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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1872 | 3 |
| 1876 | 9 |
| 1877 | 7 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 10 |
| 1884 | 5 |
| 1885 | 7 |
| 1886 | 4 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1888 | 4 |
| 1889 | 12 |
| 1891 | 9 |
| 1892 | 14 |
| 1893 | 24 |
| 1894 | 16 |
| 1895 | 18 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 5 |
| 1899 | 3 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 9 |
| 1904 | 6 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1908 | 6 |
| 1909 | 7 |
| 1910 | 5 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 4 |
| 1916 | 7 |
| 1917 | 3 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 1 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1925 | 2 |
| 1928 | 1 |
223 stories matching worst
- A Bungled Case of Robbery and Bad Paperwork
A classic instance of municipal incompetence led to suspected robbers walking free after their bail money was returned due to a clerical error in the police department.
- Officer Gunned Down in Seattle Scuffle
A patrolman was killed in a midnight shootout while attempting to arrest a suspected bandit, triggering a city-wide manhunt.
- Street Fight Ends in Court
A long-standing quarrel over an assault leads to a court appearance for a father and his two sons.
- The Struggle for Space: Seattle’s Overcrowded Schools in 1887
An 1887 inspection of Seattle's public schools reveals a city straining against its rapid growth, featuring dilapidated buildings, overcrowding, and a desperate search for adequate space for its pupils.
- Explosives Blast Seattle's Waterways Clear
A dangerous snag, responsible for over $4,000 in damages to loggers, is finally demolished above the old Packard wharf.
- The Day the 'Worst Boy' in Seattle Found His Voice
In an 1876 schoolhouse, a song about 'John Brown' acts as a social intervention to curb the disruptive behavior of a local child.
- The Biting Boxer of Aberdeen
A middleweight bout at the local theater turns ugly when a local fighter resorts to cannibalistic tactics.
- Record Flood Devastates Lower Yakima Valley
A catastrophic flood wipes out the recently constructed Richland bridge and isolates valley farmers as the Yakima River surges past its banks.
- The Great Northern's Bad-Luck Stop: Freight Wreck at Elk
A through eastbound freight slammed into the caboose of a local train at Elk, smashing six cars and tying up traffic for hours—just the latest wreck at a town with a reputation.
- A Critique of Democracy in Seattle
A visiting labor expert suggests that even the best reform movements are destined to repeat the failures of those they replace.
- City Treasurer Vanishes With Public Funds
Democratic reform administration treasurer Adolph Krug disappears to British Columbia after an investigation finds his accounts short by $1,500.
- The 'Hard Times' Social in Black Diamond
Coal miners and their families in Black Diamond held a 'Hard Times' social, where the most bedraggled costumes were awarded prizes, offering a brief moment of levity during a period of economic strain.
- Abandoned and Alone in a Growing City
A woman arrives in Seattle looking for a new start, only to be left destitute by a husband who vanished with their life savings.
- The Great 1894 Northwest Flood
Catastrophic rising rivers submerge farmland, destroy crops, and paralyze rail lines across Washington and British Columbia.
- The Governor and the 'Commonweal' Marchers
A scathing look at the politics of 'passing the buck' as governors react to the roving industrial armies of the 1894 depression.
- The Teachers' Pay Gap
An editorial from 1887 argues that Seattle’s teachers are overworked, undervalued, and paid significantly less than city laborers.
- 1892 Floods Isolate Renton and Snohomish Valley Farms
Torrents ravage the Duwamish and Snohomish valleys, washing out railroad lines and leaving towns like Renton and Sultan submerged.
- Strawberry Growers Demand Outside Leadership
Kennewick berry farmers reject local management, insisting on professional oversight from outside the region to stabilize the market.
- The Chicken Yard Brawl
A trespassing dispute in the Walla Walla addition escalates from fence-line bickering to a public wrestling match.
- Smallpox Scare at Providence Hospital
A laborer misdiagnosed with measles is found to have smallpox, triggering a full-scale sanitization effort at a local Seattle hospital.
- The Battle for the Road into Ritzville
Local farmers are organizing to repair the treacherous road leading into town, demanding the city match their efforts to improve the final stretch.
- A Moldy Box at the Wharf: How Customs Agents Caught a Father-Son Smuggling Team
A $1,500 shipment of fine woolens from Canada was tracked from Whatcom to Seattle, leading to the arrest of R. Simons and his son J. Simons.
- A Pension Insult in the Valley
Richland’s last Indian War veteran rails against a proposed amendment he says smears the service of U.S. soldiers.
- The Jailhouse Stabbing that Shocked Seattle
After a violent attempt to escape custody, a prisoner is left to suffer in a cell without his customary opium, as the city’s law enforcement cleans house.
- Setting the Record Straight on a Mount Vernon 'Brawl'
A local business leader defends his reputation against false reports of a deadly saloon fight.