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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1876 | 2 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 7 |
| 1893 | 9 |
| 1894 | 4 |
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| 1904 | 3 |
| 1909 | 4 |
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| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
56 stories matching dire
- The Pioneer Struggle to Pave Commercial Street
Before it was the bustling core of Pioneer Square, Seattle’s Commercial Street was a rough-hewn stretch of dirt and mud in dire need of basic infrastructure.
- The Machine's Secret Ballot
With a tight city election approaching, local political bosses reportedly funded the return of exiled gamblers to sway the vote.
- Is the U.S. Weather Bureau a Fraud?
A Tacoma newspaper puts the national weather forecasting service to the test, finding that while local predictions often fail, the bureau struggles most in the capital itself.
- The School Board's Romance
A skeptical school director finds his professional 'sense of duty' unexpectedly tangled with the local teacher he once fought to keep out.
- The Roslyn Mine Disaster: A City Rallies for the Bereaved
When an explosion ripped through the Roslyn coal mines in May 1892, Seattle’s civic leaders mobilized an immediate relief effort for the families left behind.
- The Smallpox Panic of 1876
Busy-bodies spread false rumors of a smallpox outbreak in Seattle, prompting a swift rebuttal from the local physician.
- Newport City Council Faces Financial Crisis
With only $130 in monthly tax revenue and $3,000 in outstanding warrants, the newly seated council struggles to keep the town afloat.
- The Uncharted Frontier
Without federal funding for land surveys, homesteaders in Washington State are left in legal limbo, unable to secure titles to the ground they farm.
- The Street Swindler's Bad Day
A carnival-style street hawker is mobbed and arrested after selling worthless watch chains to an angry Tacoma crowd.
- The Fire Chief’s Plea for Hydrants
Seattle’s fire safety infrastructure lags behind its rapid expansion, leading officials to sound the alarm on neglected districts.
- The Phoenix of the Pacific: Seattle Three Years After the Great Fire
Reflecting on the 1889 conflagration, the city celebrates its rapid transformation from a pile of smoldering ruins into a booming commercial metropolis.
- Railroad Workers Left Without Pay in Seattle
Construction crews on the Cedar River extension face a dire crisis after the Oregon Transcontinental company fails to issue wages since January.
- Seattle Mayor Proposes 'City Scrip' to Combat Depression
Mayor J.T. Ronald asks the City Council to issue small-denomination warrants to pay for sewer repairs, framing the move as a humanitarian effort to provide work for the unemployed.
- The Tragic Delusions of a Seattle Engineer
After his child died, a railroad worker spiraled into a breakdown that ended in a tragic death at the asylum, leaving his family in dire straits.
- Kicked Into the Street in Her Nightclothes: A Tacoma Wife’s Ten Years of Abuse
A police-court hearing heard how Amos West terrorized his wife and eight-year-old daughter—and how a tent on Center Street became the backdrop to a decade of violence.
- The Political Campaign Against Chinese Labor in 1886
A local representative’s fiery defense of anti-Chinese exclusionary policies, detailing the economic anxieties that gripped Seattle workers during the late 19th century.
- When the Hay Ran Out, the Neighbours Around Brewster Signed Their Names Together
An Okanogan County fodder famine had stockmen facing the loss of whole herds they had no money to feed — until country people who owed them nothing co-signed a note to buy the hay.
- Nightgowned Citizen Puts Burglar to Flight
A local homeowner interrupted a late-night intruder, forcing him to flee empty-handed—save for a stolen kimono.
- The Price of Coal and the Cost of Living in Newcastle
As winter tightens its grip, a labor dispute at the Newcastle coal mines forces a shutdown, leaving families without work and the community in crisis.
- The City Council’s Petty Snub of Seattle’s Founder
A scathing editorial exposes how local politicians, led by a councilman, used a mundane land plat filing to insult A.A. Denny, a pivotal figure in Seattle’s development.
- The Runaway Wife and the Saloon-Keeper's Fury
When a miner from Newcastle charged into Seattle hunting his wife, he found a city that prioritized refuge over his domestic control.
- The False Gold of 'Swiftwater' Bill
A legendary Klondike miner, once a symbol of immense wealth, is revealed to be a 'broken man' after a public charade of riches in the American West.
- Breach-of-Promise Suit: Mary Smith Says Starvation Forced Her to Sign Release
In the latest filing in the Smith-Fisher case, Mary H. Smith claims Elmer H. Fisher took advantage of her poverty to get her to sign away her claims.
- An Entomologist's Dire Warning for Seattle Orchards
A local resident documents a massive infestation of scale and aphid pests, calling for a city-wide inspection to save Seattle’s fruit trees.
- The Ghost Warrant of Ellensburgh
A legal warrant for a pre-fire assault is discovered in the brush, long after the records and the town itself were consumed by the blaze.