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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1876 | 2 |
| 1877 | 3 |
| 1880 | 1 |
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| 1885 | 2 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 14 |
| 1891 | 7 |
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| 1895 | 6 |
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65 stories matching proxim
- The Real Estate Rush to Lake Union
A 1891 developer's pitch for the 'fine' residential property of Lake Union, promising transit access and views of the burgeoning city.
- Queen Anne Addition Advertised 420 Water-View Lots
Developers pitch the 'Queen Anne Second Addition' with lofty promises of salt-water views, rapid transit, and colossal fortunes for the savvy investor.
- The Seattle Boom of 1888
A real estate pitch from 1888 promises fortune to those who buy into North Seattle’s 'unplatted land'—a document that highlights the origins of Seattle's rapid expansion and land speculation.
- The Mayor's War on 'Vice' at the Pavilion
Mayor J. T. Ronald refuses to license liquor sales at the Laurel Shade resort, citing its proximity to a cherished family park.
- The Original Queen Anne Land Rush
An 1889 promotional advertisement offers a rare look into how early developers sold the 'aristocratic' promise of Seattle’s steep topography to land-hungry investors.
- The Ghost in the Water Mains
Seattle residents plagued by terrifying subterranean thumping discover the culprit is local utility infrastructure, not a haunting.
- A 100-Acre Bet on North Spokane
An Eastern investor buys a tract north of the river for $12,500 and plans to plat it into lots and build houses—classic Spokane booster speculation.
- The 1889 Land Rush for West Seattle
Before the neighborhood was built, land agents were selling the dream of a 'gigantic smelter' and a booming future to investors on the waterfront.
- The Doctor Who Walked Among Us: A Case of Acute Alcoholism
In a rare moment of public health transparency, the Snohomish Star details the physiological dangers of heavy drinking, warning that moderate consumption can turn a man into a 'walking dynamite' ready to explode at the sight of a candle.
- Puyallup Families Finally Win Title to Their Land
While the President ordered land titles for the Puyallup people in 1884, a corrupt 'ring' of speculators held up the process to seize the property for profit.
- The Strategic Choice of Port Orchard
A government commission selects Sinclair Harbor as the ideal location for the Pacific Navy Yard, citing its natural defenses and proximity to Seattle and Tacoma.
- The Great Seattle Rebuild: How the 1889 Fire Transformed the City
In the chaotic days following the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, the city raced to replace charred ruins with brick, while grappling with the ethical dilemma of redirecting disaster relief funds intended for distant cities.
- The West Seattle Gold Rush: How a Quarter-Mile of Waterfront Changed the City's Map
While miners chased gold in Okanogan and politicians debated Indian reservations, a new addition called 'West Seattle' was platted with water front lots for as little as $75, promising to beat all other additions.
- An Explorer’s Report from the Northwestern Frontier
A detailed dispatch describing the agricultural potential, wildlife, and natural beauty of the Clallam County prairies.
- Big Bend Settlers Win Land Rights Over Northern Pacific
Secretary of the Interior Hoke Smith rules against the railroad in a landmark case involving indemnity lands in Eastern Washington.
- The Dream of Ravenna Park: A Victorian Utopia in the Pines
Promoted as a 'city of churches' and culture, W.W. Beck’s ambitious Ravenna development sought to mirror an Italian paradise on the shores of Lake Washington.
- The Boomtown Fever: Seattle and Tacoma in 1888
A visiting statesman details the rapid, frantic rise of two Puget Sound rivals, noting the soaring land values and the arrival of Eastern capital as workers flock to the territory.
- The Great West Seattle Land Rush of 1889
Before the West Seattle Bridge, developers enticed buyers with dreams of a 'gigantic smelter' and a booming industrial future.
- The Forgotten Bid for a Puget Sound Navy Yard
Decades before the bustling military presence on the Sound, visionaries argued that a ship canal connecting Puget Sound to Lake Washington would provide the most natural navy yard in the world.
- The Tinderbox of the Waterfront: Fire Chief Warns of Seattle’s Oil-Fueled Doom
Chief Collins warns that Standard Oil’s wooden warehouses along the waterfront are a 'match away' from destroying the city, while overcrowded lodging houses threaten the poor with similar fates.
- The Wagon Road That Would Bind Puget Sound to the Columbia
Vancouver residents petition Congress for $50,000 to build a military road to Steilacoom, arguing it would open trade and settle the country between the Columbia River and Puget Sound.
- The Night Steilacoom's Records Burned
A Tuesday-night blaze destroyed the county auditor's office, forced the demolition of a neighboring building, and nearly took Anthony's Hotel—until soldiers joined the bucket brigade.
- A Quarter-Century Later, Three Civil War Comrades Find Each Other in Seattle
Decades after the chaos of the march to the sea and a fateful skirmish near Atlanta, three messmates from the Twenty-third Missouri Infantry shared a surprise reunion in Seattle.
- The Pittsburgh of the Pacific: Kirkland's Industrial Fever Dream
In 1891, developers and investors believed Kirkland would become a global powerhouse of iron production, fueled by a unique geological claim and massive railroad expansion.
- The Blundering Firefighters of Pioneer Square
A satirical look at a day when a local livery stable fire turned into a slapstick comedy of errors for Seattle's volunteer hook and ladder company.