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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1885 | 4 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 5 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1894 | 8 |
| 1895 | 2 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 4 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
45 stories matching lest
- The Fight for Rail Dominance: Seattle vs. Portland
In 1877, Seattle newspapers were already sparring with Portland over land grants and regional infrastructure, revealing the early economic anxieties of a growing port city.
- The Skating Rink Panic of 1892
When a local major tried to shut down a Tacoma skating rink after a scandal involving his stepson, the local press defended the rink as a space for social independence rather than a den of iniquity.
- The Night Fort Townsend Burned
A lamp explosion, a magazine full of cartridges, and a town’s fear that the Army would leave.
- The Forgotten Law That Listed Walla Walla's Drinkers
A judge in Walla Walla is shocking the state by enforcing an 1883 statute that forces saloon keepers to post lists of 'habitual drunkards' in their establishments.
- The Case for Naming an Olympia Street After Judge Hewitt
A memorial sermon for a territorial judge becomes a plea to carve his name into Olympia's street map—and a meditation on what makes a public life worth remembering.
- The Salvage Ship That Came to Raise Puget Sound’s Sunken Wrecks
A new wrecking schooner arrived in Seattle with a rubber-suited diver, hydraulic jacks and a plan to lift the sunken Mississippi and Warhawk from the Sound.
- A Customs Official, a Forged Check, and the Opium Hidden in Coal-Oil Tins
Ex-immigration inspector Thomas M. Fisher was arrested at Port Townsend for allegedly forging a Canadian officer's endorsement and pocketing a $350 opium-seizure reward.
- The Iron-Molded Suit: When Tailors Pressed Clothes Onto Your Body
A bizarre new fashion trend in Seattle has women wrapping themselves in hot irons to 'mold' their suits into shape.
- The Rivalry for Sound Trade
A Port Townsend newspaper critiques Seattle's aggressive expansionism and 'booster' mentality in an effort to rally its own merchant class.
- The Forty-Thousand-Dollar Question
Aberdeen citizens head to the polls to decide whether to authorize municipal bonds, amid fears of a hidden double-indebtedness trap.
- The Great Puget Sound Whale Hunt
An unexpected visitor in the waters between Olympia and Shelton leads to a high-pressure pursuit by a local steamer.
- The Man Who Claims He Stays Young by Being Buried Alive
Alexander J. McIvor Tyndall, a traveling mystic, shares his peculiar method for achieving eternal youth and his request that doctors not perform an autopsy if he stops breathing.
- The Gendered Panic of the 1890s Labor Market
A New York report details the rising anxiety over women entering the workforce, sparking concerns about wage suppression and the stability of the 'honored institution' of marriage.
- Grasshopper Plague Threatens Yakima Valley Crops
A rapid infestation of insects on the reservation has farmers fearing for their summer harvest.
- The Territorial Legislator and the Editor’s Ego
A fiery public feud erupts in 1861 between a Clark County representative and the editor of the Washington Standard, highlighting the volatile politics of the territorial legislature.
- Steilacoom’s Editor Asks Who Will Start the Fire Brigade
With wooden buildings packed into the business district and no reservoir, engine or ladder company, the Puget Sound Herald warns that a single blaze could erase the town’s prospects.
- The Laundress Who Broke a Heart
A romantic tragedy in Walla Walla turns out to be a classic tale of modern frustration: the laundry wasn't ready.
- The Mother Who Was Left Behind
A tragic railway accident reveals a painful divide between a social-climbing daughter and her neglected mother.
- The Terrier Who Took His Bedtime Seriously
When his mistress tried to teach a pet a lesson in discipline, the dog showed he was two steps ahead.
- 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.