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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 9 |
| 1884 | 4 |
| 1885 | 9 |
| 1886 | 8 |
| 1887 | 6 |
38 stories matching distant
- The Promised Valley: A Land of Promise and Grit
A detailed dispatch from Kittitas County outlines the rapid transformation of the wilderness into a grain-producing powerhouse and the desperate need for rail infrastructure.
- An Enchanting Journey Across the Salish Sea
A descriptive account of an 1881 midnight steamship voyage from Seattle to Victoria, capturing the beauty of the Sound and the Straits of Juan de Fuca.
- Firefighters, assemble! A Puyallup Valley inferno threatens the bridge
Citizens and volunteers rush to save a critical bridge in the Puyallup valley as wildfires ravage timberlands.
- The Tragedy on Meridian Street
A double murder-suicide in Tacoma marks a violent end for a couple married just three months.
- The Mountain Gold Miner of Snohomish County
While Seattle’s elite gossip about national politics, C. B. Battack is running a bustling quartz mine in the mountains of Snohomish County with his whole family.
- The Unsolved Mystery of the East Side Wharf
A man’s hat and belongings found near the O.&C. railroad tracks spark rumors of a brutal murder in early Seattle.
- The Letter that Carried Fever
A tragic medical mystery unfolds as a mother's joyful news becomes a vector for disease across the Pacific Northwest.
- A Domestic Tragedy in Mount Pleasant
A husband's rage turns fatal when a neighbor intervenes to protect his wife and children.
- Life and Labor at the Newcastle Coal Mines
With over 250 men working around the clock, the Newcastle mining camp is booming, but workers are facing a severe housing shortage.
- The Iron Road Reaches West
Surveyors are racing to connect the Snake River to Puget Sound, signaling a massive shift for Seattle’s future.
- Seattle's New Railroad Depot to Anchor Future Prosperity
City leaders anticipate that the construction of a grand new depot at the foot of Second Street will permanently shift the city's wholesale trade district.
- The Miser and the Missing Gold
A cautionary tale of a man who loved his gold more than his own peace of mind, only to find that hoarding it under a stone offered no security from the opportunistic thief.
- Seattle vs. Tacoma: The Great Railroad Battle
Boosterism was the lifeblood of 1883 Seattle, as the P-I staked its claim on the city's future as the 'terminal city' of the Northwest, despite President Villard's clear favoritism toward Tacoma.
- The Opium Smugglers of the Idaho
A federal investigation uncovers a massive scheme to hide contraband in the bilges and barrels of a Pacific steamship, revealing a deep culture of corruption in the Sound’s maritime trade.
- The Neighborhood Vigilance of 1886
When a Chinese-run laundry was established in a Seattle neighborhood, residents didn't petition the city—they took matters into their own hands.
- The Unsung Sacrifice in the Snow
A frontier trapper recounts the harrowing tale of 'Jim,' a mysterious, devoted man who gave his life to guide a young woman to her dying father through a deadly blizzard.
- The Gift of Block 88
When George Kinnear gifted a plot of land for a city park in 1888, he demanded the city clear the dead trees and build a fence, sparking a long-term vision for Seattle's public spaces.
- The Log Jam in Lake Union
How an innovative timber operation cut a channel through the lake to reach salt water, forever changing the Seattle landscape.
- An Excursion to the San Juan Islands
A pleasure party explores the lime kilns and historic military sites of the San Juan group, reflecting on the area's transition after the boundary dispute.
- The Midnight Ambush on the Northern Pacific Line
When an informal poker game at a remote sawmill camp turned into a violent robbery, the patrons initially thought it was all just a practical joke.
- The State of the Territory: 1885
Governor Watson C. Squire delivers a wide-ranging address on Washington's rapid growth, the need for a penitentiary, and the rising 'anti-Chinese' labor tensions in Seattle.
- The Steam Engine Enters the Timberlands
Logging railroads are rapidly replacing ox teams as the industry moves from the shoreline into the deep forests of the Snohomish River valley.
- Connecting the Lakes: Seattle's 1886 Tunnel Project
A new industrial contract promises to link Lake Union and Lake Washington, forever altering the local landscape to facilitate the region's burgeoning timber industry.
- The Clue in the Rubber Boots
A fire in a barn on White River leads to an arrest after a trail of distinct boot prints is discovered.
- The Night the Hue Jacket Struck the Tacoma
A federal admiralty complaint lays out a Strait of Juan de Fuca collision, a missing lookout, and a $15,000 claim against a square-rigged ship.