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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 130 |
| 1883 | 799 |
| 1884 | 455 |
| 1885 | 838 |
| 1886 | 492 |
| 1887 | 484 |
3,198 stories
- Washington Territory's Eight-Year Push for Statehood
A Senate floor speech details the eight-year struggle for Washington Territory to shed its frontier status and become a state, including the controversial proposal to annex Idaho's northern panhandle.
- City Wins Right to Levy Special Street Assessments
A landmark court decision by Judge Greene clears the path for city infrastructure funding by upholding the legality of special assessments for street improvements.
- The Clearing of the Ten Acres
A dense forest in the pioneer village of Seattle was cleared by hand in 1861 to build a university, marking the humble birth of an institution that would grow with the frontier territory.
- The 'Deep, Dark, Damnable Conspiracy' Against Women’s Votes
In 1887, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer mocked the 'absurd' suspicion that the Territorial Supreme Court, the President, and local newspapers were conspiring to disenfranchise women through judicial appointments.
- The Forgotten Spokane Tribal Council of 1887
A federal commission's frustrated attempt to settle tribal land disputes in Spokane Falls leads to a reluctant agreement brokered by a Catholic missionary.
- The Right to Protect a Source in 1887 Seattle
A landmark court ruling in Seattle established that a journalist cannot be legally compelled to reveal their sources, protecting the freedom of the press in the burgeoning territory.
- The Tragic Wreck of the Steamer Tacoma
Captain George D. Korts faces an official inquiry into the catastrophic loss of the vessel, revealing a series of navigational errors and failed rescue attempts.
- Masked Vigilantes Hang a Convicted Murderer in Dayton Jail
James McPherson, convicted of murdering E. H. Cummins at New York Bar, was taken from the Dayton jail by masked men and hanged, despite a governor's reprieve and a new trial order.
- Railroad Monopoly Challenged in Court
Chief Justice Greene rules against Northern Pacific's attempts to block competitors from their lines.
- The Shadow Over the Puyallup Valley
A Seattle committee investigates allegations of land-grabbing by the Northern Pacific Railway, threatening the tenure of timber and land owners.
- White Wins Pause on Puyallup Coal Road Land Patents
Seattle’s advocate returns from Washington D.C. with updates on the struggle to reclaim Northern Pacific land grants from corporate control.
- Legal Chaos and the Chinese Exclusion Era
A convoluted series of arrests and court cases in Seattle reveals the systemic targeting of Chinese residents during the height of the Exclusion era.
- Vigilantism and Intimidation Against Chinese Residents
An attempted assassination of two Chinese men in Seattle is thwarted by police, leading to the arrest of three 'highbinders'.
- The 'Black Cloud' Over Washington Territory
Settlers use a radical map-based protest to highlight how Northern Pacific railroad land grants are freezing out public settlement.
- The Shadow Over Seattle's Early Growth
A vitriolic 1881 congressional speech from Thomas H. Brents reveals the dark, exclusionary labor politics that defined the foundations of the Pacific Northwest.
- The Sheriff vs. The Railroad
When the Northern Pacific Railroad refused to pay taxes in 1882, the local sheriff didn't just file a complaint—he seized their locomotives.
- The Tacoma Tragedy: A Father's Descent into Madness
Seattle mourns the Walters family, whose recent murder-suicide in Tacoma has shaken the community. The paper reflects on the fragility of sanity when grief and financial ruin collide.
- The Tragedy of the Pearson Household
A quiet, industrious Seattle man suffers a violent mental break, leaving his family in critical condition and a community in shock.
- The Tragedy on Trestle No. 4
A father's desperate attempt to walk his children to safety during a heavy snowstorm ends in a devastating train accident on the outskirts of Tacoma.
- The Deserted Wife Who Saved Her Homestead
When a man abandoned his land and his spouse in Olympia, the government tried to invalidate her claim—until a steely legal battle proved her right to stay.
- The Snowfall That Nearly Wiped Out Spokane Falls
Heavy winter snows caused the near-collapse of two public buildings in Washington Territory, sparking a debate over the need for stricter building oversight in a growing Seattle.
- The Railroad’s Grip on Yakima
A political firestorm erupted in 1885 when the Northern Pacific Railroad allegedly pressured the White House to fire a land official for his loyalty to local settlers.
- The High-License Fight of 1885
As Seattle grapples with the rise of saloons, local temperance advocates and city officials debate the 'high license' strategy to curb the city’s drinking problem.
- The Great Seattle Boycott of 1885
When local liquor interests tried to starve a newspaper into silence for its stance on Sunday closing laws, the community launched a fierce retaliatory boycott of its own.
- The Shadowy 'Dynamiters' and the Seattle Employment Crisis
While international fears of dynamite conspiracies gripped 1885, a local Seattle employment agency quietly documented the harsh reality of thousands of men out of work, desperate, and struggling in the wake of an ironworks decline.