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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 5 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1885 | 5 |
| 1886 | 7 |
| 1887 | 4 |
| 1888 | 4 |
| 1889 | 18 |
| 1890 | 3 |
| 1891 | 7 |
| 1892 | 28 |
| 1893 | 31 |
| 1894 | 20 |
| 1895 | 10 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 7 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1903 | 8 |
| 1904 | 16 |
| 1909 | 9 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1914 | 2 |
| 1915 | 4 |
| 1916 | 5 |
| 1917 | 2 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 1 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1925 | 1 |
216 stories matching trigger
- A Seattle Streetcar Killing Sparks Calls for Lynching
A labor dispute turns violent in the streets of Seattle, nearly triggering a riot outside a trolley line's offices.
- Smallpox Scare at Providence Hospital
A laborer misdiagnosed with measles is found to have smallpox, triggering a full-scale sanitization effort at a local Seattle hospital.
- Seattle's Cutoff Conundrum
Superintendent Wilson triggers a neighborhood uprising by shutting off water to hundreds of residents who missed payment deadlines.
- Smallpox Scare Triggers Camp Quarantine
Fear grips the Kittitas country as laborers flee a camp riddled with the 'dread malady' before authorities can secure a quarantine.
- The Desperate Plea of a Crippled Sailor
A man smashes a streetcar window to force the city to provide him with basic care.
- The Fatal Breakfast
A Seattle widow sues an insurance company for $10,000 after her husband died from a fish bone injury, triggering a grim post-mortem examination.
- The Mob Violence Trial That Shook 1885 Seattle
A jury acquits a man accused of murdering Chinese laborers in Squak Valley, sparking chaotic courtroom protests.
- Race Riot Erupts in Opera Alley
A domestic dispute over smoke turns into a mob confrontation between a Black household and local Italian residents.
- The Battle Over Tacoma’s 'Open Town' Policy
Mayor Wright defends his administration against allegations that the city’s restricted district has spiraled into lawlessness, triggering a heated standoff with the City Council.
- The Great White Bluffs Dog Panic of 1907
A stray cur triggered a frantic scramble for safety, sending townspeople up ridge poles and onto the riverboats.
- Seattle's Chinese Community Faces Forced Registration
Following a Supreme Court ruling, local merchants express fear, defiance, and uncertainty over the restrictive Chinese Exclusion Act.
- The Klondike Gold Rush Rumor That Sent Seattle Into a Frenzy
A false tip regarding a 'treasure boat' arriving from the Yukon triggered a frantic, early-morning scramble among the Seattle Press Club—all for a story that never arrived.
- Plumbers’ Union Strikes Against Non-Union Apprentices
A standoff between Tacoma union workers and shop owners over hiring practices threatens to trigger a city-wide labor walkout.
- The Perpetual Motion Inventor's Wild Night
Dr. Hannibal Mills, a local crank obsessed with his 'perpetual motion' machine, shoots a saloon keeper after a drunken argument.
- Dam Break Triggers Flash Flood in Snohomish
A failed dam at Blackman's Lake sent a torrent of water into the heart of town, caving in streets and flooding basements.
- The Political Price of Honest Dealing
A local land officer loses his position for resisting the 'land-grabbing' Northern Pacific Railroad, triggering a public petition to demand his reinstatement.
- The Watch Thief of Front Street
A desperate thief snatched a gold watch from a construction site, triggering a neighborhood chase that ended in a vacant lot.
- Prison Labor and the Jute Famine
War-era scarcity triggers a 100 percent price hike for grain sacks manufactured at the state penitentiary.
- The Day the Bridge Fell: A Tramp’s Fatal Ride and a Railroad’s Collapse
A westbound freight train on the Northern Pacific line was derailed when a stowaway fell under a car, triggering a chain reaction that plunged nine cars into Hangman's Creek. One man died; the rest were spared.
- The Day the 'Mercury' Office Became a Shambles
After an article called his theater a 'branch of hell,' a local theater manager stormed the newspaper office, triggering a violent brawl and a shooting.
- The New Year’s Day Land Rush: Rainier Avenue Electric Line Opens
On January 1, 1891, the opening of the new Rainier Avenue Electric line triggered a speculative scramble for suburban land around Lake Washington.
- The Great Tacoma Auto Heist
A mechanic attempts a high-speed repossession of a Winton touring car, triggering a cross-city chase between Tacoma and Seattle.
- The Expensive Cipher Mistake That Rocked Colfax
A bungled telegram message causes a small-town grain buyer to accidentally trigger a massive payout to local farmers.
- The Courthouse That Couldn’t: Contractors Fall Months Behind as Penalties Mount
Thurston County’s new courthouse is five months late, triggering a $20-a-day penalty and a standoff over withheld payments.
- Dynamite Plot Found on Puget Sound Collier
A meticulously rigged infernal machine, timed to trigger via a rat trap and revolver, was discovered in the hold of the steamer Bawnmore.