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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 7 |
| 1883 | 37 |
| 1884 | 26 |
| 1885 | 60 |
| 1886 | 28 |
| 1887 | 45 |
203 stories matching allow
- Denied Entry: The Ongoing Exclusion
The arrival of Chinese travelers on the O.W. Elder highlights the precarious legal reality faced by Chinese residents in the Pacific Northwest during the exclusion era.
- The Boss’s Iron Rule at Port Madison
At the isolated timber colony of Port Madison, the mill owner maintains total control over his workers' lives—and is preparing to banish any employee who dares frequent a new saloon.
- New Factory Laws Target Child Labor
Seattle mills face new regulations on the employment of children as state authorities begin oversight.
- The Unfinished Business of James Street
The City Council is drawing up plans for new street work while a previous project languishes in a half-finished state.
- The City vs. The Citizens: A Sewer Standoff
Property owners refuse to pay for city improvements they claim were botched, poorly contracted, and overpriced.
- Federal Directive Protects Indigenous Land Occupancy
A government order instructs land offices to refuse entries by white settlers on land already cultivated by Indigenous people.
- The 1885 Fight to Protect the Workingman’s Tools and Bedding
A proposed territorial law sought to expand property exemptions from debt, shielding everything from a mechanic's tools to a family's bedding from creditors.
- The Struggle for a Fair Wage in Seattle's Garment Industry
A historic report on the 'Working Women's Union' advocacy for fair compensation and the battle against underpaid labor in Seattle’s growing industrial sector.
- The Jailer’s Trust: A Domestic Tragedy in Tacoma
A prisoner allowed a day-pass to visit his wife leaves behind a trail of blood and a horrific crime scene after a fit of uncontrollable jealousy.
- The Orcas Island Poaching War
Island residents are taking a stand against commercial hunters who are stripping the local deer population bare without contributing to the community.
- The 'Curse' of the Chinese: How Seattle's Elite Tried to Buy Their Way Out of Racism
In May 1882, a local editorial argued that property owners should refuse to rent or sell land to Chinese immigrants, claiming they were bad tenants and a financial drain on the city.
- The Hidden Leper of Seattle
A Chinese immigrant, cast out by his employer, turned to the morgue in a desperate plea for medical care.
- A Bloody Row on the Quincy Wharf
A waterfront altercation between two men, Wiley and a ship's crew member, leaves the docks bloodied before authorities intervene.
- The Jury That Saw No News
Confined for ten days during the anti-Chinese riots of 1885, a sequestered jury was kept in the dark about the city’s upheaval—until they caught a stray remark about New York politics.
- The Unmaking of a Mayor: Corruption and Scandal in 1885 Seattle
Ahead of the municipal elections, the 'Post-Intelligencer' launched a blistering attack on the incumbent mayor, calling for his ouster over accusations of police negligence, gambling racketeering, and moral failings.
- The Doctor’s Debt: A Patient’s Humiliating Public Seizure
A Tacoma woman's attempt to board a train to Chicago was halted in the cruelest fashion when a sheriff seized her luggage over an unpaid medical bill.
- The Bureaucratic Cruelty of Chinese Exclusion
A Christian Chinese resident is denied the right to bring his wife to the United States following a restrictive court ruling.
- Squabbling Over the City's Edge
A land dispute settled in Olympia signals the future value of acreage just outside the Seattle city limits.
- The Deserted Wife Who Saved Her Homestead
When a man abandoned his land and his spouse in Olympia, the government tried to invalidate her claim—until a steely legal battle proved her right to stay.
- Labor Unions Demand Action on Border Enforcement in 1886
An exchange of letters between the Seattle Knights of Labor and the Collector of Customs highlights early local anxieties over immigration policy.
- The Seneca Street Sludge
A persistent drainage issue on a downtown sidewalk sparks frustration among Seattle pedestrians, highlighting the lack of basic civic maintenance in the growing city.
- The Battle for Belltown's Fire Engine
A citizen's fiery demand that the city stop hoarding firefighting resources in the business district and grant the northern residents the protection they pay for.
- Shanties Cleared at University Street
The City Council orders the destruction of precarious housing at the waterfront, forcing residents out to make way for development.
- A Desperate Escape in a Seattle Alley
A horse plunges into a dangerously narrow gap between buildings on Second Street, leaving the animal trapped and onlookers scrambling.
- The Forced Exodus of Seattle's Chinese Community
In February 1886, local vigilante committees pressured Seattle’s Chinese residents to abandon their homes and businesses under threat of violence, forcing a mass departure from the city.