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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 6 |
| 1877 | 4 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 10 |
| 1885 | 8 |
| 1886 | 2 |
| 1887 | 4 |
| 1888 | 3 |
| 1889 | 13 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 11 |
| 1892 | 9 |
| 1893 | 10 |
| 1894 | 12 |
| 1895 | 13 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 3 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 6 |
| 1908 | 3 |
| 1909 | 7 |
| 1910 | 3 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1914 | 2 |
| 1915 | 5 |
| 1916 | 6 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1925 | 2 |
156 stories matching soft
- The Great Smokestack Hoax: Seattle’s Mountain Top Mystery
In 1873, local entrepreneur S. W. Peck convinced the city that a legendary 'living rod' lay buried atop American Flat. His desperate drilling operation reveals more about the era's speculative fever than geological truth.
- The Custom House Spoils System
A political power struggle over federal appointments in Port Townsend reveals the deep-seated corruption and infighting within the local Democratic Party.
- The Moonlit Confession: A Romantic Friendship in Snohomish
A local resident’s poetic declaration of love to a companion named Fidencia, published in the 'Wonders' column, reveals the tender, coded language of queer intimacy in late-19th century Washington.
- A Dismissed Complaint, Then a Woodshed Ambush in Tacoma
Maggie Kornder had charged Mike Pfeifle with threatening her. A judge let the case go; days later, the rejected suitor hid in her employer's woodshed and shot her before turning the gun on himself.
- The Vanishing Pensioner of Ballard
A Civil War veteran draws his quarterly pension and vanishes, leaving his family destitute for the fourth time.
- Kennewick Prepares for Strawberry Day
After local supply issues caused price spikes last year, the Commercial Club sets a new date to ensure the Northwest stays well-stocked.
- A Life-Saving Surgery in Seattle
After being diagnosed with a malignant growth in his cheek and upper jaw, a local man undergoes a grueling, three-hour surgical procedure to remove the cancer.
- The Mystery Man at the Rail Yards
A man found critically injured near the Northern Pacific tracks dies in the hospital, leaving behind only a cryptic note and a broken life.
- The Redemption of a Drunkard
A harrowing night of domestic violence and neglect ends a decade later in an unexpected act of grace.
- 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.
- The Ghost of Labor Unrest in Newcastle
A local coal miner pushes back against sensationalist newspaper reports of an 'impending strike,' exposing the tense standoff between workers, company bosses, and imported armed guards.
- Homesteading on the Edge of the Forest
An 1878 dispatch from a settler near Lake Washington offers advice to 'respectable' newcomers looking to carve a life out of the untamed timberland.
- The Mud-Slinging Rivalry of Newcastle and Gilman
A friendly visit between two mining towns turns into a disastrous, mud-caked lesson in humility for a local horseman.
- The Unlucky Speckled Hen and the Tarring Party
In an era of domestic tension, a Washington housewife's patience for her husband's sloth and a neighbor’s story of a local scoundrel collide in a kitchen mishap.
- The Pastor’s Sales Pitch for Kennewick
Rev. C. D. Rarey returns from an Indiana lecture tour, selling the Northwest as a land of opportunity to those weary of rain-soaked, failing harvests.
- A 'Beast' in the Courtroom Says Only 'Not a Word'
McGee, convicted of assaulting his wife with intent to murder, drew ten years in Walla Walla—but his appeal kept him in the King County jail while Seattle read about his courtroom act.
- The Chinese Laborers Building Seattle’s Railroad
A reporter visits the line of the Northern Pacific railroad to find the massive, hidden workforce extending the tracks into the city.
- A Minister's Daughter Confesses to Forgery—and Promises a Tell-All Book
Winifred Moter, now Mrs. A. G. Daniels, waived examination on a $300 check charge and was bound over to superior court, while her father, a Newport minister, was expected to arrange bail.
- The Grass Isn't Always Greener in Indiana
A young couple leaves Shelton for the Midwest, only to find themselves struggling and desperate to return to Washington.
- The Forgotten Spirit Queen of Mount Klinqua
A tragic indigenous legend from the pages of 1885 tells the tale of a maiden who brought peace to the earth, only to be betrayed by greed and fear.
- The Secret Millionaire of West Seattle
How a San Francisco journal saw the promise of Seattle’s 'West End' before the city was fully grown.
- The Pork Barrel Standoff
Washington State’s Representative John L. Wilson stops a Texas infrastructure bill until the needs of the Northwest are recognized.
- Horses Plunge Off Pacific Avenue Cliff
A panicked team of livery horses creates a scene of destruction on the Tacoma waterfront, leaping twenty-five feet over a railing.
- Nightgowned Citizen Puts Burglar to Flight
A local homeowner interrupted a late-night intruder, forcing him to flee empty-handed—save for a stolen kimono.
- The Bank Robbers' Wild Escape in Ellensburg
Two notorious robbers jailed in Ellensburg staged a daring jailbreak, shot a local boy, and held a family hostage during a chaotic afternoon standoff.