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814 stories matching lay

  1. The Bridge That Bound the Bay: Seattle’s Race to Connect with the World

    As the final piles are driven for the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway, local magnate Henry Yesler and his partners bet their fortunes on a railroad that will turn this muddy port into a continental hub.

    Sep 2, 1876Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust · Gone Forever

  2. The Fight Against Railroad Monopoly

    The Post-Intelligencer demands the forfeiture of unearned Northern Pacific land grants to protect Seattle’s future.

    May 25, 1884Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money

  3. The Railroad’s New ‘Company Cop’

    A newly appointed railroad inspector wields broad authority to discipline train crews for incivility, drinking, or ticket scalping.

    Jun 18, 1891The Yakima HeraldPasco, Franklin CountyWork & Pay

  4. The Miracle at the Bend

    An engineer’s harrowing account of a toddler playing on the tracks, the desperate silence of the brakes, and an inexplicable survival.

    Sep 4, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerNewcastle, King CountyStrange But True

  5. A Mayor's Nomination and the Aldermen Laying Plans to Block It

    Mayor Phelps names John J. Scurry to the board of public works, and the same aldermanic combination that fought his predecessor quietly organizes to sink the confirmation.

    Jan 25, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle City Hall, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

  6. The Battle for the Waterfront

    Tacoma and Seattle clash with the state over who owns the land between the high tide line and the harbor.

    Feb 12, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPacific Avenue, Tacoma, Pierce CountyFollow the Money

  7. The Cabin on the Claim

    A tragic accident in the woods tests the friendship of two men on a remote logging claim.

    Jan 14, 1892Aberdeen HeraldAberdeen, Grays Harbor CountyWork & Pay

  8. The War Egg of Monroe

    An ambitious local hen lays an egg that causes a stir and is interpreted as a wartime omen.

    May 25, 1898Adams County NewsMonroe, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

  9. The Midnight Track-Layers

    A hardware store owner battles a railroad company that allegedly used stealth to install tracks in front of his home and business.

    Oct 31, 1907The Colville ExaminerNewport, Pend Oreille CountyFollow the Money

  10. The Courthouse That Couldn’t: Contractors Fall Months Behind as Penalties Mount

    Thurston County’s new courthouse is five months late, triggering a $20-a-day penalty and a standoff over withheld payments.

    Jan 9, 1892The Olympia TribuneThurston County Courthouse, OlympiaWork & Pay · City Hall

  11. The Iron Road Closes the Gap

    A comprehensive annual report details the massive effort required to link the Northern Pacific line across the rugged Rockies, signaling a new era for Pacific commerce.

    Oct 12, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerKing Street, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

  12. Searching for the University’s Past

    Pioneers dig up the 1861 cornerstone of the old University of Washington building to reclaim its secrets.

    Jul 3, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyGone Forever

  13. No Monopoly on Gaslight: Spokane's Council Draws a Line

    Council granted a gas company the right to lay pipes—but pointedly refused an exclusive franchise, warning that monopoly would 'cinch the consumers.'

    Aug 25, 1883Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyFollow the Money · City Hall

  14. Clearing the Tracks for Progress

    A deal is struck between city industry and the railroad to move a major obstacle, clearing the way for new lines.

    Jul 12, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

  15. Tragedy on the Puyallup River

    A young man from Tacoma drowns while bathing his feet, leaving behind only a letter from his mother.

    Apr 24, 1909The Tacoma TimesSumner, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

  16. Streetcar Ambitions Stalled by Charter Flaw

    A bungled provision in the city charter leaves rail companies unable to lay tracks, as no legal mechanism for compensation exists.

    Nov 14, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

  17. Seattle’s Housing Crisis: Brick by Brick, Room by Room

    As the city races to build new brick structures on Second and Smith Streets, officials warn that even these new constructions won't be enough to stop rents from skyrocketing.

    Mar 14, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSecond Street, Seattle, King CountyHousing & Rent

  18. A Sidewalk Battle on G Street

    Property owners spar over mandatory concrete upgrades in the face of recent plank-walk investments.

    Jun 18, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyHousing & Rent

  19. The Vashon Island Cornerstone

    On a Tuesday in May, island residents gathered to lay the foundation for the first Methodist Episcopal Church on Vashon Island, embedding a time capsule of 1886 history into the earth.

    May 14, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerVashon, King County

  20. Aberdeen Citizens Hustle to Secure a Rail Line

    Facing economic stagnation, locals offer labor and materials to force the Northern Pacific to extend their track to the Wishkah River.

    Sep 6, 1894Aberdeen HeraldFirst Street, Aberdeen, Grays Harbor CountyBoom & Bust

  21. Death on the Wire: The Perilous Walk of Snohomish’s Bridge Builders

    While politicians scheme in safe offices, local workers are laying footbridges over the Skykomish River at dizzying heights, performing a feat described as 'the most dangerous part of the grand work.'

    Mar 31, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyWork & Pay · Strange But True

  22. Thirteen Carloads of Rail and Four Miles of Track: Olympia Gets Its Electric Streetcar

    Delayed by a blizzard back East, the rails are finally in Tacoma and due tonight — and a crew will start laying them down the middle of Fourth Street tomorrow morning.

    Apr 11, 1892The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyBoom & Bust

  23. Newport's Rail Boom Pushes Down the Pend Oreille

    Crews prepare to lay steel in the Newport yards and let contracts for a high bridge at Box Canyon as the Idaho & Washington Northern drives toward Metaline.

    May 13, 1909The Newport Miner (Newport, WA) 1899-CurrentNewport, Pend Oreille CountyBoom & Bust

  24. The Promised City of White Bluffs

    Speculators and civil engineers move to transform 5,000 acres of Columbia River land into an irrigated agricultural hub, complete with a new town and river transport.

    Oct 26, 1903The Evening StatesmanWhite Bluffs, Benton CountyBoom & Bust

  25. The Unlucky Fisherman of Seattle

    A satirical poem from 1878 chronicles an angler who spends a week sitting by a local sawmill, only to become a living piece of landscape architecture for the local insect population.

    Aug 19, 1878The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

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