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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 130 |
| 1883 | 799 |
| 1884 | 455 |
| 1885 | 838 |
| 1886 | 492 |
| 1887 | 484 |
3,198 stories
- The Engineer’s Heartbreak
An engineer rushing home to his dying daughter crashes his train, only to find solace in the delirium of his final moments.
- The House on Rollers: Moving an Entire Hotel to Save a Town
When the Northern Pacific Railroad bypassed Old Yakima, developers physically relocated the town's buildings—including the Holland House—to the new site, one mile at a time.
- The Great Timber Land Heist
Federal investigators uncover a widespread scheme where syndicates used ‘fictitious names’ and paid off desperate men to seize Washington’s valuable timber lands.
- The City Council Grants Massive Streetcar Monopoly
A sweeping new ordinance grants a local transit company the right to lay tracks across vast swaths of Seattle's downtown, prioritizing private infrastructure over the city's future growth.
- The City’s Legal Train Wreck
A ruling against Tacoma’s property tax scheme for street improvements threatens to bankrupt local progress, leaving the city in a legislative stalemate.
- The Rogue Marshal of Tacoma
Citizens formally impeach the City Marshal for cozying up to brothel owners and ignoring the law.
- The 'Kid Mayor' of Michigan Found in Port Townsend
A brilliant young con artist once known as the 'Kid Mayor' has fled the Washington Territory after his real identity—and a trail of fraudulent bonds—finally caught up with him.
- The Town Held Hostage by the Railroad
When the Northern Pacific Railroad bypassed an established town to create a company-owned rival, the residents were left in a fight for their city’s survival.
- The Fight for Puyallup: A Last-Minute Land Grab
Before leaving office, Interior Secretary Teller attempted to block land titles for the Puyallup people, favoring the expansion of a local corporation.
- The Ghosting of Yakima City
When the Northern Pacific Railroad bypassed the original town of Yakima City, they didn't just move the station—they forced the entire town to uproot itself.
- A Victory Over Land Speculation
A corrupt order favoring railroad interests over public land rights has been rescinded by the General Land Office.
- A Deadly Jealousy in Pioneer Seattle
A brutal double murder on a quiet morning reveals the fragility of domestic peace in 1885 Seattle.
- The Mayor's Private Mill: A Conflict of Interest in Old Seattle
Mayor Henry Yesler, facing accusations of professional misconduct, attempts to lease city-owned facilities to his own timber business under the guise of municipal efficiency.
- The Seattle Liquor Board's Battle for Moral Standing
A landmark 1886 legal challenge in King County forces a judge to define the limits of civic power when local officials refuse to grant a liquor license based on a claimant’s character.
- The Railway vs. The Town: A Forcible Relocation in Yakima
When the Northern Pacific Railroad tried to bypass the original town of Yakima to force residents and businesses to relocate to a new site, the citizens formed a committee to resist—and were met with cold corporate indifference.
- A Night of Brutality on the Waterfront
A Chinese laborer is murdered by a gang on the Seattle docks, sparking a community divide over law and justice.
- The Rent Crisis at the Renton Coal Mines
Striking miners face eviction as company-owned housing turns into a weapon against organized labor.
- The Laundromat Fugitive
A laundry worker from San Francisco is captured in Seattle, linked to a bloody murder plot in a shadowy tong war.
- The Battle for the Rails: Monopoly vs. The Public Good
A scathing editorial from 1885 outlines the clash between the Union Pacific’s 'business-first' model and the Northern Pacific's alleged strategy of political bribery and town-site speculation.
- The City That Refused to Die
How Seattle outmaneuvered the Northern Pacific Railroad's attempts to hoard land and throttle the city's growth in the 1880s.
- The Collapse of the Failing Hotel
A tragic construction failure in Seattle results in the conviction of the building's owner for manslaughter.
- The Tragedy on Meridian Street
A double murder-suicide in Tacoma marks a violent end for a couple married just three months.
- The City Hall Shake-Up: Seattle's 1885 Anti-Corruption Campaign
Tensions boiled over at the Seattle Municipal Convention as delegates rallied to purge city leadership and demand a stricter, reform-minded administration for the growing territory.
- The Seattle Mill Strike of 1885
When the Yesler Mill announced sudden wage cuts, the workers staged a walkout that paralyzed the waterfront.
- The Great Seattle Main Street Flood of 1886
Heavy rains turn a bustling thoroughfare into a literal river, driving residents from their homes and stalling city business.