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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 6 |
| 1877 | 9 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 6 |
| 1884 | 5 |
| 1885 | 15 |
| 1886 | 4 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1889 | 8 |
| 1892 | 2 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 7 |
| 1895 | 8 |
| 1904 | 2 |
| 1909 | 2 |
83 stories
- The Mystery of the Mast
Two Seattle brothers discover a man adrift off Blakely Rocks with a bullet in his forehead, sparking a murder investigation in a quiet maritime town.
- Armed Guards, a Locked Forecastle, and One Sailor Who Swam for It
Seattle's Sailors' Union accused a British ship of shanghaiing five men at Port Blakely; one escaped by jumping overboard, while the Shipowners' Association called the charges 'all bosh.'
- The Siege of Port Blakely
When mill workers organized for better conditions at the Port Blakely mill, the company responded by calling in the National Guard, turning a labor dispute into a military occupation.
- The Tragedy at Port Blakely
A brutal killing on the bridge at Port Blakely sparks an investigation into the violence and instability fueled by alcohol access.
- Knights of Labor Force Displacement of Chinese Workers
The Port Blakely Mill Company agrees to terminate its Chinese workforce following organized pressure from local labor groups.
- The Charity Case Who Came Back a Brutal Husband
Port Blakely mill hands passed the hat for a crippled co-worker and sent him home to Kentucky. He came back married — and the town's justice of the peace had to take his wife away from him by night.
- The Plague at the Doorstep: Seattle’s Battle Against Smallpox in 1877
As smallpox ravages Port Orchard and Salmon Bay, the city's Health Officer takes drastic quarantine measures against Indigenous communities, highlighting the fragile public health infrastructure of early Seattle.
- The Fortress of Timber: How Mill Barons Bought the Land to Buy the Town
In 1877, a local editorial warned that Port Blakely’s massive timber companies were cornering the market on real estate, creating an economic monopoly that would stifle independent growth and keep workers dependent on their employers.
- The Tragedy of the North Star: A Lost Crew and a Community’s Grief
Fifty-two days after departing for San Diego with a heavy timber load, the brig North Star is officially presumed lost, leaving a community to reckon with the perils of the Pacific and the cost of the lumber boom.
- Two-Year-Old Vanishes in Seattle Kidnapping Mystery
A young child disappeared from a forested area near a popular summer resort, leaving behind a frantic search and local detectives suspecting foul play.
- Boiler Explosion Kills Five at Port Madison Sawmill
A tragic industrial accident at Meigs's steam sawmill claims the lives of five men, highlighting the dangers of early industrial milling in the region.
- A Laborer's Hazard at Port Blakely
A tally man suffers a catastrophic injury on the docks while working a pile shipment.
- The Tyrant of the High Seas: A Sailor’s Knife vs. a Mate’s Revolver
In a dramatic trial before U.S. Commissioner D.S. Smith, witnesses describe how the first mate of the brig *Sampson* beat a sailor into paralysis with an iron bar and revolver, sparking outrage over maritime abuse.
- From Embers to Empire: The Resilience of the Port Blakely Mill
When fire destroyed the massive Port Blakely sawmill in 1888, the company didn't just rebuild—they turned it into the largest, most productive operation on Puget Sound.
- The Struggle for the Eight-Hour Day
While Seattle’s mills slash hours and wages amid a lumber market slump, labor organizers face stiff resistance from manufacturers and owners.
- The Body in the Hen House: An Unidentified Murder Near Eagle Harbor
A well-dressed stranger was found half-burned in an abandoned Kitsap County farmhouse, with only spectacles, a corkscrew, and a torn newspaper to say who he was.
- The Hanging Party That Wasn't: Puget Sound's First Murder Arrest
A retired sailor recalls the day a ship's crew nearly lynched a stevedore at Port Blakely—and the strange reunion that followed years later.
- A Body in the Bay, and Six Weeks of False Hope
Charles Londale vanished from his Port Blakely home. Six weeks later his body was pulled from the water—with no marks, no answers, and a family that refused to believe he had taken his own life.
- The Bankburn Mutiny Claims
A crew's attempt to secure better provisions leads to jail time and allegations of wage theft.
- The Boiler Bursts at Five Twenty
A mill boiler at Port Madison exploded before the morning shift was fully at work, killing five men and scalding a sixth. A witness wrote that ten minutes later would have killed more.
- Two Deaths at Port Blakely, and a Killer's Surrender
A newly arrived blacksmith was shot in the back at the Port Blakely mill; a child was killed in the same attack, and the assailant gave himself up after days in the woods.
- The Partisan’s Price: How Civil Service Reform Cost a Delegate His Seat
In 1876, King County’s Republican establishment turned on Judge O. Jacobs for refusing to hand out federal jobs to party loyalists, revealing the brutal mechanics of the spoils system in early Washington Territory.
- The Violent Night at Port Blakely
A drunken dispute at a remote saloon leaves a man dead and a community reeling from the sudden eruption of gunfire.
- The Last Voyage of a Lost Boat
A tragic discovery on Bainbridge Island confirms the worst fears regarding a missing young man.
- Fatal Brawl in Port Madison
A domestic dispute involving a mill worker and a lighted lamp ends in a deadly fire.
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