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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 143 |
| 1877 | 220 |
| 1878 | 187 |
| 1879 | 49 |
599 stories
- The Exclusionist Policies of the American House
A Seattle boarding house advertises a 'No Chinese Employed' policy, reflecting the volatile labor and racial tensions of the 19th-century Pacific Northwest.
- The 'No Chinese Employed' Sign of 1879
A Snohomish hotel advertises its business with an exclusionary hiring policy, reflecting the volatile racial politics of the Pacific Northwest during the late 19th century.
- Pioneering the Skagit River Frontier
As the formidable log jam on the Skagit River begins to break, early settlers recount the hardships of establishing permanent homes in the wild, mud-soaked territory of 1878.
- Life and Labor at the Carbon Coal Mines
A look inside the 1878 mining boom in Wilkeson, where company-owned land and rugged infrastructure defined the lives of the workers.
- Death on the Wire: The Perilous Walk of Snohomish’s Bridge Builders
While politicians scheme in safe offices, local workers are laying footbridges over the Skykomish River at dizzying heights, performing a feat described as 'the most dangerous part of the grand work.'
- The Marsh That Could Feed a City: Snohomish’s Hidden Goldmine
A detailed survey of the vast wetlands between Snohomish and the Skykomish River reveals thousands of acres of fertile land, drained by new ditches and accessible by scow, waiting for developers to turn swamp into wealth.
- Kelloggs Face Foreclosure Sale Over $4,806 Mortgage
In a move that highlights the precarious nature of land ownership in the early Washington Territory, David and Sarah Kellogg of Seattle are facing the auction of their Snohomish County property due to an unpaid mortgage.
- The Salmon Shortage: A Territorial Plea for Survival
In May 1877, a local nurseryman and fishery advocate wrote to the *Northern Star* urging the U.S. Fish Commission to intervene, arguing that Puget Sound’s inferior salmon could not compete with Columbia River catches without urgent government aid.
- Life at the Edge of the Wilderness: The Nooksack Settlement of 1873
A rare window into the early days of agricultural pioneers, steam-powered dreams, and the quiet resilience of a solitary woman living on the edge of the Nooksack River.
- The Unwelcome Arrival at Marysville
As the Snohomish River valley faced economic stagnation, a new townsite at Marysville was pitched as a promise of fertile independence for fifty families.
- The Tide Marsh Farmer's Million-Dollar Pitch
A La Conner entrepreneur calls for local investment to stop the exodus of grain wealth, offering land to any miller willing to set up shop.
- The Mukilteo Real Estate Boom
Developers pitch the 'natural advantages' of Mukilteo as a prime hub for shipping, milling, and homesteading on the Sound.
- The Brutal Truth of the 'Workaday' Struggle
An 1879 editorial reflects on the universal, grinding necessity of securing a livelihood, observing that even in a 'republic' built on individualistic grit, most people are only one misstep away from ruin.
- Gardner and Anna Kellogg Face Foreclosure Sale in Seattle
In March 1877, Sheriff Benj. Stretch announced the public auction of lots in Snohomish City owned by Gardner and Sarah Kellogg of Seattle, following a default on a mortgage held by James M. Coleman.
- The Newspaper Habit: A Cure for 'Old-World' Stagnation
An 1877 Snohomish editorial argues that the key to becoming a 'live man' in the American West is the daily consumption of news.
- The Temperance House: A Traveler's Refuge on Second Street
For the weary visitor to 1870s Seattle, a newly constructed boarding house promises 'neatness and dispatch' with a touch of European hospitality.
- The Price of a Debt: 400 Acres Up for Auction
A Snohomish County Sheriff’s notice reveals the steep cost of financial failure in the late 19th-century frontier.
- The Persistent Promise of Easy Money
A classic 19th-century 'work from home' pitch promises Snohomish laborers a fortune for minimal effort.
- The Renting Prospect on the Snohomish River
A rare glimpse into the early housing market of the Snohomish valley, where a riverside property seeks a tenant for a multi-year term.
- The Price of Ownership: 1877 Snohomish Tax Delinquencies
A rare window into the early land-holding patterns of the Snohomish valley, listing the citizens, acres, and pennies owed to the county treasury during the formative years of the settlement.
- The Price of a Bed and Board: A Snohomish Debt Struggle
A legal summons filed in 1878 highlights the precarious financial lives of territorial residents, revealing how the basic cost of survival—rent and provisions—could swiftly result in litigation.
- A Frontier Life for Sale
A departing settler lists his massive Snohomish ranch and a Quico mill site, offering a snapshot of a region transitioning from raw wilderness to cultivated industry.
- The Traveling Snake Oil Peddler of Snohomish
Before modern medicine, transient doctors like Dr. Spinney swept through Snohomish promising miracle cures for everything from 'seminal weakness' to 'Salt Rheum' to avoid the trip to San Francisco.
- The Shadow Market for Public Land
A look at the opaque system of land scrip that fueled Washington's early expansion and the brokers who profited from the hustle.
- The Great Depression of the 1870s Hits Snohomish
Facing a glut of goods and a collapsing market, local merchants slash prices and scramble to entice struggling settlers.