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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 2 |
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| 1880 | 6 |
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722 stories matching fourth
- A Monitor, a Greased Pig, and a City on Fire for the Fourth
Seattle's 1895 Fourth of July committee promised a naval sham battle, fireworks over the water, yacht and canoe races, and two days of frontier sports.
- The Railroad Was Ready—Until a Court Order Stopped the Trains at Fourth and Union
The Idaho Washington Northern planned passenger and freight service out of Newport, but a temporary injunction barred trains from a stretch of track across Fourth Street and Union Avenue until a Colville hearing.
- A City on the Brink: Olympia’s 1891 Debt Crisis and the Fight Over Jobs
Facing a constitutional debt limit, Olympia’s city council considers firing the deputy clerk, assistant city attorney, and city engineer—while a motion to revoke the street railway franchise fails by a tie.
- The Streetcar Company That Asked Olympia for Land—and Promised the Moon by July 4
In 1892, the Olympia Light & Power Company pitched an electric railway to Tumwater as a bargain for landowners: donate a strip or an acre, and watch city-limit land double in value. The trust deed gave them until Independence Day to make it real.
- The Day Seattle Swallowed 10,000 Strangers: The Great Fourth of July Flood
In 1888, the Territory of Washington threw its biggest-ever Independence Day celebration. Steamers arrived loaded with visitors until the streets were so packed that police could barely move. Here is how Seattle hosted a crowd that nearly burst its seams.
- The Battle for the Homecoming: Tacoma vs. Seattle Over the First Washington
As Secretary of War Alger hints that troops may bypass Seattle to land in Tacoma, a civic war erupts over who gets to welcome the returning volunteers from Manila.
- The Rain-Soaked Fourth: Seattle's 1899 Celebration
A persistent storm could not dampen the spirits of thousands as Seattle paraded through muddy streets, celebrated the anniversary of Manila, and grappled with the 'reckless debauchery' of a damp Fourth of July.
- The Town That Wouldn't Sleep: Snohomish’s Fourth of July Overflow
When the steamers arrived with guests from Seattle and upriver, two hotels couldn't hold them all. The town celebrated with a reading by a woman, a poem by a local man, and a boat ride that nearly capsized on the Skagit.
- Fourth of July at Fort Simcoe
A report on an orderly, celebratory Fourth of July gathering of Indian families and local white residents at Fort Simcoe.
- She Left County Limerick as a Child and Died on North Fourth Street
Mrs. William Ryan crossed the Atlantic at seven, buried her first husband in Walla Walla in 1871, married again, and raised six children. Her funeral leaves the family home at 115 North Fourth on Friday afternoon.
- A 'Godsend' on Fourth Street: Olympia's Mothers Furnish a Room to Keep the Boys Out of the Saloons
In a hard-times autumn, the women's auxiliary of the new Young Men's Christian Association canvassed the town for chairs, papers and games — and promised the doors at 406 Fourth Street would open December 1.
- Tide Lands and Populists: Tacoma's 1895 City Hall Fight
Eight council seats are up, the Chamber of Commerce wants a business ticket, and the city's war on corporations may decide the election.
- The Great Third Street Pot Heist
A teamster steals a gambling stake from a saloon, sparking a desperate, high-speed foot chase through the heart of the city.
- Republican Rally at the Raymond Hotel
Campaign rhetoric heats up in the Fourth Ward as politicians debate the mayor's administration and the meaning of 'mergers.'
- Trolley Collision at Fourth and Jackson
A freight car and a passenger cable car collide in downtown Seattle, but fortunately leave no passengers injured.
- The Valley Sixty Miles From a Railroad
In 1892, the Big Bottom settlers of Lewis County had no road, no sawmill and no rail line — just hand-hewn homes, packhorses, a tobacco-chewing cat, and a Fourth of July party for 160 neighbors.
- The Xora Wins the Day on Elliott Bay
Seattle’s newly organized Elliott Bay Yacht Club staged a full regatta, with the Xora taking first class, the Truant winning second, and a capsized Linda giving the crowd a scare.
- Seattle's Call for a Grand Independence Day
The Post-Intelligencer urges the city to invest in a spectacular Fourth of July celebration to attract visitors from across the Sound and boost the local economy.
- The Mayor Won't Sign, the Railroad Can't Build, and a Saloonkeeper Sues the Town
Newport's council spends a long evening tangled in street vacations for the Idaho & Washington Northern, unsafe crossings, a disputed plat of survey monuments — and trades a lawsuit for a liquor license.
- The Great Ditch: How Snohomish Settlers Tamed the Marsh
Before the land was dry, a few determined pioneers took shovels and grit to the wetlands behind Snohomish to carve a new path for trade and transit.
- Olympia Insists on a Harbor Line Big Enough for Its Future
After a correspondent misreports local opinion, Olympians say they back Capt. Symons' harbor plan—but want the state to extend a broad waterway all the way to Fourth Street.
- A Family Estate, a Half Interest, and a Fraud Charge
A lawsuit in superior court claims Joanna M. Russell misrepresented her share of the Jane Russell estate when the Cherry and Fourth property was sold.
- A Frontier Fourth: Cannon, Troops, and a Ball in Steilacoom
On July 4, 1859, Steilacoom turned out for a warship salute, a military review at Fort Steilacoom, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, and an evening ball.
- Newport's Boosters Plan a Fourth—and a Bid for the Courthouse
The Commercial Club moved to raise $600 for a big Fourth of July, sent a delegation to Colville for a new judicial district, and weighed a glowing 'Newport' sign at the foot of Washington Avenue.
- A Wild Dash Down Fourth Street
A young, skittish horse sends a local merchant leaping for his life in 1876 Seattle.