falls to power sawmills and, eventually, send electricity surging into the city of Seattle.

    May 10, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerCedar River, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money

12. Washington's Big Bet on the Columbia: A Dam at Kettle Falls

    Washington Water Power expects a federal license within weeks and plans to begin work on a hydroelectric dam and powerhouse at Kettle Falls, with the first unit running by the summer of 1926.

    Apr 6, 1923White Bluffs SpokesmanKettle Falls, Stevens CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

13. The Waterfall That Would Light Seattle

    In 1895, promoters promised to harness Snoqualmie Falls—taller than Niagara and only 23 miles from Seattle—and send thousands of horsepower over copper wire.

    Feb 4, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSnoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, King CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

14. A Dangerous Fall for a Local Utility Manager

    George Turner, the local manager for the Priest Rapids Light & Power Company, is recovering in a Pasco hospital after a severe fall from a transmission pole.

    Aug 31, 1923White Bluffs SpokesmanHospital, Pasco, Franklin CountyWork & Pay · Disasters

15. The Old Hudson's Bay Fort at Kettle Falls Burns

    A fur-trade blockhouse said to be among the oldest buildings in Washington is destroyed by fire near Kettle Falls.

    Jul 14, 1910The Newport Miner (Newport, WA) 1899-CurrentKettle Falls, Stevens CountyDisasters · Gone Forever

16. The Day an Indian Survived a Waterfall Leap

    Mitchell Potera, a Shawnee man from Waunette, Washington, jumped off Steilacoom Falls to escape his pursuers—and walked away with only scratches.

    May 4, 1899The Seattle StarWauna, Pierce CountyStrange But True

17. The Tides That Move the Wells of Ocosta

    Early settlers discover a natural phenomenon where groundwater levels mimic the Pacific tides.

    Sep 24, 1891Aberdeen HeraldOcosta, Grays Harbor CountyStrange But True

18. The Battle for Snoqualmie Falls

    A high-stakes legal and land-grab feud erupts over plans to harness the falls for Seattle’s future electrical grid.

    Mar 6, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSnoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, King CountyFollow the Money

19. Spokane Falls Fights to Be the Gateway to the Coeur d'Alene Mines

    The town battles Portland papers and rival railroad stops over the best route to the gold fields, as a new stage road promises to cut the journey to 70 miles.

    Feb 23, 1884Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

20. The Great Snoqualmie Rail Race

    How two rival railroad companies raced through the brush to stake a claim on the critical bottleneck at Snoqualmie Falls.

    Jan 8, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSnoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, King CountyBoom & Bust

21. Harnessing the Snoqualmie Falls

    A new company of Seattle capitalists plans to transmit electrical power from Snoqualmie Falls, aiming to rival the scale of Niagara and spark a regional economic boom.

    Feb 11, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSnoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, King CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

22. The Swindler of Spokane Falls

    After the great fire, a relief distributor made off with the city's food and funds, establishing a private grocery store on the backs of the desperate.

    Aug 28, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSpokane, Spokane CountyCity Hall · True Crime

23. An Expedition to the 'Niagara of the North'

    A rugged traveler describes a treacherous 1874 journey by canoe and foot to witness the majesty of Snoqualmie Falls.

    Jan 4, 1877The Daily IntelligencerSnoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, King CountyStrange But True

24. Harnessing Snoqualmie Falls for City Power

    A bold proposal emerges to channel the power of Snoqualmie Falls to electrify Seattle's streetcars and lighting systems.

    Feb 6, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSnoqualmie Falls, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

25. The Newspaper Mill That Almost Came to Snoqualmie Falls

    In 1895, New York's biggest papers looked west at cheap cottonwood and waterfall power—and a Seattle booster tried to close the deal.

    Jan 26, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSnoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, King CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

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