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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 6 |
| 1876 | 52 |
| 1877 | 34 |
| 1878 | 30 |
| 1879 | 4 |
| 1880 | 10 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 41 |
| 1884 | 34 |
| 1885 | 41 |
| 1886 | 7 |
| 1887 | 35 |
| 1888 | 62 |
| 1889 | 101 |
| 1890 | 16 |
| 1891 | 67 |
| 1892 | 119 |
| 1893 | 95 |
| 1894 | 72 |
| 1895 | 130 |
| 1897 | 7 |
| 1898 | 15 |
| 1899 | 31 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 67 |
| 1904 | 21 |
| 1905 | 5 |
| 1907 | 3 |
| 1908 | 30 |
| 1909 | 65 |
| 1910 | 23 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1914 | 18 |
| 1915 | 20 |
| 1916 | 43 |
| 1917 | 6 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 21 |
| 1924 | 10 |
| 1925 | 11 |
| 1928 | 1 |
| 1929 | 1 |
1,373 stories matching develop
- The Desert Bloom: Engineering the Yakima Valley
A detailed technical vision for transforming arid plains into a high-yield agricultural engine via irrigation.
- The Mother Who Fled a Tyrant
A mother escapes her husband’s brutal control and property schemes after enduring years of abuse, turning to the law to secure her child’s safety.
- The Push for a Seattle-Tacoma Inter-Urban Boulevard
Business leaders rally behind a proposed wagon road to connect the two cities, hoping to capture rural trade and boost regional development.
- The Forgotten Dream of an Open Seattle Library
In 1885, Seattle residents could access the University's library for just one dollar a quarter, a radical experiment in civic education that the local press urged to become a permanent foundation for the city's future.
- Hanford Settlers Win Fight for Cheaper Water
After a hard-fought battle, the state Public Service Commission slashes irrigation rates for Hanford farmers, promising a new era of development.
- The Bornite Mine Comes Alive
After months of reticence, officers of the Bornite company say their tunnel has hit a three-foot ledge averaging $35 a ton, and a carload of ore is bound for Tacoma.
- The Buried Forest Beneath Denny Hill
Excavations for a new industrial facility in Seattle reveal a startling subterranean history: an ancient, preserved forest resting 22 feet beneath the city's surface.
- An Eight-Foot Seam of Coal Turns Up on a Pend Oreille County Ranch
The 'coal strike' on the Dieder place near Dalkena is bigger than first reported — eight feet wide instead of three — and Newport is already dreaming of a mine, a spur, cheaper fuel and a new town tributary to its own.
- The Boomtown in the Clouds
A rugged, unreachable mining camp in the Cascades races to build a railway and town before the winter snows.
- The Great Chehalis Road Debate
A local taxpayer argues that a proposed $224,500 infrastructure bond is an act of folly that ignores the region's most pressing agricultural needs.
- The Next Pittsburg: Seattle’s Coal Rush
A new mine opens across the Cedar River, fueling hopes that the young city of Seattle will soon become a major center for iron and coal production.
- The Boom Town That Wasn't: A 1891 Real Estate Pitch
Before the land was logged or the mines were fully opened, developers promised a metropolis on the shores of Lake McMurray—selling 'the coming city' on a dream of coal, timber, and sandstone.
- The Rivalry That Built the Sound
In 1887, C.B. Wright, a key figure in the development of Tacoma, reflects on the 'nip and go' panic that forced the Northern Pacific terminus to choose between Tacoma and Seattle.
- The 1888 Land Grab: Seattle’s First Lottery-Style Housing Development
Before modern zoning and master plans, developers in the boom-era Northwest used gimmicks like house-lot raffles to sell undeveloped land on the city’s fringes.
- The Rise of Seattle Football
Three months ago the game was unknown; today, the city is a powerhouse on the Pacific Coast.
- Smallpox Outbreak at King and Seventh
A new case of smallpox is discovered in a house at King and South Seventh streets, leading to the immediate quarantine of the inhabitants.
- The Housing Squeeze of 1889
With not a single vacant house in town, developer W.H. Kneeland is rushing to build four new double tenements.
- The Warden Fights Back: Grain-Sack Graft and Cruelty Charges at the State Penitentiary
Accused of skimming from grain-sack sales and mistreating prisoners, Walla Walla's warden dares the state to investigate — and the Post-Intelligencer says it should.
- The Gold Rush That Never Was: How Canadian Laws Stifled Seattle’s Northern Dream
A Victoria contractor tells the Star that new British Columbia legislation has turned away American miners, leaving Alaska's gold fields dark and local businesses in ruins.
- A $2 Million Power Plant Would Harness White River for Tacoma and Seattle
Promoters behind a New Jersey-chartered company plan a Lake Tapps reservoir and a Stuck Valley generator, aiming to power an interurban railroad and industry in Tacoma and Seattle.
- The Great Seattle Streetcar Franchise Fight: Why Short Leases Save the City
As city councilors debate a controversial 40-year lease for street railway operations, The Seattle Star argues that short-term concessions are the only way to prevent corporate greed from strangling public transit.
- A $650,000 Mortgage Put Walla Walla’s Gas, Electric, and Water Future in Philadelphia Hands
The Northwestern Gas and Electric Company mortgaged its Walla Walla County plants, franchises, and water rights to secure a major bond issue—and announced new power development on the Walla Walla River.
- Railroad Monopoly Targets Seattle’s Prosperity
The Northern Pacific Railroad is accused of prioritizing Tacoma's land values over the economic development of Seattle.
- A Secret Gold Strike in Snohomish County
Local citizens quietly form a company to divert a river and tap into a promising new gold discovery.
- The Unwanted Guest of Providence Hospital
A 'harmless crank' in 1885 Seattle exposes the gaps in the city's social safety net.