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11,240 stories

  1. The Day Seattle’s Subscribers Hauled Their Newspaper Office to Safety

    When a fire threatened the Seattle Star building in Pioneer Square, loyal patrons didn't just call the fire department—they grabbed chains and ropes to physically tow the structure away from the flames.

    Mar 29, 1899The Seattle StarPioneer Square, Seattle, King CountyStrange But True

  2. The Judge Who Drank: A Local Magistrate’s Confession to the Grand Jury

    In a stunning display of candor, Seattle Justice of the Peace John Mercer admits to his courtroom that he was frequently intoxicated while on the bench, blaming 'political enemies' for his drinking and accusing the city of turning a blind eye to saloon owners who ruin working men's wages.

    Jun 12, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall · Scandal

  3. The Pioneer Developer’s Gamble

    When Seattle was a young, growing town, Henry Yesler looked for an unconventional way to fund critical mountain infrastructure: raffling off his massive timber empire.

    Jun 10, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money · Strange But True

  4. The Great Poker Heist: A Man Steals Glass to Escape His Debts

    In a bizarre twist of justice in 1872 Seattle, a gambler fleeing a poker loss was caught stealing window panes from a saloon instead of cash.

    Oct 17, 1872Puget Sound DispatchCommercial Street, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  5. The Editor Who Sold His Paper to a Brothel Keeper

    A scathing letter in the Puget Sound Dispatch exposes the corrupt alliance between Seattle’s Republican party and its most notorious vice kingpins, asking: 'What of that newspaper publisher... who for a palm share in the wages of prostitution gives his aid and influence?'

    Oct 17, 1872Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyCity Hall · Scandal

  6. The Divine Healer Who Buried Himself Alive: A Seattle Cult Leader’s Resurrection Claim

    Rev. O. M. Schlatte, known as 'Schlatte the Divine Healer,' claims to have risen from a 40-day burial in the desert after fasting and praying for God's guidance. Now back in town, he asserts his authority over the famous 'Healer' of Kansas and prepares to resume his ministry.

    Apr 26, 1899The Seattle StarSeattle, King CountySnake Oil

  7. The Ghost in the Yellow Trunk

    A tip from surveyors leads two intrepid reporters to the shores of Alki Point, where they unearth a grim secret hidden in the brush.

    Jul 17, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWest Seattle, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  8. The Woman Who Defended Her Home With a Shotgun

    When city laborers arrived to tear down Mrs. Williamson's fence for a road-widening project, she made it clear that some property rights are defended by force.

    Aug 31, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSecond Street, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money · Strange But True

  9. An Indigenous Burial Site Unearthed on Commercial Street

    Construction work in front of Mr. Amos Brown’s residence reveals human remains, highlighting the history of the land.

    Aug 21, 1876The Daily IntelligencerCommercial Street, Seattle, King CountyExclusion & Resistance · Gone Forever

  10. The North Seattle Commuter Who Fought Back

    When two armed men attempted to rob a local resident near the Grant-Street bridge, he chose to defend his coin with a kick and a fistfight.

    Apr 21, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  11. The Tragic Cost of Seattle's Growth: The Death of C. Toellner

    A tragic train accident at the Grant Street Bridge exposes the perils of Seattle’s rapidly expanding infrastructure in the late 1880s.

    May 15, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyDisasters

  12. Ten Inmates Crawl Through City Jail Roof

    A dozen prisoners rip the roof off the city jail, leading to a night of escapes, returns for more whiskey, and public mockery of the facility.

    Jul 30, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPioneer Square, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall · True Crime

  13. The Siege of Third Street

    When tenants refused to vacate their boarding house, a Seattle landlord responded by nailing the gates shut and mounting a guard.

    Aug 2, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThird Street, Seattle, King CountyHousing & Rent

  14. The Electrified Watchman

    When the Seattle Electric Railway’s infrastructure turned the city into a hazard, a local watchman learned the hard way that his job required handling more than just time.

    Aug 28, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSouth 1st Street, Seattle, King CountyWork & Pay · Strange But True

  15. Mystery Shooting at the Washington National Bank

    A bank accountant is found with a gunshot wound to the chest, but the circumstances behind the incident remain disturbingly unclear.

    Feb 4, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  16. The Pox Patrol: When Smallpox Patients Went Out for Whiskey

    In 1880, Seattle's quarantine measures were so lax that victims were reportedly slipping out of the pesthouse at night to hit the saloons.

    Nov 11, 1880The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall · Nightlife

  17. The Shadowy Business of Patent Medicines

    A cynical drug clerk reveals the grisly truth behind 'medical' concoctions and the dangerous incompetence of the pharmacy trade in 1880s Seattle.

    Nov 13, 1880The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountySnake Oil

  18. The Clam-Seller and the Street-Car: A Seattle Reckoning

    When a man was killed by a train on a Seattle street, a bystander's callous comment sparked a confrontation that exposed the deep-seated tensions of the city's growing industrial landscape.

    Nov 16, 1880The Daily IntelligencerCommercial Street, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money · Strange But True

  19. The Name Debate: Why Seattle Nearly Became 'Tacoma'

    When an Eastern Senator tried to force a name change on the future state, the people of the Washington Territory pushed back with fierce regional pride.

    Jan 1, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money

  20. The Ghost of Dynamite on the Northwestern Road

    A train passenger train narrowly escapes derailment when a forgotten cache of giant powder detonates eight miles outside of Seattle.

    Apr 23, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyDisasters

  21. The Desperate Leap at Jackson Street

    A local woman struggling with poverty and addiction finds herself in the bay after a public cry for help.

    May 2, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

  22. Inquest Held for Remains Found in Seattle Cellar

    A jury convenes to address the discovery of unidentified Chinese remains in a cellar, raising questions about municipal neglect and health risks.

    Sep 18, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerMain Street, Seattle, King CountyExclusion & Resistance · True Crime

  23. An Infernal Machine on the Tracks

    A dangerous, home-made bomb was discovered on the streetcar tracks in Seattle, chilling a city already tense from labor agitation.

    Oct 22, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyWork & Pay · True Crime

  24. Republican Rally at the Opera House

    Judge Wood defends the Sheriff’s record in the anti-Chinese expulsions of 1886.

    Oct 26, 1886Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerOpera House, Seattle, King CountyExclusion & Resistance

  25. The Evangelists and the Brothel

    In 1887, a group of women conducted prayer meetings inside Seattle’s houses of prostitution, confronting the grim reality of life for the women living and working within.

    Mar 15, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerC Street, Seattle, King CountyNightlife

Download the first 10,000 as a spreadsheet (CSV) · Show them on the map