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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 10 |
| 1883 | 40 |
| 1884 | 25 |
| 1885 | 24 |
| 1886 | 19 |
| 1887 | 16 |
134 stories matching commenc
- The Man Who Wanted Only the Rich to Vote
At the University of Washington’s first commencement, a visiting judge delivered a fiery address arguing that municipal government is like a railroad company: those without property should have no say in its management.
- 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.
- Before the Railroads Cut Through Seattle, One Man Proposed a Saner Street Grid
A letter to the editor calls for wider avenues, a logical naming and numbering system, and railroad tracks that follow the platted streets—not slice across them at will.
- Commencement Day at the University
Frances E. Willard delivers an address on temperance and suffrage to a packed house at Seattle's Presbyterian Church.
- The Wreck of the Lily Grace
After surviving a harrowing gale and the total loss of his ship near Cape Flattery, a sea captain washes up in Seattle to recount a battle against the elements.
- A Pioneering Sawmill on Lake Washington
G.C. Phinney builds a sawmill in 40 days, proving the value of industrious newcomers over hesitant, wealthy old-timers.
- Vigilante Arsonist Attacks Chinese Gardeners
A Spokane farmer’s livelihood was destroyed and his livestock slaughtered in a brutal, racially-motivated attack.
- The Garden Valley of the Territory
A correspondent ventures up the White River to survey the booming hops trade, the friction between farmers and the local cheese factory, and the desperate need for a railroad.
- Seattle's Miracle Medicine Salesman
Prominent citizens and former councilmen endorse G. C. Phinney's 'Swamp Angel' rheumatic cure.
- A Day of Fraternizing on the Seattle Waterfront
When the G.A.R. veterans from Tacoma steamed into Seattle, the city turned out for a day of cannon fire, pork, and beans.
- Northern Pacific Piles Block Commencement Bay Landing
Business owners clash with the Northern Pacific Railroad over the blocking of a vital waterway, forcing a community to fight for their access to the harbor.
- City Hall's Construction Contractor Fails to Pay Up
Creditors are circling the new city building on Third Street as liens are filed against the project.
- Indigenous Labor Strike at the Canneries
Native workers on the Northwest coast initiate strikes for better pay as the salmon season begins.
- Tragic Horse-Kick Claims Life of Youth
Nineteen-year-old Hiram Hamilton is killed instantly in a freak accident while tending horses at his father’s barn.
- 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 Desert Drill: A Quest for Water in North Yakima
A bold territorial experiment to strike water in the arid landscape of North Yakima hit a snag as machinery languished on the wrong side of the mountains.
- The City's Private Water Pioneer
Before the city operated its own utility, one visionary resident sank a deep well on Ninth Street, betting his own fortune that he could out-pump the ground itself to supply a growing Seattle.
- The False Rumor of a 'Doc' Griswold Shooting
A street rumor concerning a fatal card game dispute in New Westminster turns out to be a total fabrication.
- The Mob That Met Its Match in Dayton
A man targeted for a vigilante lynching fights back and escapes his attackers, leaving his would-be murderers in the shadows.
- The Great 1885 Tax Liquidation
A sweeping list of unpaid property taxes in 1880s Seattle reveals the names of the city's early developers and the precarious reality of holding land in a young frontier town.
- Seattle Citizens Broke Ground on Their Own Railroad
How Seattle’s local investment and grit built a railroad when the Northern Pacific chose Tacoma.
- The Western Mill Company
Prominent local business leaders organize a new, modern lumber mill on the shores of Lake Union.
- The Failed Dreams of the 'Great Eastern'
A reflection on the 1873 financial collapse and the vanished promises of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- The Power of Education at the University
A local minister delivers a sermon to graduates, arguing that knowledge and moral discipline are the foundations of both the individual and the republic.
- The Rush to the Beach: Seattle Promoters Look West
Speculators are looking beyond Seattle, aiming to build a new summer resort near Gray's Harbor as railroad expansion promises to connect the coast.