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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 4 |
| 1858 | 2 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1862 | 7 |
| 1863 | 4 |
| 1872 | 7 |
| 1876 | 19 |
| 1877 | 12 |
| 1878 | 7 |
| 1879 | 3 |
| 1880 | 5 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 17 |
| 1884 | 8 |
| 1885 | 24 |
| 1886 | 8 |
| 1887 | 14 |
| 1888 | 15 |
| 1889 | 33 |
| 1890 | 4 |
| 1891 | 24 |
| 1892 | 56 |
| 1893 | 81 |
| 1894 | 65 |
| 1895 | 52 |
| 1897 | 3 |
| 1898 | 3 |
| 1899 | 14 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 13 |
| 1904 | 22 |
| 1907 | 3 |
| 1908 | 5 |
| 1909 | 9 |
| 1910 | 3 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1915 | 2 |
| 1916 | 2 |
| 1917 | 4 |
| 1923 | 4 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1929 | 1 |
568 stories matching custom
- Border Hurdles for New Arrivals
Customs officials confront a backlog of Chinese passengers arriving without proper certification.
- The Opium Barrel That Shook Tacoma
A mislabeled shipment of 'sour krout' hides a fortune in smuggled drug, marking the largest seizure in the port's history.
- A Smuggler’s Brassy Boast at the Custom House
A smuggler brazenly enters the Seattle Custom House while intoxicated, bragging to officials about moving people into the country illegally.
- The Opium Standoff at Sedro
When a customs discovery led to a tense standoff in a small town, an armed family stood their ground against federal agents.
- The Desperado of Port Angeles
A suspected smuggler is captured in Skagit County, reviving rumors of a notorious, armed escape from customs officers years prior.
- The Customs Trap: An International Steamship Row
A British steamer’s decision to transport passengers between two American ports leads to a local confrontation over federal shipping laws.
- The $350 Fine That Stopped a Ship: Smuggling and Sovereignty on the Strait
In July 1876, the schooner Superior was seized by U.S. authorities for entering Victoria without clearance, sparking a legal battle over customs laws and the volatile border between Washington Territory and British Columbia.
- The Sacred Garden of the Frontier
A look at the sentimental and pious customs of 1878 Seattle, where the living turned to the Victorian language of flowers to honor the dead.
- The Waterfront Demands Representation
The Seattle Longshoremen's Union pressures the collector of customs to appoint one of their own to the service, citing a lack of labor union representation.
- The Great Table Etiquette Debate
An editorial scrap between the Intelligencer and the Post-Intelligencer over whether eating with a knife is a sign of 'vulgar' breeding.
- The Opium Smuggler of the City of Kingston
A baggage master is caught red-handed smuggling forty-five pounds of opium, but the customs inspector he tried to bribe was playing a double game.
- Three Chinese Women Kidnapped in Victoria
A daring abduction at sea is thwarted by customs officers, highlighting the border struggles near the Washington Territory.
- The Plot to Sink a Public Servant
A Deputy Collector of Customs faces criminal charges, but claims he is the victim of a 'job' to ruin his reputation.
- U.S. Commissioner Orders Expulsion of Eleven Chinese Residents
Following a trial in Port Townsend, eleven individuals were ordered removed from American soil for alleged violations of the Chinese Restriction Act.
- The Scramble for the Customs House
With a new President taking office, candidates are fighting for the most lucrative federal post in Washington state.
- The Custom House Scandal: A Betrayed Deposit
A missing payment of gold coin in a shipping manifest sparks a corruption investigation in Port Townsend, shaking public faith in the local customs office.
- The Mystery of the Vanishing Gold
A government shipment of gold disappears between Seattle and Port Townsend, leaving investigators baffled by a tampered seal.
- The Customs Inspector with a Paper Trail
How a Seattle customs official’s history of corruption and confession led to a suspicious opium smuggling sting.
- City Council Targets 'Disorderly' Tenements
A new ordinance aims to clear out homes deemed a public nuisance based on the 'customs and habits' of residents.
- The Smuggler's Hold in Port Townsend
A US Customs inspection reveals a secret cargo of sugar and pork, risking vessel forfeiture and perjury charges.
- The Opium Conspiracy: How Seattle’s Customs Chief Played Both Sides
A dramatic trial reveals a scheme where federal inspectors smuggled contraband across the border while pretending to seize it, exposing deep corruption in early 20th-century Pacific Northwest law enforcement.
- The Patronage Game at Port Townsend: How Customs Officials Fought Civil Service
A plan to reduce the customs force in Puget Sound sparks a behind-the-scenes battle over patronage, as local officials try to add jobs to avoid civil service exams.
- Puget Sound Fleet Hit with Heavy Fines
Sixteen steamships were penalized $750 each for failing to carry adequate life-saving equipment, according to the Collector of Customs.
- Tacoma's Chinese Community Welcomes the New Year
A small group of twenty-five celebrates the Lunar New Year with traditional customs, despite the lack of a formal Chinatown.
- The Seattle Customs Sting
A doctor from the local Chinese community finds himself at the center of a tense arrest after undercover officers sniffed out smuggled opium on his person during a rail transit to Tacoma.