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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 98 |
| 1883 | 511 |
| 1884 | 326 |
| 1885 | 566 |
| 1886 | 361 |
| 1887 | 327 |
2,189 stories
- The Squire’s Secret Christmas Delivery
In 1885 Seattle, a wealthy local benefactor orchestrates a secret delivery to a struggling family, highlighting the sharp contrast between holiday luxury and the poverty of the growing city.
- A Holiday Tragedy on the Seattle Trestle
A Norwegian farmhand, coming into town for the Christmas season, meets a grim end after losing his way on the railroad tracks.
- The City’s Crackdown on Traveling Salesmen
In 1886, Seattle’s City Council passed a strict licensing ordinance to curb 'peddling' and hawking, requiring vendors to pay steep daily fees or face jail time.
- The Mother’s Rescue: A Seattle Reconciliation
A mother succeeds in retrieving her daughter from a local bagnio, seeking a new life away from the city's 'lilies and languors.'
- The Unsung Sacrifice in the Snow
A frontier trapper recounts the harrowing tale of 'Jim,' a mysterious, devoted man who gave his life to guide a young woman to her dying father through a deadly blizzard.
- The Men Who Asked to Be Jailed for Shelter
As unemployment rises in the winter of 1886, the city jail becomes the last resort for laborers seeking shelter and a crust of bread.
- Connecting the Lakes: Seattle's 1886 Tunnel Project
A new industrial contract promises to link Lake Union and Lake Washington, forever altering the local landscape to facilitate the region's burgeoning timber industry.
- The Masquerade That Captivated Seattle
At the height of winter, Seattle’s socialites and laborers alike donned disguises for a night of revelry at Brown’s Pavilion, blending classes in a rare moment of community spectacle.
- The City Council’s Policing Scandal
Seattle’s city leadership sparked outrage in 1886 by refusing to support the Mayor's dismissal of a police officer accused of gross negligence.
- The Fight Over Unpaid Rail Taxes
A new Congressional bill aims to force Pacific railroads to pay taxes on their vast land grants, closing a loophole that left farmers shouldering the civic burden.
- The High-License Gamble: Seattle’s 1886 Liquor War
Business owners threaten to shutter their doors in a high-stakes protest against the city’s new, aggressive liquor licensing ordinances.
- The Perilous Bathing of the Seattle Snake-House
A keeper's routine bath for his serpents turns into a life-or-death struggle when a 14-foot boa constrictor decides to coil around his leg.
- The River Bandit of Port Madison
A Swede with a taste for plunder steals a haul of supplies and clothing, only to be chased down by local Indigenous residents.
- Disaster Strikes at the Lime Kilns
A dangerous industrial accident in the San Juan Islands leaves an engineer clinging to a pile for his life as safety measures fail.
- The Smoke-Filled Backroom Deals of 1886
A disgruntled contractor exposes the murky process behind the construction of public works in early Seattle, challenging the city's power brokers.
- The 'Hard Times' of 1888: A City in Stagnation
As Seattle families struggle with unemployment and the high cost of living, the local press captures a city gripped by a financial slump.
- A Near-Fatal Carriage Crash on the Beach Road
A local man is severely injured when a startled team of horses plunges off an embankment, highlighting the dangers of early Seattle infrastructure.
- The Price of a Vote: Seattle’s 1884 Election Costs
A look back at the surprisingly high cost of democracy in early Seattle, where administrative overhead, printing, and legal red tape turned local elections into a financial burden for the growing town.
- The Price of Reckless Fire in the Forest
A searing editorial from 1886 lambasts the 'gross and inexcusable carelessness' of campers and railroads that leave Washington’s timberlands in ashes.
- The Temperance Debate Stirs King County Republicans
A local party platform faces internal friction as voters demand a clearer stance on the moral regulation of liquor sales.
- The Republican Campaign Launch
Candidates take the stage in Seattle to argue for land forfeiture, taxation of railroad monopolies, and statehood.
- The Northern Pacific's Strategic Failure
How corporate mismanagement in the Washington Territory threatened local growth and business relations.
- The Underwater Trial of the Submarine
A reporter goes below the surface in a revolutionary new vessel, experiencing the strange sensation of submerged travel through the dark waters of the bay.
- The Ghost of the Shannon
Seattle's waterfront welcomes a legendary British warship that fought in the War of 1812.
- The High License Battle
As Seattle debates the future of the liquor trade, the city's editorial voice warns that failing to support 'high license' regulation will only invite full prohibition.