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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 421 |
| 1889 | 1,084 |
| 1891 | 492 |
| 1892 | 2,259 |
| 1893 | 2,699 |
| 1894 | 2,015 |
| 1895 | 1,830 |
10,800 stories
- Railroad Giant Declares Bankruptcy
The Northern Pacific Railroad has been placed into receivership, signaling a major shift in Northwest transit and land development.
- Tragedy on the Quillayute Coast
The Chilean bark Leanor strikes rocks in a fierce storm, claiming the lives of the captain, his wife, and four crew members.
- The Forced Relocation of the Spokane Tribe
As winter approaches, government agents scramble to move Spokane families to the Coeur d'Alene reservation, offering small frame houses as an incentive.
- The Judge Who Refused to Break a Strike
While other courts rushed to silence workers, Judge Henry Caldwell of the U.S. Circuit Court set a radical precedent: railroad workers had the right to strike and the right to be heard.
- The Mayor's Right to Fight City Hall
A landmark Washington Supreme Court ruling affirmed a mayor's authority to hire private counsel when the city's own legal department refused to defend the city against an illegal bond ordinance.
- The Waldron Block Inferno
A landmark four-story brick building in Fairhaven is destroyed by fire, leaving the community reeling after a disastrous attempt to control the blaze with faulty equipment.
- The Seizure of the Steamer Fairy
Federal authorities seize a vessel accused of smuggling eight Chinese laborers into Puget Sound.
- A Frontier Town Washed Away in the Night
A catastrophic flood destroyed the business district of Conconully in Okanogan County, leaving residents destitute and the town in ruins after a suspected cloudburst.
- Roslyn Coal Strike: Company Threatens to Import Black Strikebreakers
As the 1894 coal strike drags on, Roslyn miners refuse a 20 percent pay cut. The company’s answer: import Black workers from Chicago to break the union, a move that would reshape the town.
- The $3 Million Scheme to Turn Seattle's Tide Flats into Dry Land
A private company plans to dredge the Duwamish and fill Elliott Bay's mudflats — paid not in cash but in land and liens — while St. Louis money waits to see the ground before it bets.
- Seattle Passed the Hat to Dig Its Canal
A six-week citizens' campaign filled the Lake Washington waterway subsidy with $1 donations, corporate checks and a Kirkland land pledge—then declared the work ready to begin.
- Great Northern Crews Link Spokane and Push Toward the Columbia
Tracklaying reaches a fever pitch as James J. Hill's Great Northern connects to Spokane, with plans to bridge the Cascades and link Seattle to the East by the new year.
- Heroic Bucket Brigade Battles Stanwood Inferno
A devastating fire ravages the business district of Stanwood, leaving the community to fight flames with nothing but ladders and willpower.
- Tekoa Business District Destroyed by Incendiary Fire
A fire suspected to be arson wiped out the central business district of Tekoa, resulting in thousands of dollars of damage.
- Seattle Republicans Make Case for Lake Washington Canal in 1892
Republican leaders rally in Seattle to advocate for the Lake Washington Canal, framing it as the city’s essential path to commercial supremacy over rival Tacoma.
- Railroads Clash in Court Over Seattle Waterfront Tracks
Great Northern's subsidiary sues to condemn a right-of-way through the industrial heart of Seattle's waterfront.
- The Shadowy Traffic of the Northern Coast
Authorities mobilize as reports emerge of a vessel smuggling Chinese nationals and opium into the Pacific Northwest.
- Armed Vigilantes Threaten Chinese Residents in La Conner
A group of six masked, armed men confronted the Chinese laundry workers in La Conner, demanding they leave town within ten days.
- Families Sue Mine Owners Over Roslyn Disaster
Massive litigation is underway following a deadly mine explosion, threatening the company with bankruptcy.
- The Great Tacoma Water Steal
Citizens and council members clash over alleged bribery and misappropriation of funds in the city's purchase of a water system.
- The Colville Reservation Is Surveyed for White Settlement
A treaty strips the Colville Indian Reservation down to individual allotments, and surveyors are called to run more than 1,000 miles of lines across northeastern Washington.
- Eight Dead, and the Steamboat Owners Owe Only $3,500
A federal judge in Seattle limits the Annie Faxon's liability after a Snake River boiler explosion, extending an old maritime rule to inland steamboats.
- James J. Hill’s Vision for a Trans-Pacific Flour Trade
The Great Northern president met with local merchants to discuss establishing a permanent steamship line between Seattle and Hong Kong.
- The Man in the Red Drawers
A distressed man wielding a saw causes a scene in the streets of South Seattle, highlighting the era's lack of support for those in mental crisis.
- The Great Stuck River Jam: A Battle Over Water and Land
In a tense standoff on the White River, Pierce County cattlemen illegally dammed the waterway to protect their pastures, forcing King County officials to ride out with Winchester rifles to avert a violent conflict.