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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 9 |
| 1883 | 36 |
| 1884 | 20 |
| 1885 | 45 |
| 1886 | 25 |
| 1887 | 29 |
164 stories matching learn
- The Unwelcome Interviewer
A reporter who tried to push his way onto the Villard party’s steamer learns that some doors—and decks—are firmly closed.
- The Sad Mystery of 'Kanaka Joe'
A man who drowned in Elliott Bay is identified as a former hospital patient known as 'Kanaka Joe' from the Sandwich Islands.
- The Steamship That Got Lost in Plain Sight
A maritime mystery in the Puget Sound ends when a confused mate mistakes the entrance to Port Madison, leading to a grounding and a desperate, multi-vessel search.
- An Irish Martyr’s Memory
A fiery speech at the Seattle branch of the Irish National League draws parallels between the American Revolution and the Irish struggle for independence.
- The Midnight Musician of Second and James
A classic Seattle neighborhood dispute over a disruptive neighbor and his relentless cornet playing.
- The Jury That Saw No News
Confined for ten days during the anti-Chinese riots of 1885, a sequestered jury was kept in the dark about the city’s upheaval—until they caught a stray remark about New York politics.
- A 'Model School' at Tulalip—and the Assimilation It Celebrated
A visiting booster praised the Sisters of Providence for teaching Native children manners, work and obedience—a revealing snapshot of assimilation policy in Washington Territory.
- The Political Club That Stood Up to a Partisan Purge
In 1885, a band of concerned citizens formed an 'independent' club to protect the judiciary from political interference, launching a defiant campaign to keep a respected judge on the bench.
- The Seattle Restaurant Pistol Melee
A breakfast turned violent when a man confronted the two thieves who had stolen his belongings—and who had served as witnesses in the Squak massacre trials.
- The Hollow Stump Swindle
A Spokane farmer learns the hard way that promises of quick riches found in a forest stump usually lead to empty pockets.
- The Price of a 'Square Meal' for a Piano Tuner
After recovering from a drinking binge in Oroville, a hungry traveler found himself penniless—and learned the hard way that business owners in 1882 took a dim view of unpaid bills.
- The Struggle for a Mountain Wagon Road
A persistent local pioneer lobbies for a Snoqualmie Pass road to connect Eastern Washington farmers to Puget Sound ports.
- A Glimpse of Early Student Life at 'The University'
A parent reflects on the rigorous intellectual environment and the warm, 'family-like' boarding experience at a regional boarding school in Washington Territory.
- The Bridge at the Commissioner's Back Door
A group of settlers in the White River Valley accuses a King County commissioner of misusing taxpayer money to build a bridge near his own property, ignoring the needs of the actual traveling public.
- A Botched Rescue on the Okanogan Road
A deputy's long ride to arrest a suspected murderer ended in a roadside gunfight, with the prisoner shot dead—apparently by his own son—and the young man still at large.
- A Stabbing on Mill Street: Frank Hardy Not Expected to Recover
John Nolan attacked Hardy in a beer hall kept by Mrs. Sullivan; no motive has been found, and the case goes before Justices Cass and Vrooman.
- An Empty Cage: Sheriff McGraw’s ‘Ghost’ Jail
In a turn of fortune for the Seattle jail, the cells have emptied out, leaving the Sheriff with little to do but manage a single remaining debtor.
- New Coal Vein Discovered in the Cascades
A six-foot-thick vein of coal discovered near Cle Elum marks a new development in regional resource exploration.
- The Schoolroom Rebellion
A student faces expulsion for daring to recite Robert Ingersoll in class.
- A Mounted Inspector for Eastern Washington
The Treasury Department increases customs presence near Fort Colville to enforce Chinese exclusion laws.
- The Excursion Party's Cold Shoulder
A visiting elite excursion party bypassed Seattle after hearing the city lacked a 'commensurate' hotel.
- Diphtheria Closes School in Walla Walla
A local report highlights economic tension and a health crisis in Walla Walla, while a child in Waitsburg narrowly avoids a poisoning tragedy.
- The Clerk Who Left Snohomish with the Cash
A local store employee clears out inventory and skips town, leaving his employers with empty shelves and an 'elite' social circle in shock.
- Tragic Death of a Young Miner
A Massachusetts native employed by the Oregon Improvement Company takes his own life near Wilkeson.
- Vice on the Rocks: Seattle's Cleanup
A sweeping, if optimistic, report on the courts cracking down on the city's infamous dens of inequity.