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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 6 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 5 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 8 |
| 1893 | 10 |
| 1894 | 13 |
| 1895 | 10 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 5 |
| 1904 | 4 |
| 1908 | 2 |
| 1909 | 2 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 3 |
| 1923 | 1 |
| 1924 | 2 |
90 stories matching scratch
- A Rare Grade-Crossing Collision
A gasoline-powered handcar strikes a local attorney's automobile in a bizarre wreck that left a section foreman injured.
- The Tragic End of a Seattle Marriage
A woman remains silent in jail as authorities piece together the details of a fatal shooting and a secretive, volatile union.
- The Sermon That Rocked the Elks
A Presbyterian minister uses a memorial service for the departed to launch a fiery, public crusade against the morality of his fraternal hosts.
- A Hard-Fought Game at the Fort
In an era of segregation, a mixed baseball team narrowly edges out the Ninth Cavalry’s team at Fort Walla Walla.
- Tragedy at Cle Elum: Twelve Tons of Dynamite Explode
A catastrophic explosion at a mining magazine claims multiple lives, including a former Lynden pioneer.
- The Navy Relieves the Captain of the Baltimore
Captain William Whitehead is ousted after just two months following complaints of discourtesy and a near-miss with his ship off the Oregon coast.
- The Great Land Office Fire at Olympia
A catastrophic fire destroys essential territorial land records and plats, forcing homesteaders and pre-emption claimants to restart their filings from scratch.
- Cougar Crashes a Point Roberts Dance
A celebratory night out for local youth turned into a brush with a mountain lion, resulting in a frantic rescue mission.
- The New Yakima Depot: Planning a City from Scratch
Northern Pacific Railroad directors map out a new town with schools, churches, and canals in Eastern Washington, signaling a transformation for the frontier.
- The Jailbreak Tools Hidden in the Steel
A search of the county jail reveals two hack saws and a DIY heating lamp hidden in the structural pipework, intended for a prisoner's escape.
- A Bloodied Wife and a Husband's Denial in North Seattle
A domestic disturbance that neighbors reported as a killing ended with an amicable release—and a newspaper that had withheld the wife's earlier allegations.
- The Labor of Your First Thousand
A classic 1876 editorial from the Seattle Daily Intelligencer on the moral and industrial value of earning one's keep from scratch.
- The Wool Seller’s Thanksgiving: A Farmer’s Wallet Meets Reality
In a moment of pure 1876 optimism, a local farmer bursts into a Seattle restaurant celebrating his wool sale—only to realize that luxury costs more than he thought.
- Pierce County Voters Reject Debt Validation
A tight election in Tacoma leaves the county's financial future in limbo after voters narrowly defeat a measure to ratify outstanding debt.
- The Pugilist Who Refused to Fight
John L. Sullivan's exhibition match in Seattle ends in humiliation for his opponent, who repeatedly hits the floor to avoid taking a single blow.
- The Day Two Houses Fell on Their Owners: A Seattle Collapse That Should Have Killed Everyone
W.H. Burrett’s attempt to raise two frame buildings for renovation turned into a nightmare when the structures collapsed onto workmen and families below, leaving only miraculous luck to keep the death toll at zero.
- The Balloon Boy of Seattle
A 12-year-old boy is snatched into the sky after becoming entangled in a hot-air balloon's rigging, leading to a desperate mid-air struggle.
- A Mayor's Daughter, a Botched Kidnapping, and a Crushed Rib
In Tacoma, would-be abductors snatched the wrong 10-year-old girl, then dumped her bleeding in the street—hours before her father was injured in a city hall elevator accident.
- A Stabbing in Tacoma's Black Political Class
A state Senate candidate and a lodge prosecutor fought over $7 and a treasurer's report—then the wounded candidate returned to the jury box.
- The Cloroform Clue in the Felling Murder
A specific bottle shape found at a murder scene leads investigators to a Tacoma drug store, renewing interest in a local killing.
- The Demand for Life-Saving Guard Rails
A witness to a horrific accident involving a child and a cable car calls for mandatory safety equipment on Seattle transit.
- The Panther and the Mountain Cave
A pioneer’s harrowing brush with death during a massive Washington landslide leads to an unlikely alliance with a wild beast.
- A Leap from the Flames in Fremont
An elderly resident barely escapes a burning home, underscoring the precarious nature of life in the wooden suburbs of 1890s Seattle.
- Founding the University of Washington
In 1861, commissioners reported on the hard-won construction of the territory's first university, built from scratch with donated land and volunteer labor.
- A Rent Dispute Turns Violent in the Alley
When a tenant in a Main Street lodging house couldn't pay his $24 debt, his landlord was attacked with a knife.