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1. Sixteen Seattleites Climb Rainier, With Carrier Pigeons and a Night on the Crater

   Two members of a Seattle climbing party return from Mount Rainier after the rest push on to the summit, where they plan to camp amid volcanic steam and signal the city with bonfires.

   Jul 21, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMount Rainier, Pierce CountyStrange But True

2. The Sheriff’s Hammer: Snohomish’s Last Stand Against the 'Nuisance'

   In March 1877, Judge J.R. Lewis and the local Grand Jury launched a coordinated assault on vice, seizing brothels and fining operators, while simultaneously exposing corruption in county bonds.

   Mar 24, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyCity Hall · Nightlife

3. The Democrats Drum Up Candidates—and One Staged His Own Surprise Party

   Seattle Democrats organize ward clubs, weigh fusion with Populists and independents, and trade rumors over sheriff, treasurer and prosecutor—including a would-be senator who bought his own gold-headed cane.

   Sep 17, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall · Scandal

4. The Homestead Scam That Turned Public Land Into a Speculator’s Prize

   An 1883 exposé from Walla Walla describes how doctors, lawyers and merchants faked frontier residency to grab government land—and why the law made perjury easy.

   Aug 18, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyFollow the Money

5. The Doctors Declare War: Seattle's Health Board Orders the Schools Shut as Scarlet Fever Spreads

   Backed by a city attorney's opinion, the board of health gives the school board an ultimatum — close the Rainier and South schools by nine o'clock Friday morning or the police will do it for them.

   May 17, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

6. She Rode 2,000 Miles from Wisconsin to Seattle — Alone, in a Dress

   Emma Larson, a 31-year-old Seattle woman, crossed the continent on horseback with only her mare Kitty for company, sleeping under the stars and going days at a stretch on nothing but water.

   Nov 25, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyLocal Legends · Strange But True

7. Seattle Pastor Warns of Anarchy and Labor Unrest in 1893 Sermon

   Rev. Dr. D. C. Garrett told St. Mark's Episcopal congregation that labor troubles stem from a failure to render unto God and Caesar.

   Jul 23, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyWork & Pay

8. The Night They Slept in Rainier's Ice Caves

   A Seattle climbing party returns from Mount Rainier after a storm-bound night in the summit ice caves—and Tacoma greets them like a circus.

   Jul 25, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMount Rainier, Pierce CountyStrange But True

9. The Great Cascade: A Pilgrimage to the Roar of Snoqualmie Falls

   In July 1877, three travelers walked the rugged trail from Snohomish to Fall City, documenting the lush farms, the hospitality of settlers, and the awe-inspiring power of the falls—a testament to the beauty and isolation of early Washington Territory.

   Jul 21, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

10. The 1898 Sales Pitch That Called the San Juan Islands a 'Klondike at Home'

    A judge's promotional essay promised apples, prunes, sheep, fish, limestone and health in Washington's island county—and complained that the outside world had not yet noticed.

    Aug 20, 1898Ranche and RangeOrcas, San Juan CountyBoom & Bust

11. The Legislators Who Came to See a Ditch—and Left Believers

    A steamboat tour of Smith Cove and Lake Union turns Eastern Washington lawmakers into ship-canal converts.

    Feb 27, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSmith Cove, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

12. The Great Front Street Fraud: City Council Exposes Fake Petition for Cable Car

    In a stunning display of civic integrity, Seattle’s Common Council unmasks a fraudulent petition designed to grant a monopoly cable car franchise, revealing that applicants forged signatures and misrepresented property frontage.

    Jun 30, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerFront Street, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall · Scandal

13. The Warden Fights Back: Prison Labor, Jute Sacks and a Seattle Newspaper Scandal

    Accused of selling prison-made sacks to middlemen and brutalizing convicts, Walla Walla’s warden answers his critics with a detailed defense—and a challenge to inspect the prison.

    Sep 14, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWashington State Penitentiary, Walla Walla, Walla Walla CountyWork & Pay · Scandal

14. A Steamboat Inspector on Trial, and the Men Who Kicked

    A Seattle courtroom hears masters and pilots defend Capt. Bryant against charges of favoritism—and admit that the men who complain are often the incompetent ones.

    Mar 2, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyWork & Pay

15. A Flag Over the Sick: Seattle's First General Hospital Opens Its Doors

    A three-story wooden building on Front Street becomes a nonsectarian refuge for the poor and paying alike — raised by a woman's persistence and a city's donations, and dedicated under the Stars and Stripes.

    Jul 2, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyWork & Pay · City Hall

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