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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 3 |
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 12 |
| 1878 | 4 |
| 1880 | 3 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 3 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 7 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 6 |
| 1893 | 7 |
| 1894 | 4 |
| 1895 | 4 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 1 |
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| 1903 | 4 |
| 1904 | 2 |
| 1909 | 2 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1916 | 1 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1924 | 1 |
89 stories matching modest
- A Silver Chest for the Political Boss
Prominent Republicans gather at the Rainier Club to honor John H. McGraw with a lavish testimonial of solid silver for his role in the senatorial contest.
- City Hall Says Yes to the Dove: Seattle Licenses a Notorious Dive
The council overrode Mayor Ronald's veto to license a saloon the Post-Intelligencer called one of the city's worst dives—then argued over a dance house and the police chief's word.
- "Great Scott! Is That Dr. Mary Walker?" — Two Seattle Clerks Ditch Their Skirts on a Dare
A druggist's cashier and stenographer appear on Front Street in bifurcated skirts, betting their boss they'd do it. The town stares; the women report no other inconvenience.
- The Explorer Who Died Before His Guidebook Was Printed
Vasco Wilson survived Alaska's Grand Canyon and a Siberian voyage, but typhoid killed him in Seattle just as his Yukon mining guide went to press.
- The Man Who Demanded Ten Thousand Dollars from the Law
A local man convinced an electrical machine was ordering him to collect a massive payday from the county deputy.
- The Mourning Imposter
A restaurant owner in the Atkins Block learns a hard lesson about generosity after being duped by a street beggar's elaborate tale of grief.
- The Iron Will of the Port Blakeley Mill
How a massive steam-powered sawmill on Bainbridge Island became the beating heart of Seattle's early timber economy.
- The Great Land Grab: Congress’s Failure to Hold the Northern Pacific Accountable
A scathing editorial from 1886 demands legislative accountability as Congress fails to reclaim land granted to the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- Deadlock in Olympia: A Governor Says No and the Senate Seat Stays Empty
Governor McGraw refuses a U.S. Senate seat, George Turner is pushed forward, and Ankeny's backers dig in as Populists threaten to break the deadlock.
- The Waterfront Pay Strike of 1882
A Seattle longshoreman calls out the steamship company for wage stagnation and abysmal working conditions, demanding a living wage for the dangerous work of loading the S.S. Geo. W. Elder.
- Miners' Solidarity in the Aftermath of the Nanaimo Disaster
When disaster struck a British Columbia coal town, Seattle's working class miners—many of whom faced daily peril—stepped up to provide aid for the widows and orphans left behind.
- The Unlucky Stable in the Middle of the Street
A railroad land agent inadvertently builds a brand-new, modern stable smack in the middle of a planned Tacoma thoroughfare.
- The Campaign to Defend John H. McGraw
Prominent citizens and former associates testify to the character of the Republican sheriff as rumors of past gambling and dishonesty circulate on the campaign trail.
- The Spokane Racket Over Male Attire
When an amateur actress faced a local scandal for wearing pants on stage, the press stepped in to defend the choice as both traditional and modest.
- The Christmas That Almost Wasn't
A local carpenter's struggle to collect payment before the holidays highlights the precarity of working families in early Seattle.
- The Prophet's $50 Debt
A modest Snohomish farmer's estate attempts to collect an unpaid loan from the self-proclaimed 'Elijah III.'
- Kennewick Residents Buck Port Expansion
A petition signed by 45 citizens halts progress on a sweeping riverfront development plan.
- The 'Mashers' of the Shopping District
An editorial calls for public accountability for men who harass women in Tacoma's downtown streets.
- Housekeeper Faces Years in Prison Over Forged Check
A Spokane woman, pressed into service as a housekeeper for a local millionaire, finds herself sentenced to years in prison for a modest $54 forgery.
- A 'Model School' at Tulalip—and the Assimilation It Celebrated
A visiting booster praised the Sisters of Providence for teaching Native children manners, work and obedience—a revealing snapshot of assimilation policy in Washington Territory.
- A Lamp Against the Express
Mrs. A. McIlvain races down the Great Northern grade to warn an oncoming train of a fallen telegraph pole.
- The Great Delinquency: Snohomish’s 1878 Tax Auction
A sprawling list of property seizures offers a rare window into the instability of early Snohomish settlers, who faced total loss of their homesteads for debts as small as twenty-two cents.
- The Soap-Making Distillery Bust of South Seattle
A federal raid on a modest South Seattle property reveals an enterprising soap-maker operating without a permit, leading to the seizure of his entire livelihood.
- A 74-Year-Old Man Files for Divorce
After 52 years of marriage and a long separation, an elderly man seeks a legal dissolution to secure his modest property rights in Seattle.
- The Pastor, the Missing Husband, and the Seattle Libel Trial
A church feud goes to court as Rev. M. H. Nichols is tried for circulating scandalous charges against Dr. T. B. Ford—whose testimony reveals a broken engagement, a vanished first husband, and a dramatic courtroom kiss.