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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 6 |
| 1884 | 7 |
| 1885 | 14 |
| 1886 | 6 |
| 1887 | 9 |
43 stories matching circul
- The Paper Trail of Patronage
A bold act of civic favoritism in King County sees the Board of Commissioners award a lucrative printing contract to a higher bidder, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.
- Railroad Agent Hanged in Effigy
Public anger against the Northern Pacific Railroad boils over in Yakima County, leading to the symbolic execution of a company agent.
- The Campaign to Exclude Chinese Workers
In 1885, a newly formed committee of Seattle citizens launched an aggressive effort to purge Chinese labor from the city, circulating petitions to prevent property owners from leasing to Chinese residents.
- The Political Club That Stood Up to a Partisan Purge
In 1885, a band of concerned citizens formed an 'independent' club to protect the judiciary from political interference, launching a defiant campaign to keep a respected judge on the bench.
- The Strategic Expansion of the Oregon Improvement Company
Boosterism and railroad strategy collide as company leadership plans expansion to protect their stake in the Pacific Northwest.
- The Railroad Map That Erased Seattle
A Northern Pacific map circulating in 1883 omitted Seattle entirely—while granting bold capital letters to towns of fewer than 100 people—and the city's paper took the insult personally.
- The Tacoma Method: How the Anti-Chinese Movement Turned to Violence
A brutal manifesto circulates in Tacoma, signaling the escalation of the anti-Chinese exclusion campaign.
- The Fight for the Ballot at the Tacoma Courthouse
In 1887, two suffragists took to the streets to demand the restoration of voting rights for women in Washington Territory.
- The Great Liquor Debate of 1886
As Seattle teetered on the edge of a new era, citizens prepared for a pivotal June vote to determine the future of the local liquor trade.
- The Expulsion of Bellingham’s Chinese Residents
In 1885, citizens of Bellingham signed a pledge to systematically boycott and remove their Chinese neighbors, marking a dark chapter in Washington's labor and social history.
- The Race to Build the Cedar River Railroad
Seattle property owners are urged to close a $14,000 funding gap to finish a critical standard-gauge rail line.
- The Unsung Pioneer: A Plank Road to the Beach
While Seattle boomed, a local booster named Michael Kelly set out to connect the rural fringes of the Duwamish Valley to the city, one subscription at a time.
- The Tragedy at Covington: A Husband’s Death and a Wife’s Arrest
A young, newlywed woman is detained in the suspicious death of her husband, a man twenty years her senior, in a case that has gripped the community.
- The Newspaper Boycott of 1884
A Seattle newspaper fights back after liquor interests threaten an advertising boycott over municipal election coverage.
- The Tragedy of a Domestic Cage
A Seattle woman’s desperate attempt to escape an abusive marriage ends in a violent suicide after her husband, an older man driven by irrational jealousy, takes his own life following a brutal assault.
- The Gospel-Ship Scam on Puget Sound
How a pious Olympia minister raised international funds to build a missionary vessel, only to pivot it into a lucrative towboat business.
- A Community Responds to a Mill Worker's Tragedy
When a worker lost his arm in a gruesome sawmill accident, his coworkers passed the hat to ensure he was cared for.
- The Neah Bay Sealing Conflict
A local captain alleges a corrupt scheme involving a government agent and a private trader to monopolize the sealing industry at the expense of Indigenous laborers.
- The Fight for the Land Grant
Citizens demand Congress strip the Northern Pacific Railroad of its massive, unearned land holdings.
- The Temperance Movement Makes Its Mark in Seattle
Western Washington women organize to battle 'worthless' sensational literature and the influence of the liquor trade.
- The Narrow-Gauge Rail Dream
A bold proposal to connect Ilwaco to the oyster beds of Shoalwater Bay aims to revolutionize trade and tourism.
- The Temperance Stand Against the Liquor Interest
A political meeting in Vancouver, Washington, sparks a fierce debate over the influence of the liquor trade, the liberty of the press, and the character of local leadership.
- The Fire Beneath the Floorboards
A careless act in a pumphouse triggers a blaze that halts production and leaves miners sprinting for their lives.
- The Pavement Fight: Seattle’s Battle for a Wider Second Street
A century ago, city leaders warned that Seattle’s narrow streets were choking its growth, sparking a massive petition to widen the thoroughfare before the 'brick building' boom made the change impossible.
- The Chamber of Commerce Backs the Seattle, Walla Walla and Baker City Railroad
A new report argues that the construction of a cross-state railroad is essential to securing Seattle's industrial future.