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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 9 |
| 1884 | 4 |
| 1885 | 9 |
| 1886 | 10 |
| 1887 | 10 |
45 stories matching difficult
- The 'Big Little Job' of Connecting the Sound
How engineer Nonneman tackled the treacherous swamps and trestle-heavy terrain of the new rail line.
- Fire on Lake Bosler: A Logging Crew's Narrow Escape
A brush-clearing fire near a new railroad bridge spiraled out of control in Snohomish County, forcing a team of loggers into a desperate flight for survival.
- The Inner Life of a Dining Room Waiter
A frank, cynical look at the power dynamics between restaurant staff and customers in early Seattle.
- Narrow Escape in the Business District
A late-night fire is extinguished in a downtown shoe shop just before it could engulf the surrounding blocks.
- The Wild West of Clock-Watching in Seattle
Before standardized time zones arrived in Seattle, residents had to contend with a city where every jeweler and church bell kept their own schedule.
- The Teachers' Pay Gap
An editorial from 1887 argues that Seattle’s teachers are overworked, undervalued, and paid significantly less than city laborers.
- The Christmas That Almost Wasn't
A local carpenter's struggle to collect payment before the holidays highlights the precarity of working families in early Seattle.
- The Great Land Office Migration
When the federal government moved the regional land office from Olympia to Seattle, the move signaled a pivotal shift in the economic gravity of the Puget Sound.
- Seattle’s Quest for Reliable Water
How a local reservoir project aims to secure a steady water supply for a growing city.
- The Mystery of the Silent Man
A deaf and mute man, unable to communicate, wanders the mill districts of Seattle, leaving local authorities perplexed and the public uneasy.
- The Mysterious Disappearance of a Local Hotelier
After securing bond on a criminal charge, a local business owner vanished after borrowing money and cigars from a business partner.
- The Rowboat on the Lake: A Mercer Island Escape Plot
Court testimony reveals a clandestine boat trip, a hidden trail through the brush, and a suspicious midnight departure that set local residents whispering of a daring jailbreak.
- The Forgotten Map: When North Idaho Was Seattle’s Neighbor
For years, North Idaho residents pushed to break away from their own state and join Washington Territory, citing geographic reality and political isolation.
- The Rival Ports of the Northwest
A look at the growing competition between Portland, Tacoma, and Seattle as the Northern Pacific Railroad nears completion.
- The Cod Fishing Fleet of the North
A look inside the grueling, monotonous, and dangerous lives of the men hauling cod from the icy waters of the Okhotsk and Bering seas.
- The Battle of the Kittitas Toll-Gate
A road construction project in the mountains has sparked a local rebellion, pitting frustrated residents against the private toll-road operators.
- The Great County Border War of 1886
When Pierce County attempted to poach King County's townships to bolster its own size and wealth, the local press didn't mince words about the 'unauthorized' territorial expansion.
- A Sunday Visit to the Seattle Missions
A traveler reflects on the diverse congregations and the labor of local churches in the growing city of Seattle.
- The Great Hop Rush of the 1880s
Boosterism and labor anxiety collide as Washington Territory's hop production booms in Pierce and King Counties.
- The Migration of the Disillusioned
Facing declining wages and the overcrowding of Eastern cities, a group of Pittsburgh families pulls up stakes for the promise of the Washington Territory.
- The Bird of Dexter: A Partridge’s Remarkable Return
After being tamed, caged, and set free on a farm, a wild partridge inexplicably returned to its owner's doorstep, prompting a local newspaper to take notice.
- The Secret Railway Building Under Seattle’s Streets
While the city slept, a mysterious construction crew pushed a new railway line through the downtown core, dodging private lots and baffling local observers.
- The Senate's Sudden Revolt Against Corporate Power
In an unexpected political shift, the U.S. Senate moves to curb the influence of corporations on Congress, shaking up the power dynamics in Washington Territory and beyond.
- The Great Tax Assessment Mess of 1887
Seattle and King County property owners find their tax rolls hopelessly entangled in errors, leaving public officials to question if the entire assessment should be scrapped.
- The Rivalry That Built the Sound
In 1887, C.B. Wright, a key figure in the development of Tacoma, reflects on the 'nip and go' panic that forced the Northern Pacific terminus to choose between Tacoma and Seattle.