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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1871 | 2 |
| 1876 | 7 |
| 1877 | 6 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 5 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 12 |
| 1887 | 3 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 34 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 7 |
| 1892 | 23 |
| 1893 | 17 |
| 1894 | 9 |
| 1895 | 3 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1898 | 5 |
| 1899 | 2 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1903 | 9 |
| 1904 | 8 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1908 | 3 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1914 | 4 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 6 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1924 | 1 |
184 stories matching devast
- Garfield County Town Devastated by Early Morning Blaze
A suspected act of arson leveled the business district of Pataha City, leaving residents to flee for their lives as a fierce wind carried the flames.
- Railroad Agent Disputes Spokane Fire Loss Estimates
A freight agent reports on the aftermath of the devastating Spokane fire, highlighting the community's resilience in the face of immense loss.
- The Sudden Loss of Kiona
A devastating fire in the nearby town of Kiona leaves a general store, hotel, and post office in ruins.
- Heroic Bucket Brigade Battles Stanwood Inferno
A devastating fire ravages the business district of Stanwood, leaving the community to fight flames with nothing but ladders and willpower.
- The Horror on Fifth Street: A Seattle Tragedy in 1877
A prominent local businessman, once a logger and grocer, descended into a violent, drug-fueled psychotic break that devastated his family and left the community reeling.
- A Close Call on the Hill
After a devastating nighttime fire in 1877, Seattle residents grapple with the fragility of a wooden city and the lack of basic firefighting infrastructure.
- Walla Walla Devastated by Lower Main Street Blaze
A massive fire wipes out a half-block of wooden buildings, revealing the city's total lack of adequate firefighting equipment.
- Washington’s Constitution Takes Shape Amid Chaos
As Spokane Falls burns, the state’s constitutional delegates pivot from catastrophe to the fiery debate over regulating railroads and monopolies.
- The Human Cost of the Des Moines Boom
A tragic suicide in Tacoma exposes the devastating toll of speculative real estate schemes.
- The Tragedy on Trestle No. 4
A father's desperate attempt to walk his children to safety during a heavy snowstorm ends in a devastating train accident on the outskirts of Tacoma.
- The Day the Slash Hills Burned
A devastating fire sweeps through the rural settlement, consuming homes, crops, and winter stores, leaving families to pick through the ashes.
- The Forgotten General in the City Jail
A decorated Civil War veteran and Indian fighter finds himself destitute and seeking shelter in a Seattle prison.
- Drought and Forest Fires Gripping the Inland Empire
A grim report from the Colville Valley details parched crops, ruined timber, and a sun obscured by thick smoke.
- The Great Nooksack Flood
Heavy rains and melting snows have devastated the Nooksack Valley, leaving farmers homeless and destroying livestock.
- Steamer Josephine Boiler Explosion Remembered a Year Later
A haunting one-year retrospective on a boiler explosion that devastated a local crew and passengers near Port Hadlock.
- The Tragedy of Tommy Lake
A young boy drowns in the tide-swept mudflats of Ballard, marking a devastating loss for a local family.
- Fire Loss Fuels Push for City Water System
After a devastating local fire, the city council faces allegations of corruption, backroom dealing, and profit-seeking at the expense of public safety.
- The 'Lumberman' Who Swindled Seattle's Elite
A smooth-talking con man gains the trust of the city’s fashionable society before vanishing with thousands in unpaid debts.
- The Great Lake-to-Sound Canal Dream
A century-old proposal to drain swampy lands and connect the Seattle lakes to the Puget Sound, fueled by fears of devastating floods and the need for new shipping channels.
- The Tragic Cost of a Railroad Crossing
A young bride’s life is cut short in a harrowing rail accident while rushing to her husband.
- The Proposal to Reshape Seattle's Waterways
A civil engineer proposes cutting a new channel between Lake Washington and Lake Union to prevent devastating floods in the Duwamish and White River valleys.
- Fire Leaves South Seattle Helpless
A devastating blaze destroyed two grocery stores and a local lodge room because the buildings sat just one block beyond the reach of the city water mains.
- The Ghost of the Eagle Gorge Landslide
Months after a devastating slide on the Green River, a deputy coroner uncovers the remains of a laborer buried by the earth.
- The Fever and the Fall: Life in a Frontier Boomtown
A vivid account of the psychological and physical intensity of rapid urban growth—and the devastating silence left behind when the bubble bursts.
- The Roslyn Mine Disaster of 1892
A devastating gas explosion in the Roslyn coal mines claims 44 lives, leaving a community in grief and raising questions about industrial safety.