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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 9 |
| 1883 | 34 |
| 1884 | 16 |
| 1885 | 31 |
| 1886 | 19 |
| 1887 | 17 |
126 stories matching help
- Trapped on the Tide: Two Boys Stranded in a Waterfront Shack
While the city went about its business, two boys were left to drift into danger—and nearly starved in silence.
- The Great Divide: The Fight for a Mountain Rail Link
As the population of Western Washington booms in 1882, Seattle residents grow tired of paying for infrastructure projects while Eastern Washington neighbors demand the work for free.
- Seattle Baseball Team Issues Call for Support
Local players aim to uphold their record against the Victoria club, but they need the community’s help to make the trip across the border.
- The Unbuilt Railroad That Was Meant to Change Seattle Forever
In 1882, Seattle business leaders were desperate for a direct rail connection to Walla Walla, believing their city’s future prosperity hinged on punching a line through the Snoqualmie Pass.
- The Tragedy of a Deserted Mother on the Seattle Waterfront
A young woman, abandoned by an abusive husband, finds herself destitute and desperate for passage back home to Portland.
- The Tragedy on the Mud Flats
A fisherman’s attempt to reach his boat in the dark ends in a horrific drowning, as bystanders mistake his cries for help.
- A New Home for Seattle’s Vulnerable
The Ladies' Relief Society moves to expand its charitable mission by constructing a new facility near the Denny School.
- The Shadow Over the Hop Harvest
A recruitment advertisement for labor captures the simmering racial tensions and exclusionary practices of the 1885 Washington hop fields.
- Tragedy at the Portage: The Frozen Waters of Lake Union
A young immigrant worker drowns in the icy canal connecting Seattle's lakes, leaving his brother to mourn in a community built on the promise of infrastructure development.
- The Daily Hustle in 1884: Seattle’s Employment Market
A local advertisement offers a window into the hard-pressed economic life of the 1880s, where employment bureaus doubled as commercial clearinghouses for everything from Chinese hop pickers to ship crews.
- The Great Seattle Retail War of 1886
As Seattle merchants faced an economic downturn, a fierce 'price war' erupted between downtown clothiers, with competing shops slashing prices and using aggressive marketing to survive the season.
- The Judge's Warning Against Mob Rule in 1885 Seattle
Facing rising anti-Chinese violence, Chief Justice Greene of Washington Territory warned grand jurors that economic cycles and social grievances do not justify the 'folly of Xerxes'—mob violence.
- Tragic Drowning at the Gas Works
A young immigrant from Illinois dies while attempting to move a raft of timber across the water.
- The Tragedy at the Smith Home
A domestic accident in 1885 leads to the sudden, accidental death of a young mother in her bedroom.
- The Dangerous Habit of Ignoring Contagion
An 1886 editorial warns Seattle residents against the 'criminal' practice of visiting neighbors and public schools while carrying the germs of diphtheria and scarlet fever.
- 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 Seattle Way: How Local Businessmen Built a Railroad
A Walla Walla newspaper praises Seattle’s 'All pull together' motto after local merchants successfully pressured Henry Villard to finance a new coal-hauling railroad.
- Postmaster Cuts Hours Over Low Pay
Seattle's post office will close earlier as the postmaster struggles with inadequate funding to support his staff.
- Tragedy at the Barrel Factory
A young worker loses his life in a horrific industrial accident at the Seattle Manufacturing Company.
- The Phantom Murder of Snohomish
A night of terrifying screams and gunfire leads to a frantic, futile search for a body in the river.
- The Art of Getting Helped
A clever traveler tricks two impatient men into doing the labor he was too tired to finish.
- Tragedy in the Woods Near Lone Prairie
A woman experiencing a mental health crisis locked her home and set it ablaze, killing herself and her four children.
- A Wagon Road Paid For in Bacon and Grain
Kittitas Valley settlers bought stock in the Seattle and Walla Walla Wagon Road with labor and supplies as crews pushed toward Priest Rapids and the mountain passes.
- Mrs. Dine, Aging Teacher, Needs Community Support
An aging Seattle resident, who once helped build the foundations of the city, now struggles in penury—prompting a call for civic support.
- The Iron Rail Pipe Dream of 1882
A century and a half ago, the Post-Intelligencer pressed for a direct mountain rail line between Walla Walla and Puget Sound, promising prosperity—a debate over infrastructure and regional connectivity that still defines Washington politics.