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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 98 |
| 1883 | 511 |
| 1884 | 326 |
| 1885 | 566 |
| 1886 | 361 |
| 1887 | 327 |
2,189 stories
- The Martial Law Debate that Rocked the Territory
When the Democratic Party of Washington Territory tried to denounce Governor Squire for imposing martial law, they ended up in an awkward tangle of political hypocrisy.
- The 'Martial Law' Grab
An early attempt by land speculators to seize control of local governance in King County for profit.
- The Bar of King County Condemns the Anti-Chinese Expulsions
Local lawyers and citizens formally denounce the violence of February 1886, defending the rule of law after a mob forced residents out of the city.
- Tragedy on the Duwamish River
A deadly brawl among Duwamish tribal members following a day of heavy drinking leads to a hunt for justice and a call for a crackdown on illegal liquor.
- The Sheriff and the Slip-Up at the Border
A two-year-old political scandal re-emerges regarding the escape of two fugitives from Sheriff McGraw's custody in British Columbia.
- The First Votes: When Seattle Women Went to the Polls in 1886
On a chilly, foggy November day, Seattle's women braved election-day crowds to cast their ballots, marking a pivotal, short-lived moment in Washington's struggle for suffrage.
- The Great Railway Land Grab: Seattle's 1886 Battle Over Public Domain
A federal report exposes how the Northern Pacific Railroad claimed millions of acres in Washington Territory without legal authority, triggering a massive reclamation effort.
- The Great Seattle Theater Con: A Swindler’s Exit
A smooth-talking promoter claiming to represent an opera company flees Seattle under the cover of night, leaving behind a baffled police guard and a nearly empty safe.
- The Campaign to Drive Out Chinese Laundry Workers
Tensions boil over in late 19th-century Seattle as the Knights of Labor organize a systematic movement to forcibly remove Chinese laborers from the city's economy.
- Justice in the Opera House Block
After years of whispers about corruption and bribe-taking on the Board, a juror finally delivers a verdict that sends a local official to prison, signaling a rare victory against civic graft.
- The Struggle for North Second Street
Business owners in 1886 Seattle argued that expanding streets into 'Chinese quarters' was the only way to modernize the city and attract capital.
- The Tragedy of the Hebrew Dramatic Club
A panicked crush at a local performance in Seattle leaves tragedy in its wake as crowds misinterpret an alarm.
- Tragedy at the Portage: The Frozen Waters of Lake Union
A young immigrant worker drowns in the icy canal connecting Seattle's lakes, leaving his brother to mourn in a community built on the promise of infrastructure development.
- The Seattle Legal Crisis of 1887
When an error in the law's title threatened to invalidate every court order in the territory, the Seattle Bar Association gathered to decide if the wheels of justice had ground to a halt.
- The Tragic Death of Mollie Flippen
After surviving a notorious criminal past in Portland, a woman’s life ends in a horrific fire at a Seattle boarding house.
- The 'Cubic Air' Ordinance and a Courtroom Stand-Off
A legal clash in Seattle pits local officials against a law that criminalized living conditions for the Chinese community.
- The Fraser River Gold Rush and the Fear of 'Foreign' Highways
How the 1858 gold fever in British Columbia forced the United States to confront its own regional expansionism and the presence of a 'foreign highway' at its northern border.
- The Shadow Over Lake Washington
As the controversial Miller murder trial neared its conclusion in 1887, witnesses scrambled to untangle a web of shifting alibis, mysterious lake boatings, and a missing Winchester rifle.
- The Treasury Scandal of 1887
A team of expert auditors discovers that King County’s former treasurer, George V. Hill, systematically pilfered thousands of dollars using creative accounting and 'lost' tax records.
- The Bank Clerk Who Slapped the Boss
Josie Holmes, a local bank clerk, finds herself in jail for her role in a financial scandal, but her reputation in Seattle remains that of an indomitable figure who refused to bow to her corrupt employer.
- The Iron Rush: Seattle’s Early Fight Against Monopoly
When mining magnates and railroad tycoons clashed over the future of Washington's natural resources, Seattle’s civic leaders took a stand to protect local control.
- The Brutal Reality of Convict Leasing in the Washington Territory
A scathing look at the state's profit-driven 'convict lease' system, where human beings were treated as disposable capital and exploited for labor with zero accountability for their survival.
- The Mother Who Fled a Tyrant
A mother escapes her husband’s brutal control and property schemes after enduring years of abuse, turning to the law to secure her child’s safety.
- The Weight of the Mill: A Logger’s Victory on Puget Sound
For years, loggers were cheated by mill-owned scales that rigged the weight to keep pay low—until the Papal Mill Company broke the cycle.
- The Price of a Franchise: Seattle's Streetcar Bribery Scandal
A witness testifies that $2,000 was offered to 'stand in' with the company, exposing the grimy underside of Seattle's early transportation expansion.