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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 130 |
| 1883 | 799 |
| 1884 | 455 |
| 1885 | 838 |
| 1886 | 492 |
| 1887 | 484 |
3,198 stories
- The Catholic Surge: How a Small Rented Room Became Seattle’s Most Valuable Religious Institution
In 1882, the Post-Intelligencer takes aim at the rapid expansion of the Catholic Church in Seattle, contrasting its booming wealth and new construction with the stagnation of Protestant denominations.
- The Tragedy at the Medicine Bottle: A Seattle Child’s Fatal Mistake
In a heartbreaking incident that has gripped the community, three-year-old Howard Pontius drank from what he thought was a treat, but was actually his mother’s morphine prescription for a cold.
- The Perils of the Columbia Gorge Rail Route
A critical 1885 editorial argues that the treacherous, storm-battered rail line along the Columbia River is failing, urging the Union Pacific to build a direct, reliable connection to Puget Sound.
- The Strange 'Hamlet' Scandal that Wasn't
When a malicious rumor about a local politician’s past as a failed actor spread across the territory, the press had to step in to set the record straight.
- Seattle's Saloon Keepers Face the 'High License' Squeeze
As 1885 begins, the city cracks down on liquor sellers, leaving many owners struggling to pay their bonds—and prompting some to consider an honest day's work instead.
- The Juvenile 'Junk' Gangs of Seattle
Local business owners report a wave of petty thefts by children as young as ten, raising alarms about the city's future.
- The Sinking of the Underwriter
A tragic maritime accident in Port Townsend harbor leaves a local captain’s schooner at the bottom of the channel.
- The Express Driver's Abandonment: A Frontier Scandal
A local expressman faces public condemnation after seducing two young women in northern settlements and fleeing town with his family's savings.
- The Fight for Seattle’s Waterfront Sovereignty
A historic local Board of Trade meeting reveals early clashes over civic power, the control of harbor lands, and the desperate bid to keep Seattle’s trade economy local.
- The Unintended Boarding House Scandal
A Seattle property owner finds themselves in court after leasing a building to tenants who turned the premises into a 'disorderly house,' sparking a legal debate over landlord responsibility.
- The Seattle Silver Rebellion
A convention of delegates from the South and West met in Seattle to demand that the federal government restore silver to its rightful place alongside gold, signaling a growing populist resistance against Wall Street's control of the nation's currency.
- The Battle for the Bottle in White River Valley
A local saloon keeper’s bid for a liquor license sparks a standoff with temperance-minded residents and sets the stage for a landmark court battle.
- The Governor’s Vision: Washington Territory in 1885
A wide-ranging interview with Governor Watson Squire details the rise of the Cascade division of the Northern Pacific Railroad and the economic optimism of a growing frontier.
- A Miraculous Rescue at the Well
A two-month-old infant survives a twenty-one-foot fall into a Clarke County well in a harrowing ordeal.
- The Log Jam in Lake Union
How an innovative timber operation cut a channel through the lake to reach salt water, forever changing the Seattle landscape.
- The Dramatic 'Dynamite' Incident at the Whatcom Mill
A quiet Bellingham neighborhood was shattered when a private residence was leveled by a mysterious blast, sparking a urgent search for the perpetrators.
- The Clerk Who Left Snohomish with the Cash
A local store employee clears out inventory and skips town, leaving his employers with empty shelves and an 'elite' social circle in shock.
- The Masquerade Scandal of 1885
A Seattle man is arrested for cross-dressing at a public masquerade ball, leaving society columnists to offer their moralizing take on his 'vice.'
- The Sudden Collapse of the Tacoma Savings Bank
A run on a local bank reveals the fragile economy of 1885 Tacoma as depositors rush to pull their funds before the doors shutter for good.
- The Quest for a Clean City
A proposed 'Liernur System' could turn Seattle's sewage into marketable fertilizer while solving a desperate public health crisis.
- The Waterfront Tug-of-War: A Seattle Infrastructure Battle
A heated debate on the floor of Congress reveals the growing pains of Seattle’s ports as the territory fights for federal status to manage its booming trade.
- The Price of a City's Ambition
A Seattle City Council report warns that aggressive infrastructure grading, fueled by debt-financed city scrip, is pushing property owners to the brink during an economic downturn.
- The Coastal Sailors’ Strike
Vessel crews refuse to work at low rates, sparking a confrontation on the Seattle waterfront.
- The Pugilists of Front Street
A boxing exhibition at the Seattle Theater draws hundreds for a night of 'scientific' sparring and amateur matches.
- The Fight Over the 'Moral' Climate of Seattle
A scathing editorial decries the Commissioners' decision to permit a 'disreputable' business in a respectable community, sparking a debate on whether law can dictate morality.