Research the archive

• Snohomish ×

1. The Forgotten Trail to Eastern Washington

   A pioneer’s 1862 route across the Cascades is touted as the next great gateway to mining wealth.

   Feb 9, 1880Puget Sound DispatchSkykomish River, Snohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

2. 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.'

   Mar 31, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyWork & Pay · Strange But True

3. 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.

   Apr 14, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

4. 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.

   Apr 28, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

5. 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.

   May 12, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

6. 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.

   Mar 8, 1879The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyWork & Pay

7. 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.

   May 12, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

8. 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.

   Aug 4, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish County

9. 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.

   Nov 24, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish County Courthouse, SnohomishFollow the Money

10. The Persistent Promise of Easy Money

    A classic 19th-century 'work from home' pitch promises Snohomish laborers a fortune for minimal effort.

    Dec 1, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountySnake Oil

11. 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.

    Dec 8, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyHousing & Rent

12. 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.

    Mar 13, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

13. 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.

    Jun 12, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyHousing & Rent

14. 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.

    Aug 10, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

15. 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.

    Aug 17, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountySnake Oil

16. 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.

    Nov 30, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

17. The Unsolicited Burden of the 'Young Man's' Future

    An 1875 newspaper advertisement in Snohomish promised a cure for the 'uncertainties' of life, reflecting a 19th-century obsession with self-improvement and the fear of personal stagnation.

    Feb 8, 1879The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountySnake Oil

18. The Myth of the Sterile Sound

    A Victorian-era editorial refutes the popular belief that the Snohomish Valley and surrounding lands were unfit for farming, arguing that geological history created a landscape ripe for immense agricultural prosperity.

    Mar 10, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

19. The Lumber King of the Snohomish Valley

    Before he became a titan of industry, A.J. Pope navigated the rugged, uncertain life of an early Washington settler.

    Jan 25, 1879The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

20. The Iron Cage of Fort Adams

    A rare glimpse into the brutal security measures at a Washington Territory jail in the late 19th century.

    Jul 1, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

21. The Snohomish Town Council Appointments of 1877

    A rare glimpse into the civic infrastructure of Snohomish during its territorial era, listing the officials tasked with governing the growing river town.

    Aug 25, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyCity Hall

22. The River Side House: A New Era for a Snohomish Landmark

    H.W. Light breathes new life into a local fixture, promising first-class lodging and supplies for the growing Snohomish community.

    Sep 1, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyHousing & Rent

23. The Snohomish Valley’s First Great Showcase

    In 1877, Snohomish County debuted its first agricultural fair, a high-stakes effort to prove the region’s soil and industry could rival the rest of the Territory.

    Sep 29, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

24. The Cosmopolitan Saloon: A Fixture of 1870s Snohomish

    A look inside the frontier-era watering holes that once defined the social and economic landscape of the Snohomish River valley.

    Oct 13, 1877The Northern StarFirst Street, Snohomish, Snohomish CountyGone Forever

25. The Price of Print: A 1878 Tariff Battle

    A century and a half ago, Snohomish printers were already navigating the tension between protecting home industry and the rising costs of doing business.

    Mar 13, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

Download all 653 as a spreadsheet (CSV) · Show them on the map