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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 8 |
| 1883 | 45 |
| 1884 | 16 |
| 1885 | 30 |
| 1886 | 23 |
| 1887 | 17 |
139 stories matching portion
- The Battle for Belltown's Fire Engine
A citizen's fiery demand that the city stop hoarding firefighting resources in the business district and grant the northern residents the protection they pay for.
- Clearing the Beach Squatters
City authorities order the removal of squatters living on the tide lands as the city begins to enforce strict land claims.
- The Mud Hole at the Arlington Hotel
A local property dispute on Commercial Street exposes the messy reality of 1885 Seattle infrastructure.
- A Gilded Vision of the Northwest Frontier
Celebrating the completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad, a booster-style manifesto maps out a future for Washington’s 'infant cities.'
- 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.
- Seattle's Mayor Calls for Modern Infrastructure
In his annual address, Mayor H. G. Struve urges the city to build a modern sewer system and expand city limits to meet rapid population growth.
- The Taxman Cometh: A Seattle Pioneer Defends His Reputation
Prominent settler George Kinnear clarifies his position after appearing on a list of delinquent taxpayers for street improvements.
- Harvest Hands Are Scarce, and the Bunch Grass Is Turning to Hay
Kittitas farmers face a labor shortage, prematurely ripened grain and a dry-weather hay crop as barley and fall wheat come in.
- The Great Mud Flat Land War
An armed confrontation breaks out over disputed tide lands as settlers use cannon and rifles to defend their property claims.
- The Pavement Fight: Seattle’s Battle for a Wider Second Street
A century ago, city leaders warned that Seattle’s narrow streets were choking its growth, sparking a massive petition to widen the thoroughfare before the 'brick building' boom made the change impossible.
- Seattle’s Early Infrastructure Struggles: A City Thirsty for Reliability
A pipe burst in the heart of Seattle left residents without water, forcing them to queue at public wells as the growing city learned the hard way about the vulnerabilities of its infrastructure.
- The Midnight Musician of Second and James
A classic Seattle neighborhood dispute over a disruptive neighbor and his relentless cornet playing.
- The Shadow of the Anti-Chinese Movement in Puyallup
A local meeting of citizens and the Sheriff turns into a mass swearing-in of deputy sheriffs as anti-Chinese agitation reaches a fever pitch.
- The 'Big Little Job' of Connecting the Sound
How engineer Nonneman tackled the treacherous swamps and trestle-heavy terrain of the new rail line.
- Chief Moses and the Stolen Reservation
A Spokane Indian leader bypasses federal agents to protest a land grab in Washington Territory.
- Main Street Reshaped: Col. Squire’s Development
Col. Watson C. Squire initiates the demolition of aging buildings behind the Brunswick and Arlington hotels, signaling a period of major urban redevelopment in Seattle.
- The Waterfront 'Hotbed of Disorder'
In 1887, Seattle officials and citizens mobilized to purge the city's waterfront of the 'notorious' floating houses that provided a refuge for the city's poorest residents.
- 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.
- The Unfinished Business of Reuben Doyle
A legal notice from 1882 reveals the quiet end of a pioneer's estate in early Seattle.
- The Tragedy at the Seattle Mine
A mine worker falls through a sinkhole into a subterranean coal fire at Newcastle.
- A Deadly Medical Dispute in Snohomish
A doctor in the Snohomish valley faces fatal violence after a long-standing property dispute with a local family spirals into a shooting.
- The Coal Mine Hidden in the Cascade Foothills
A rare 1880s investment pitch reveals a vast, forgotten coal tract for sale near Seattle, showcasing the city's early hunger for industrial dominance.
- The City Cracks Down on Unlicensed Saloons
Three women and a Frenchman are fined by Judge Cann in a sweep of Washington Street’s unsavory quarters.
- Seattle Welcomes the Iron Road
The completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad sparks a massive civic celebration, promising to end Seattle’s era of isolation.
- The Great Chehalis Flood
A historic deluge leaves mill workers homeless and livestock lost as record tides overwhelm the river valley.