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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 3 |
| 1878 | 4 |
| 1880 | 4 |
| 1883 | 13 |
| 1884 | 6 |
| 1885 | 8 |
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82 stories matching mcnaught
- The Railroad’s Big Heist: Northern Pacific Claims Indian Land It Doesn’t Own
As the Puyallup Reservation faces a legal siege from the Northern Pacific Railway, federal officials warn that a treaty-protected land grab could strip thousands of acres from Native families for pennies on the dollar.
- He Tore Up the Railroad Track, Then Flagged Down the Train
In 1877, a King County farmer named John Ross ripped up Seattle Coal & Transportation Co. rails to force a right-of-way dispute into court — then warned the locomotive before it reached the break.
- Fatal Collision at the Commercial Street Crossing
A young mill worker dies after being struck by a switch engine while rushing to a fruit stand.
- The Boom of Chehalis County
A booster-style report on the rapid growth of the timber and agricultural sectors along Gray's Harbor, highlighting the proposed railroad to Seattle.
- The Great Timber Land Swindle
A Seattle man is held on $300 bail after a witness confessed to filing multiple fraudulent land claims using fake names.
- Armed Standoff at the Green River Coal Mines
A local syndicate and a railroad-backed corporation clash over mineral rights in the Green River country, as hired men and revolvers complicate property disputes.
- The Captain in the Counting House
A legal firestorm over whether a retired U.S. Army officer can serve as King County Treasurer.
- The River That Ate Seattle: How High Water Threatened the Railroads and Left a Gift of Dirt
In December 1876, the Duwamish River swelled to dangerous levels, threatening the Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad embankments. But as the waters receded, they left behind a rich layer of alluvial soil that would soon feed the region's agricultural boom.
- The Ghost Railroad of the White River Valley
Farmers and Seattle civic leaders gathered in a desperate bid to force the operation of a phantom rail line that was constructed but never ran.
- The Unsettled Estate on the Edge of Lake Union
A legal notice from 1877 reveals the struggle of a widow attempting to settle a deceased spouse's debts by liquidating land near the wild, undeveloped frontier of Seattle's Lake Union.
- The Canal Scandal: A Fabricated List of Prominent Backers
The Post-Intelligencer accuses the Seattle Telegraph of inventing a list of wealthy citizens and firms to support a private canal scheme.
- The Powder Barrel Scandal: Seattle’s City Council vs. The Police Chief
A fiery public dispute over missing dynamite and unauthorized absences exposes deep friction in the Seattle city government of 1885.
- The Seattle Bond That Broke the Rules
A legal dispute over a $15,000 appeal bond reveals the messy, high-stakes nature of early Seattle commerce and the scrutiny of contract law.
- The Price of Litigation in 1878 Snohomish
A look at the Snohomish District Court's docket reveals a frontier society focused on land, debt, and the legal machinery of settlement.
- The Masquerade That Captivated Seattle
At the height of winter, Seattle’s socialites and laborers alike donned disguises for a night of revelry at Brown’s Pavilion, blending classes in a rare moment of community spectacle.
- The Map That Erased a Business on the Seattle Waterfront
Property owners revolt as tide-land appraisers redraw the shore and wipe an upland business house off the map.
- Anacortes Mayor Quits in Protest Against 'Subsidy Brokers'
A.P. Sharpstein steps down, accusing the city's powerful corporate interests of stifling growth and ignoring the needs of local citizens.
- The Town That Grew in Ninety Days—and Then Waited for the Railroad
In 1890, promoters carved Anacortes out of the Fidalgo Island forest, sold lots at galloping prices, and promised a transcontinental rail terminal. Two years later, the trains still stopped short and the company wharf was closed to the public.
- The Forgetful Pioneer: A Seattle Character Remembered
Before he became a fixture of the city's early business history, Isaiah Waddell was known for his generous spirit, his roller-boy antics at the local press, and a legendary inability to find his own place of business.
- The Miracle of Anacortes: A City Built in a Year
How a dense forest on Fidalgo Island transformed into a booming railway terminus and industrial hub in less than twelve months.
- The Great Seattle Land Rush: West Seattle and Lake Union Lots Vanish in Days
As the city expands beyond its original hills, developers are selling off prime waterfront real estate at bargain prices before the next boom hits.
- The Sawmill Scandal: Henry Yesler’s Long Legal War
Before the city grew, Seattle’s founding titan was locked in a decade-long, bitter courtroom battle over his sawmill, revealing the ruthless undercurrents of the frontier economy.
- The Landlords' New Playbook: How Seattle's Elite Are Cornering the Housing Market
In a move that mirrors today’s corporate housing boom, lumber barons Yesler, Foster, and Lowman are launching a massive development on Broadway to control supply and dictate prices for new arrivals.
- 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 Blueprint to Bury Seattle’s Railroads and Sell the Tide Flats
The Dearborn interests pitch a grand scheme to replace ram’s-horn tracks with parallel underground lines, raise street grades, and turn the southern tide flats into a manufacturing and freight hub.