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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1876 | 6 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1878 | 6 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 14 |
| 1884 | 4 |
| 1885 | 4 |
| 1886 | 3 |
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| 1889 | 6 |
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| 1908 | 7 |
| 1909 | 3 |
| 1910 | 1 |
113 stories matching width
- The $275,000 Plan to Dredge Olympia Into a Deep-Water Port
In 1892, a federal engineer proposed cutting a 12-foot channel through two miles of tide flats so ocean steamers could reach Fourth Street. The price tag was $275,000—and a bet on Olympia’s future.
- Trapped in the Wiser Lake Wilderness
A traveler gets lost in the brutal mud, snow, and falling timber of the Nooksack Valley while searching for a homestead.
- The Settlers’ Plea for the Skagit River
Without government support, early pioneers are manually clearing massive river logjams to open the Skagit Valley to trade and development.
- The Fight for Safer Streets
Walla Walla's decaying wooden sidewalks are proving hazardous, prompting a push for modern cement alternatives.
- The 'Nile of the Occident' Demands a Road
A settler from Kittitas Valley writes a fiery open letter to Seattle, advocating for a direct mountain passage to boost the region’s agricultural potential.
- The Post Office Scandal of 1878
A scathing critique of patronage and mismanagement at Seattle's local post office reveals a city struggling with corruption in the early days of territorial expansion.
- The Ice That Wasn't: A Steamship Captain’s Tale of Frozen Lake Chelan
In the mild winter of 1907, a steamboat captain on Lake Chelan reported sailing through sheets of ice that shouldn't have existed. His account, initially met with skepticism, offers a rare glimpse into the unpredictable microclimates of the Washington interior.
- Holiday Travelers Stranded by Mudslides
A Great Northern train headed to Seattle was halted by a series of massive land-slides near Ballard, forcing passengers to hike five miles through mud and slush to reach the city on Christmas Eve.
- The Industrial Slaughter at the Edge of the State
How a remote peninsula became the center of a massive salmon-canning boom.
- A Bridge to Span the Spokane
Citizens fund a new crossing at Post Street, promising a vital link between the city's shores and a grand view of the falls.
- The Unclaimed Frontier of the Central Valleys
An 1876 editorial reflects on the economic potential of the Yakima and Kittitas valleys, eyeing the end of tribal reservation boundaries for land settlement.
- The Road That Refused to Be Fenced In
For twenty-five years a road ran from Alki Point to the Duwamish. When a land claimant fenced it off, King County tore the fence down—and a jury backed the county.
- Gold Rush in the Cellar
A Tacoma resident digging a simple basement strikes a rich vein of gold and silver quartz, setting off a quiet, desperate race to stake a claim beneath the city's streets.
- The Canal That Would Reshape Seattle, Held Up by Mud and Paperwork
In 1895 the government's Lake Washington ship canal was still a paper route, and every submerged lot owner had to sign away damages before a dredge could move.
- Railroads Battle for Seattle's Tide Flats
Multiple railroad companies propose a sweeping reconfiguration of Seattle's waterfront, including a union terminal and the removal of Railroad Avenue, as the city's tide lands become the prize of a growing transportation war.
- The City Will Pave First Avenue—Cable Tracks or Not
Seattle's street committee orders brick pavement from Yesler to Pike and threatens to pave straight over the Front Street Cable Company's sagging rails if the company won't pay to raise them.
- Opening the Cascade Gateway
A committee of citizens reports on the progress of a new wagon road through Snoqualmie Pass, promising a vital link between the Sound and the interior.
- An English Syndicate Bets $100,000 on Stevens County Lead and Silver
A Chicago mining journal tours the Metaline district, where companies are sinking shafts, building tramways and waiting on a railroad to turn lead and silver claims into a boom.
- The High-Tech Logging Boom on the Deschutes
A glimpse into a massive 1882 timber operation near Olympia, where steam power and railroad infrastructure were transforming the Pacific Northwest forest into an industrial machine.
- Land Office Cuts Northern Pacific Claims by One-Third
A government intervention restores a third of Northern Pacific's land claims in Washington to the public domain, sparking a bitter feud between settlers and the railroad.
- The Morning Mine Cuts Into a 60-Foot Ledge of Galena
A company announcement claims the largest body of galena ore yet found in the Northwest, and the Metaline district suddenly has proof that its mineral wealth runs deep.
- The Canal That Would Turn Lake Washington Into a Harbor
A House committee backs a federal ship canal linking Lake Washington to Puget Sound, promising Seattle a fresh-water harbor and a naval asset.
- The Tunnel Under Seventh Street: Two Property Owners Take On the Railroad
Captain Hatch seeks $10,000 and J. A. Silsby $5,000, blaming the Northern Pacific's new tunnel for damage to their buildings — while the railroad insists the city, not the company, should pay.
- Tacoma Fights the Railroad for Its Own Waterfront
At a state land commission hearing, city officials and citizens demand a wider public harbor line to keep the Northern Pacific and Tacoma Land Company from controlling the waterway.
- The Gold Camp That Can't Afford to Dig
Speculators and a Montana syndicate circle the Methow country's richest gold ground, while claim owners sit on high prices and no capital.