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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 130 |
| 1883 | 799 |
| 1884 | 455 |
| 1885 | 838 |
| 1886 | 492 |
| 1887 | 484 |
3,198 stories
- Henry Villard Arrives in Seattle
A grand reception for the Northern Pacific Railroad leader marks the dawn of a new era of rail connectivity for the city.
- Seattle's First Female Lawyer Fined After Courtroom Altercation
Kate Kane, the city's only female attorney at the time, was fined after throwing water at a judge she claimed insulted her.
- Seattle’s Sudden Housing Crunch
An influx of new arrivals has left residents sleeping on hotel floors and cramming into single houses.
- Extradition Granted for 'Lone-haired' Harris Murder Case
A brutal killing in Blaine leads to a cross-border legal battle as the accused is committed to custody in Victoria.
- The Silent Arrival of a Manufacturing Giant
Byron Jackson establishes a massive agricultural implement factory in Walla Walla without fanfare, signaling a shift in the region's 'old fogy' business culture.
- The Fortune-Teller and the Stolen Life
A woman seeking comfort after the loss of her child was swindled by a traveling group, leading to a mental health crisis.
- The Rotting Schoolhouse
A local mechanic alerts the city to a school building construction so shoddy it was doomed to collapse.
- The Struggle for Chief Moses' Reservation
A detailed federal report traces the long-standing tensions between settlers and the Columbia Band over land rights in Northeastern Washington.
- The Tragedy of the Mill Worker
A Finnish laborer’s mental decline follows a fatal accident at a local mill.
- The Tragic Disappearance on the Sound
A small boat collision on a dark December night likely cost a man his life.
- The Fight Against the 'Iron Grasp' of the Northern Pacific
Yakima County citizens gather to denounce the Northern Pacific Railroad's land hoarding and call for immediate federal forfeiture of unearned land grants.
- The Prosecutor vs. the All-Male Jury
King County Prosecuting Attorney John R. Bradshaw demands the inclusion of women on jury lists, citing Washington Territory’s progressive suffrage laws.
- Three Chinese Women Kidnapped in Victoria
A daring abduction at sea is thwarted by customs officers, highlighting the border struggles near the Washington Territory.
- Ninety Thousand Acres, Not a Cent in Taxes
An Orcas Island correspondent blames railroad-linked land companies for hoarding the island while residents carry the county tax burden.
- The Great Labor War: Seattle Council Erupts Over Chinese Workers
In a fiery session in April 1882, Seattle’s City Council nearly came to blows over whether public grading contracts should be reserved exclusively for white laborers.
- The End of Wooden Seattle
A historic property deal marks a turning point as Seattle trades its 'dilapidated, squatty, and dangerous' wooden storefronts for modern, multi-story brick architecture.
- The Tragedy of a Cow and a Fence on Lopez Island
A minor property dispute over wandering livestock escalated into a fatal shooting on Lopez Island this week.
- The City Hall That Wasn't: Seattle's 1882 Fire Engine Obsession
When faced with a choice between a new municipal center and a state-of-the-art steam fire engine, Seattle citizens chose the engine—prioritizing immediate safety over civic expansion.
- The Man Who Wanted Only the Rich to Vote
At the University of Washington’s first commencement, a visiting judge delivered a fiery address arguing that municipal government is like a railroad company: those without property should have no say in its management.
- The Ashes of Affluence: How Seattle’s Burnt District Became a Goldmine
While the city mourns the destruction of its commercial heart, savvy investors are turning charred lots into fortunes, with property values tripling in just years.
- The Orphan’s Plea: A Poem That Moved Seattle to Tears on Decoration Day
As the city honored Civil War dead with solemn processions and speeches, a young girl’s grief over her father’s unmarked grave brought the Grand Marshal to tears.
- The Hidden Scourge on the Rooftop
When a cigar factory worker in Seattle was discovered to be rotting from a mysterious disease, it sparked a local panic over health, labor, and the limits of the city's care.
- The Bold Ambitions of Bellingham Bay
A committee of local leaders assembles at the Whatcom Hotel to plan a regional future of railroads, universities, and industrial growth.
- A Family Left Homeless in the Bitter Winter Chill
While the city debates local ordinances, a man in North Seattle forcibly evicted his own wife and children into the freezing cold.
- The Miracle of the 'Wilmington'
After her machinery failed in a gale off the Oregon coast, the steamer Wilmington was rigged into a brig and sailed herself into Port Townsend with her crew miraculously intact.