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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1883 | 9 |
| 1884 | 6 |
| 1885 | 9 |
| 1887 | 3 |
27 stories matching sheet
- The Divine Sarah Bernhardt’s Theatrical Meltdown in Seattle
When the legendary French actress discovered her grand stage at the Columbia Theater had been booked for a minstrel show, she didn't just walk off—she unleashed a legendary, multi-lingual tantrum.
- The Struggle for the Eight-Hour Day
While Seattle’s mills slash hours and wages amid a lumber market slump, labor organizers face stiff resistance from manufacturers and owners.
- Boiler Explosion Wrecks Steamer Josephine Near Port Susan
A local steamer bound for the Skagit River suffers a boiler explosion near Fort Susan, leaving several dead and the vessel a total wreck.
- The Day the Newspaper Landed in the Bay
A minor dockside mishap leaves the Herald's front page floating in the water.
- Explosion on the Skagit River
A boilers explosion on a passenger steamer leaves eight dead and others wounded while commuters were at dinner.
- The Iron Workers’ Truce
After months of tense negotiations and the threat of a prolonged shutdown, iron manufacturers and workmen in Seattle reach a compromise to avert a general strike.
- The Great Freeze of 1883
Seattle shivers as a record-breaking cold snap turns the bay to ice and shutters local mills.
- A Fatal Fall for a Tacoma Fireman
A member of Native Hose Company No. 1 dies after falling from a wet, slick roof while responding to a call.
- A Look Back at Seattle's First Newspaper
An archival find reveals the humble, fragile origins of the city's press during the Civil War era.
- The Temperance Movement Makes Its Mark in Seattle
Western Washington women organize to battle 'worthless' sensational literature and the influence of the liquor trade.
- The Price of a Growing City: 1885 Fiscal Realities
A rare glimpse into the municipal balance sheets of 1885 Seattle, revealing the heavy costs of litigation, infrastructure, and the high price of maintaining public order in a boomtown.
- The Press War Over Official Corruption
A biting editorial battle between the Post-Intelligencer and the Seattle Chronicle over allegations of graft and the conduct of local officials.
- The Ferryman's Folly on Puget Sound
A squall catches an inexperienced sailor and sends a local ferryman’s sloop to the bottom of the Sound.
- Ice-Cut Canoe Tragedy on the River
A dark night and floating ice claim two lives near Langley in a failed river crossing.
- The Big Watch and Spectacle Fire Sale
After a brush with insolvency, a Seattle merchant pivots to an aggressive clearing-out sale of watches and musical instruments.
- The Northern Pacific's 'Remarkable' Ghost Stories
When the Northern Pacific Railroad tried to claim public land, their dubious land-grant 'discoveries' sparked a week of local outrage that exposed corporate greed.
- The Ghost of the Well
A skeptical homesteader uncovers a decade-old double murder at an 'abandoned' property in Oldtown.
- Chinatown Ash and Ember: A City Under Siege
A devastating fire levels the Chinese quarter in Tacoma, leaving the community in ruins and stoking the fires of anti-Chinese agitation.
- Police Crack Down on Local Gambling Den
After ignoring illegal banking games for some time, the city police force raids a gambling operation and arrests the dealers.
- The Salvage Ship That Came to Raise Puget Sound’s Sunken Wrecks
A new wrecking schooner arrived in Seattle with a rubber-suited diver, hydraulic jacks and a plan to lift the sunken Mississippi and Warhawk from the Sound.
- Steamer Josephine Boiler Explosion Remembered a Year Later
A haunting one-year retrospective on a boiler explosion that devastated a local crew and passengers near Port Hadlock.
- 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 Burglary in the Cathedral
A legal loophole in Washington Territory prevents a man accused of living inside a church from being charged with burglary, sparking a public outcry against the prosecutor.
- The Canal That Would Make Seattle an Island
In 1883, surveyors proposed locks and canals linking Lake Union and Lake Washington to tidewater—so coal could move by water and Seattle could 'practically stand on an island.'
- The Final Voyage of the Wildwood
A steamship captain recounts the harrowing night his vessel burned to the water’s edge while docked at Olympia.