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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 19 |
| 1884 | 20 |
| 1885 | 31 |
| 1886 | 5 |
| 1887 | 27 |
104 stories matching develop
- The Struggle for the Promised Land of Washington Territory
While Washington pioneers clamored for the development of government-held land to build a state, political gamesmanship in Washington, D.C. left the local economy in limbo.
- Snoqualmie Pass: Seattle's Potential Iron Empire
A local developer scouts for iron and copper in the Snoqualmie Pass, hoping to launch a major mining and rail operation that would connect the mountain riches directly to Seattle.
- The Buried Treasure of Seattle’s Industrial Future
A real estate notice reveals the immense value—and looming development—of a coal field near Lake Washington, long before the city’s urban expansion.
- Protecting the Timber Frontier
Seattle business leaders lobby to maintain trade protections against foreign competition.
- The Battle for the Rails: Monopoly vs. The Public Good
A scathing editorial from 1885 outlines the clash between the Union Pacific’s 'business-first' model and the Northern Pacific's alleged strategy of political bribery and town-site speculation.
- The Unpaved Dispute: A Seattle Street Fight
When the City Council attempted to force through street improvements against the wishes of local property owners, the resulting legal struggle highlighted the friction between civic development and individual land rights in 1887.
- The Balloon-Powered Park Plan
A satirical interview with a Seattle developer reveals the absurd lengths civic boosters would go to inflate the value of local land.
- The Morning the Earth Shook in Seattle
An unusually violent tremor rattles early risers in 1886, marking a moment of shared alarm in the developing town.
- The Rivalry of the Sound: Seattle vs. Tacoma
A critical report from a German newspaper highlights the starkly different development paths of the two boomtowns.
- The Mother Who Fled a Tyrant
A mother escapes her husband’s brutal control and property schemes after enduring years of abuse, turning to the law to secure her child’s safety.
- The Forgotten Dream of an Open Seattle Library
In 1885, Seattle residents could access the University's library for just one dollar a quarter, a radical experiment in civic education that the local press urged to become a permanent foundation for the city's future.
- Railroad Monopoly Targets Seattle’s Prosperity
The Northern Pacific Railroad is accused of prioritizing Tacoma's land values over the economic development of Seattle.
- The Unwanted Guest of Providence Hospital
A 'harmless crank' in 1885 Seattle exposes the gaps in the city's social safety net.
- The Iron Rush: Seattle’s Early Fight Against Monopoly
When mining magnates and railroad tycoons clashed over the future of Washington's natural resources, Seattle’s civic leaders took a stand to protect local control.
- 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.
- Main Street Reshaped: Col. Squire’s Development
Col. Watson C. Squire initiates the demolition of aging buildings behind the Brunswick and Arlington hotels, signaling a period of major urban redevelopment in Seattle.
- The Mystery of the Man on Brannan Place
A brutal murder discovery in Seattle sends a shockwave through the city after a dock worker is found with his pockets turned inside out.
- The End of the Steamship Monopoly
Competition heats up on the Sound as new steamer lines challenge the dominance of the Villard railroad and boat combinations.
- A New School for a Growing City
The Seattle School Board secures a central block from developer W. N. Bell for a new permanent schoolhouse.
- 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.
- The Business Men's Counter-Rally
Proponents of industry and economic development rally at Occidental Square against the 'moral reformers.'
- Legal Chaos and the Chinese Exclusion Era
A convoluted series of arrests and court cases in Seattle reveals the systemic targeting of Chinese residents during the height of the Exclusion era.
- The Smallpox Dog
A doctor in a smallpox hospital realizes that a stray cur visiting the wards is the vector for a new patient's infection.
- The Blurred Map of Seattle's Early Real Estate Boom
A local property surveyor exposes a deceptive mapping practice meant to obscure the true boundaries of land parcels during a heated period of development.
- Creating Housing for a Growing City
Local capitalists organize to develop land and build affordable cottages to address Seattle's severe housing shortage.