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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 16 |
| 1883 | 82 |
| 1884 | 36 |
| 1885 | 71 |
| 1886 | 35 |
| 1887 | 35 |
275 stories matching half
- The Burden of the Land Monopoly
A critique of how the Northern Pacific Railroad’s land grants forced local settlers to subsidize wealthy corporations.
- White Mob Hangs Innocent Teen at Nooksack Crossing
A white mob dragged Jimmie Boole from his bed at Nooksack Crossing and hanged him from a tree to force a confession for a horse theft he was innocent of, cutting him down before he died.
- The Great Freeze of 1883
Seattle shivers as a record-breaking cold snap turns the bay to ice and shutters local mills.
- The Mirror in the Half-Dollar: A Gambling Cheat's Downfall
A man arrested for theft in Seattle was found carrying a doctored coin designed to help him win at cards.
- The Birth of Ellensburg
A railroad company, a local politician, and a handful of property owners cut a deal to secure the future of a new town in the Kittitas Valley.
- The Gas Company vs. The Crossing
A minor civic dispute in 1882 reveals the early friction between private utility companies and public infrastructure maintenance in downtown Seattle.
- Half-Million Dollar Blaze Destroys Cincinnati Freight Depot
Seattle fire department rushed to the corner of Sixth and Main streets to battle a fire that decimated a major grain and freight warehouse.
- The Tragic Fourth of July Death of a Local Policeman
A Seattle officer lost his life in a freak horseback accident during the city's holiday celebrations, marking a somber end to the 1885 festivities.
- The Price of Crossing the Cascades
A legislative proposal seeks $10,000 to bridge the Snoqualmie Pass, promising a new lifeline between Seattle and the inland valleys.
- The Jailbreak at Fort Simcoe
A notorious murderer escapes custody in Yakima, leaving the community on edge.
- Midnight Hijack on the Coal Wharf
A steamship steward is drugged and robbed in the dark, highlighting the dangers lurking on the Seattle waterfront.
- The Unseen Labor of a Household
A spicy letter from a 'Little Worker' challenges a farm editor’s complaints about the difficulty of finding domestic help.
- The Price of a 'Sharp Practice'
An early Tacoma settler recounts how a handshake deal for a town site—and his trust in corporate promises—cost him a half-million-dollar fortune.
- Tragedy at the Tremont Hotel
A morning boiler explosion at a five-story hotel left multiple dead and injured, rattling the foundations of downtown Seattle.
- A Sudden End in the Woods
A young immigrant worker killed by a falling limb near Seattle highlights the perils of early logging.
- Walla Walla Editor Shoots Brewery Owner
A political leader and newspaper man fires on a local businessman after a dispute over a published critique of the brewery's beer.
- The Tragic Cost of the Shingle Boom
A horrific workplace accident in a local mill underscores the lethal danger facing Washington’s labor force at the height of the timber expansion.
- The Ghost of the River
A tragic mix-up in identity leaves a drowned man's body buried in a shallow grave until friends intervene.
- Federal Authorities Seize Fifty Pounds of Opium in Seattle
A court notice reveals the confiscation of contraband from a Seattle residence in 1885.
- Midnight Panic at the St. Cloud
A spectacular five-story blaze in downtown Seattle forces guests to flee in their nightclothes, leaving a landmark hotel in ruins.
- The Tragedy at Washington Foundry
A local machinist is killed on the job, leaving behind a grieving family and a community in shock.
- Opium Seizure in the Third Judicial District
Federal authorities move to condemn fifty pounds of contraband opium found concealed within a house in Seattle.
- The Narrow Escape of the Passenger on the George E. Starr
While boarding a steamship at Port Gamble, a man walking along the deck slipped through an unguarded gap in the railing—highlighting the dangerous lack of safety regulations on Puget Sound vessels.
- 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.
- Trapped in the Wiser Lake Wilderness
A traveler gets lost in the brutal mud, snow, and falling timber of the Nooksack Valley while searching for a homestead.