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1. The Perils of the Victorian Parlor

   A late-night rumination on the changing customs of romance in 1876 Seattle, where the 'exclusive' courting of young lovers in the family home was already starting to baffle the older generation.

   Dec 4, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

2. A Scapegoat for the Flames

   Police round up a local Chinese cook after a string of suspicious small fires, despite a lack of concrete evidence.

   Aug 31, 1903The Evening StatesmanWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyExclusion & Resistance

3. The Old Town Merry-Go-Round Uproar

   A carnival attraction at North 29th and Carr streets is driving neighbors to distraction, leading to a swarm of police calls.

   May 18, 1907The Tacoma TimesOld Town, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

4. Bank Failure Sparks Assassination Attempt

   Aug 18, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

5. The Mountain Lion Hunter of Chelan

   A local hunter brings in a massive cougar as regional reports note the predator is terrorizing the deer population.

   Feb 1, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerChelan, Chelan CountyStrange But True

6. The Legality of Corporate 'Banks'

   Attorney General rules that companies can legally hold worker wages as interest-bearing deposits.

   Jun 30, 1910The Lynden Tribune (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-CurrentOlympia, Thurston CountyWork & Pay · City Hall

7. The Plague of Caterpillars on the North Side

   A swarm of voracious insects descends upon Seattle's northern outskirts, stripping gardens and trees bare while defying all attempts at extermination.

   Jun 10, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

8. A Poisoner Stalks Newport's Dogs

   At least fifteen canines dead in ten days as someone laces meat with strychnine — five in a single day on the South Side.

   Jun 9, 1910The Newport Miner (Newport, WA) 1899-CurrentNewport, Pend Oreille CountyTrue Crime

9. The Seattle Land Rush of 1889

   A weekly log of deeds and transactions reveals the frenzied pace of development, speculation, and shifting property lines in pre-statehood Seattle.

   Apr 14, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerFront Street, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

10. A Night of Whist and Crokignole in 1889 Seattle

    A surprise party for Miss Fannie McKay at her family home on Fourth and Yesler offers a glimpse into the parlor social life of early Seattle.

    Apr 14, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerFourth Street, Seattle, King CountyStrange But True

11. The Industrial Army vs. The Marshals

    Federal authorities in Seattle are intercepting freight trains to prevent 'Commonwealers' from riding the rails toward Washington, D.C.

    May 19, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyWork & Pay · City Hall

12. The Swarm That Stalled the Trains

    A plague of army worms in a Washington swamp grew so thick they brought a locomotive to a grinding, slippery halt.

    Jun 30, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

13. Centennial Holiday Brings Excursions to Seattle

    While the nation observed the Washington Centennial with parades and solemn ceremonies, Tacoma residents flocked to the docks for a holiday excursion to the bustling city of Seattle.

    May 1, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPacific Avenue, Tacoma, Pierce County

14. The Search for Coal on Mill Creek

    Sheriff Thomas Honey spearheads a serious effort to tap into South Bend's bituminous coal deposits.

    May 26, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMill Creek, South Bend, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

15. The Tailor Who Vanished: Creditors Left Holding the Bag

    H.L. Stanley’s shop has gone dark, leaving behind unpaid bills and bounced checks in a city already wary of financial instability.

    Apr 3, 1899The Seattle StarSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

16. The Boom-Era Dream of the Rainier Valley

    An 1891 advertisement paints a vivid picture of the speculative fever that drove Seattle's suburban expansion along the new electric streetcar lines.

    Jan 16, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerRainier Avenue, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

17. The Dream of the Suburban Acre

    In 1891, developers marketed the 'choicest' acre tracts in the newly burgeoning suburbs of Seattle, promising growth along the Rainier Avenue Electric Railway.

    Jan 12, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerRainier Avenue, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

18. The Waterfront 'Hotbed of Disorder'

    In 1887, Seattle officials and citizens mobilized to purge the city's waterfront of the 'notorious' floating houses that provided a refuge for the city's poorest residents.

    Oct 29, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerCommercial Street, Seattle, King CountyHousing & Rent · Nightlife

19. The Firebug of Fairhaven

    A former assistant fire chief is arrested in Fairhaven after being caught hiding under a building just as a new fire broke out.

    Oct 2, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerBellingham, Whatcom CountyTrue Crime

20. A Mastodon Discovery in the Washington Countryside

    A young boy scraping at the bottom of a spring unearths a relic from a lost era, shedding light on the ancient history buried beneath the ranch lands of Washington.

    Jan 19, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWashington State, Whitman CountyStrange But True

21. Saloon Watchman Fired After 'Alcoholic Exuberance'

    A newly hired watchman and his companion turn an Old Standard saloon into their personal party space, leading to an arrest.

    Jan 21, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce County

22. A Desperate Escape Attempt in Whatcom

    A clever plan to cut through jail cell bars with a smuggled file is thwarted by the county attorney.

    Nov 24, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWhatcom County Jail, BellinghamTrue Crime

23. A Nighttime Siege Ends in Surrender

    Alonzo Reeves, who shot a deputy sheriff, surrenders after an overnight standoff in his barricaded home.

    Dec 17, 1903The Evening StatesmanWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyTrue Crime

24. Sunken Piles Turning the Waterfront into a Minefield

    Steamboat captains demand action against loose, spiked pilings clogging the Seattle harbor and threatening the hulls of local vessels.

    Aug 22, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

25. The Schoolhouse Mutiny

    When an empty Seattle schoolhouse became a playground for neighborhood boys, a mild prank turned into a local spectacle of adolescent mischief.

    Jun 13, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

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