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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 5 |
| 1883 | 29 |
| 1884 | 15 |
| 1885 | 24 |
| 1886 | 13 |
| 1887 | 13 |
99 stories matching limit
- Land Office Cuts Northern Pacific Claims by One-Third
A government intervention restores a third of Northern Pacific's land claims in Washington to the public domain, sparking a bitter feud between settlers and the railroad.
- The Price of Public Safety
City council debates delaying fire limits due to high brick costs.
- The Policing of Lake Union’s Wild Frontiers
Early Seattleites living near Lake Union demanded a policeman to stop the frequent, dangerous gunfire by 'amateur sportsmen' near their homes.
- The Jackson Street Railroad Takes Shape
The City Council reviews a massive ordinance granting transit rights across town, from Elliott Bay to the city limits.
- The Constitutional Limits of the Tax Man
A territorial court judge rules that forcing business owners to open their private books to the County Assessor is unconstitutional.
- The City Council Sets Rules for Seattle’s Streetcars
A new ordinance dictates how street railways will operate, mandating street paving, track maintenance, and fare standards to protect the public interest.
- The 17,000-Acre Land Grab
A federal decision exposes how settlers were misled by illegitimate land claims near Wallula, Washington, setting off a scramble for government property.
- Squabbling Over the City's Edge
A land dispute settled in Olympia signals the future value of acreage just outside the Seattle city limits.
- Shanties Cleared at University Street
The City Council orders the destruction of precarious housing at the waterfront, forcing residents out to make way for development.
- The Unceremonious Dismissal of Chief Woolery
A police chief accused of serious misconduct walks away without a hearing, leaving Seattle residents bewildered and angry.
- The Struggle for Housing in Booming Seattle
As Seattle's population surges, new residents struggle to find housing in a city already pushed to its limits.
- Tumwater Secures Its Future With Railroad Deal
Local committee reaches agreement with railroad company for depot, water rights, and machine shops.
- The Inner Life of a Dining Room Waiter
A frank, cynical look at the power dynamics between restaurant staff and customers in early Seattle.
- The Revolving Door of the Tunnel Works
Laborers are quitting as fast as they arrive due to low pay and brutal weather conditions at the Cascade tunnel site.
- The Railroad Draws a Line in the Mud: Seattle's Tidelands Declared Off-Limits
In a public notice, the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad Company claims every foot of Elliott Bay shore south of King Street — wet sand, deep water and all — and warns the public to keep off without written permission.
- Railroad Land Grabs Threaten Whitman County Settlers
Homesteaders fight a corporate legal battle to save their farms from a massive Northern Pacific land grant interpretation.
- The Great Liquor Debate of 1886
As Seattle teetered on the edge of a new era, citizens prepared for a pivotal June vote to determine the future of the local liquor trade.
- The Campaign to Purge Seattle’s Chinatown
In 1885, as anti-Chinese sentiment surged across the Pacific Northwest, a Seattle city official led a raid on the city's Chinatown, marking an early, aggressive move in the movement to drive the Chinese community out of the city.
- The Blueprint for a Growing City
Newly proposed amendments to the Seattle city charter reveal the administrative scaffolding behind the city's 1883 expansion, including fire department mandates and tax enforcement.
- Mining Accident Leads to Fatal Infection
A young miner's tragic end in Newcastle highlights the dangers of the industry and the limitations of 1883 medical care.
- The End of the Railroad Land Grab
A trio of government decisions finally ends the Northern Pacific's long-standing practice of seizing settler homes in Washington Territory.
- Federal Land Decisions in Kittitas County
The Interior Department rejects land claims in the Yakima and Walla Walla districts.
- An International Legal Loophole for a Fugitive
Sheriff McGraw discovers that a man indicted for grand larceny cannot be extradited from British Columbia due to the limited scope of the existing treaty.
- The City Council Grants Massive Streetcar Monopoly
A sweeping new ordinance grants a local transit company the right to lay tracks across vast swaths of Seattle's downtown, prioritizing private infrastructure over the city's future growth.
- Washington Territory's 1886 Statehood Bill
Delegate Voorhees presents the case for Washington Territory's admission into the Union, emphasizing the constitutional safeguards proposed in his latest bill.