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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1858 | 3 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
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| 1864 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 30 |
| 1877 | 15 |
| 1878 | 8 |
| 1879 | 1 |
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| 1882 | 2 |
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| 1895 | 20 |
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233 stories matching dwell
- The Pre-emptor’s Ledger: A Blueprint for Owning Olympia
In November 1860, the federal government issued a rigid, almost theatrical checklist of requirements for settlers hoping to claim land in Washington Territory. It wasn't enough to just show up; you had to prove your worthiness through a litany of domestic and agricultural details.
- A New Baseball Diamond for Aberdeen
Local boosters and baseball enthusiasts secure a level site near a local hotel to keep the game alive in the face of land ownership disputes.
- Seattle Rising: The Blocks Going Up Where the Fire Burned
Dexter Horton & Co. reopens on the same corner it held before the great fire, as new brick blocks, houses and excavations push out across the young city.
- The Song Outside the Door
A young child’s funeral in 1877 Seattle was interrupted by an act of profound community empathy.
- The Great Seattle Boom: $2 Million in Brick and Mortar
Architects and owners promise a wave of substantial construction that will transform Second Street into the city's new business heart, leaving Front Street behind.
- The Homestead That Became a Beaver Sanctuary
A mid-19th-century advertisement reveals the transformation of Island County wetlands into an agricultural dream, offering a snapshot of frontier land development.
- The Man Who Walked Away from Death
Richard Schmalp, a 50-year-old homesteader near Menlo View, survived a terrifying fall that split his skull open, leaving him unconscious for half an hour.
- Homeowner Battles City Over Street Ditch
W. H. Gleason sues the City of Seattle for $1,000, claiming a city-sanctioned ditch blocked access to his Washington Street rentals.
- The Land Grab at Smith's Corner: How Lewis & Gilman Are Selling Seattle's Future
While the rest of the city debates prices and politics, a powerful duo is quietly converting the terminus of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway into a goldmine, with lots selling out in days.
- The Illegal Swim
Two men face fines for the 'crime' of swimming in Lake Washington, highlighting the strange, hyper-regulated public morals of 1890s Seattle.
- The Day Seaton Went Up in Smoke
A devastating fire tore through a Washington sawmill town, proving how quickly the industrial heart of the frontier could vanish.
- A House and Lot for Sale on Second Street (Dec 16, 1876)
A straightforward classified advertisement for a house and lot on 2nd Street offers a window into the rapid, transactional growth of 1870s Seattle.
- The Myth of the Everett Building Boom
Local labor leaders debunk a fabricated 'building boom' story, warning it is a reckless tactic to lure surplus labor for anti-union motives.
- A Runaway Horse, a Broken Skull, and a Mother's New Misfortune
Near Judge Chambers's house, Mrs. Riccomba's young son was thrown and dragged; he lay in a very critical state.
- The Free Real Estate Gamble of 1876
Facing a housing crunch, a prominent developer offers free land to anyone willing to build—a desperate move to spur growth in North Seattle.
- Tragedy at the Falls
A young woman is found dead near the Spokane River following a flash flood.
- The Temperance Movement Gains Steam in Grays Harbor
Prohibitionists gather in Montesano to organize for the upcoming election, signaling a growing political shift across the county.
- The Bear That Burned Down the Neighborhood
A Spokane resident’s attempt to treat a sick horse with home remedies went up in flames when his pet bear caused a catastrophe.
- The Boomtown Pulse of 1876
A booster’s-eye view of a rapidly industrializing Seattle, where housing was cheap, the bay teemed with fish, and laborers arrived by the steamer-load.
- Tension and Violence at the Colville Reservation
Settlers at Colville petition for military intervention following reports of burned hay fields and armed conflict with local Indigenous people.
- The Night the Burglar Met a Bullet: A Seattle Homeowner’s Close Call
In October 1876, Mr. Morehouse of First Street didn't just call the police—he fired back at a window-breaker, sending the thief fleeing with a bullet in his coat.
- The Great Seattle Construction Boom of 1878
Falling material costs spark a building frenzy in the frontier town, signaling a rapid expansion for early property owners.
- Lawyers vs. Insurance Men: A Charity Ballgame and a Mock-Biblical Declaration of War
Seattle's bar association answers the 'tribe of Insurance Men' on the diamond at Madison Street Park, with the gate money going to the Bureau of Associated Charities.
- Arson Suspected After Fire Devours the Ballard News
A 2 a.m. blaze destroyed a newspaper plant and several buildings in Ballard; the fire chief’s engine never made it through the roads.
- The 'Graveyard Bug' Threatens Kennewick Berries
Horticultural Inspector warns local growers that a destructive snout beetle is infesting regional strawberry patches and offers advice on how to eradicate it.