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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 3 |
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51 stories matching lavish
- The Spokane 'Monte Cristo' Swindles the City
A charismatic stranger dazzled Spokane with tales of gold and a lavish lifestyle, only to leave town with $10,000 in worthless checks.
- When Seattle Rolled Out the Red Carpet for the Nation's Editors
In 1900, Seattle’s civic leaders threw a lavish, boat-filled spectacle for visiting journalists to burnish the city's image as a rising metropolis.
- The Short, Lavish Reign of a Newsboy King
After finding a purse filled with gold and bills on a Seattle street, a young newsboy went on a spending spree that briefly transformed him into the wealthiest, most generous kid in the neighborhood.
- An Invitation to a Celestial Feast
An 1877 dispatch offers a rare, albeit patronizing, glimpse into the intricate social etiquette and lavish dining culture of Seattle’s Chinese mercantile class.
- The Skagit County Seat Heist
A secret 'Business Men’s Association' in Anacortes hatches a high-stakes campaign to pilfer the county seat from Mount Vernon, complete with paid-off laborers and promises of a grand courthouse.
- The Silent Delegate: Why Washington Territory Is Falling Behind
While Montana’s representative aggressively lobbies for statehood and investment, Washington’s Delegate Voorhees remains inexplicably quiet, missing crucial opportunities for federal patronage and political clout.
- The Millionaire, the Colonel, and the $100,000 Snowbank
Montana copper king Marcus Daly poured a fortune into a Cascade mountain mining camp — then sent an auditor up to see what the colonel had been doing with it.
- A Noble Fight, but Olympia Takes the First Round
North Yakima finished second in Washington's first state capital election, with no city winning a majority—setting up a bitter rematch and a referendum on railroad-town politics.
- The Grandest Affair of the Year: Knights Templar and Eastern Star Unite for New Year's Eve
Seattle’s elite gathered at Commandery No. 10 for a lavish installation ceremony, complete with Indian impersonations, sword presentations, and a feast that lasted until dawn.
- A Night at Brown's Hall: Seattle's Military Gala
In 1886, the city's militia hosted a lavish, high-society dance at Brown's Hall, complete with visiting dignitaries and a display of precision drills.
- The Capitalist, the Runaway Wife, and the Chicago Sport
A wealthy New Whatcom man won a Seattle divorce after his wife fled to Europe with another man—and his lawyer chose desertion over adultery to spare her.
- Stevens County's $14,640-a-Year Interest Bill Goes to the Voters
On Sept. 7, Newport taxpayers were asked to swap stacks of high-interest county warrants for cheaper bonds — a refinancing the commissioners swore would save $6,400 a year and touch nothing but the old debt.
- Seattle’s Cultural Desert: A Plea for a Theater
An 1877 editorial laments that while Seattle citizens invest heavily in private homes, the city remains 'negligent and tardy' in providing a decent venue for public performance.
- Gen. Grant Slips Through Spokane Falls
The ex-president and railroad director Frederick Billings returned by daylight after a night passage. A professor's carriage tour and a box of silver specimens produced exactly the quote the young city wanted.
- The Gold Rush That Wasn't: Copper River’s ‘Sickness’ and the Lie of the Trail
A prospector returns from the Copper River country with a chilling warning: the gold is gone, the camps are sick, and the 'passage' to new fields is a myth.
- The Paper Blizzard That Ate Washington's Budget
A senate committee blames vague printing laws and verbose officials for a $52,000 deficit—and says thousands of reports are destined for the junk dealer.
- The Flyer Who Flew: How a Railway Agent’s Wine-Fueled Embezzlement Left Him Hiding in Victoria
J.R. Policy, former agent for the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company, vanished from Seattle after embezzling $1,300 to fund a life of luxury and a romance with a woman of ill repute.
- Stop Speculating and Start Producing: A Railroad Baron's Warning to Seattle
Visiting railroad magnate Samuel Hill tells Seattle it has been living off borrowed money and real-estate dreams — and must get back to farming, dairying and manufacturing before the bubble bursts again.
- Wild Goose Bill Dies in the Doorway of the Hollis King Ranch
The squatter who founded the town of Wilbur came to the King ranch with a six-shooter, shot the woman who had left him, and was killed by the dying man who shot back.
- The Duke Who Dropped In: A Wealthy Widow Marries a British Peer in Seattle
On June 20, 1898, the Mayor of Seattle officiated the wedding of Mrs. Hammarskjöld and the Duke of Marlborough, drawing crowds and high-society witnesses to City Hall.
- The Governor's 1895 Warning: Washington Is Spending Itself Into Debt
A message to the legislature tallies a looming deficit, runaway appropriations and a public-land system under pressure — while urging lawmakers to lease harbor areas cheaply and defend taxpayers.
- The Day Tacoma Painted Itself Blue, White and Yellow
A mile-long parade, camels, a captive elk and a senator's electric button opened the Interstate Fair in a burst of Northwest boosterism.
- The Keeley Cure Comes to Olympia
Olympia's Keeley Institute promises release from drink, and the Tribune opens a discreet charity fund for patients who cannot pay.
- Seattle Athletic Club Dazzles with 'Midwinter Night's Dream'
A packed Cordray's Theater applauds a lavish amateur travesty of Shakespeare, complete with cross-dressing fairies and a floral tribute to the librettist.
- The Stone Capitol Olympia Was Promised
Architect Ernest Flagg says the foundation is finished and bids are about to go out for a fireproof statehouse—one built to last, if the legislature will pay for it.