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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 9 |
| 1883 | 21 |
| 1884 | 16 |
| 1885 | 27 |
| 1886 | 18 |
| 1887 | 17 |
108 stories matching strong
- A Laborer's Grievance Over Skimpy Wages
A worker on the Madison Street grade reports that his contractor is withholding pay, sparking a debate on fairness and city debt.
- A Steamboat Showdown on the Sound
When two rival steamers raced from Tacoma to Seattle, the smaller vessel left its larger competitor in its wake.
- The Disappearing Clerk of Commercial Street
A dry goods clerk accused of larceny abandons his bond and flees to Port Townsend under an assumed name.
- The False Alarm That Almost Set Seattle Afire
When an unfounded panic about an anti-Chinese uprising brought the Governor and the state militia to Seattle, a tense city collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
- The Test of the Chemical Fire Extinguisher
A skeptical crowd gathers at Second and Marion to watch a new, pressurized fire-fighting contraption in action.
- A Wedding Night Tragedy on Front Street
A festive family gathering in early Seattle turned into a scene of grief after a father’s sudden medical emergency overshadowed his daughter's marriage.
- Corporate Audacity: The Northern Pacific Land Grant Controversy
A scathing report on how a railroad company attempted to keep massive public land grants despite failing to build the promised infrastructure.
- The Political Bazaar of 1887
Before the Washington State Legislature even convened, the corridors of Olympia hotels turned into a chaotic, horse-trading marketplace for the speakership.
- The Perilous Rescue at Pillar Point
A steamship crew's desperate battle against a violent storm and a jagged coastline ends in a daring rescue on the Puget Sound.
- The Croquet Courtship Scandal
A young suitor and his sweetheart face off against a disapproving father in an all-woman jury trial.
- The Sunday Saloon Wars: How Seattle Debated the 'Law and Order' Ordinance
In 1885, Seattle’s City Council erupted into a fierce debate over a proposal to force saloons to close on Sundays, pitting reformers against tavern owners in a struggle over civic control and personal liberty.
- Lincoln County Carved Out
Legislative battle ends in the creation of a new county despite local opposition.
- When Washington Territory Granted Women the Vote
A rare 1884 report reflects on the early, controversial experiment of woman suffrage and the inclusion of women on juries.
- An Inmate's Charges: A Clergyman in the Asylum Accuses Its Keepers
A Presbyterian minister confined to the hospital for the insane levels 'painful charges' against its management, and the paper — even doubting his reliability — demands an investigation.
- 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 Struggle for an American Canal
A 1885 editorial dissecting the political tensions of the era and the push for an American-controlled interoceanic waterway.
- Steaming Through Deception Pass
A rare account of the steamer Washington braving the treacherous currents of Deception Pass to maintain mail service.
- The Rescue of the Bark Arabella
After running aground, a stranded vessel is saved by the quick work of local steamers.
- The Mystery of the Freezing Well
A farmer digging a well in Eastern Washington strikes a bizarre pocket of frozen earth that defies explanation.
- Seattle Lawyers Debate Martial Law and Mob Violence
In a tense meeting, the King County Bar Association condemns the recent anti-Chinese expulsions and debates whether to censure lawyers involved in the agitation.
- The Fight for a New County: Skagit vs. Whatcom
Legislative debate over splitting Whatcom County highlights the perennial struggle of managing geography and infrastructure in the growing Washington Territory.
- The Fight to Reclaim Railroad Lands
A lobbyist writes from Washington, D.C., on the progress of a bill to forfeit Northern Pacific land grants and restore them to the public domain.
- The Miracle Springs of the Columbia
Boosterism and health claims surround the discovery of sulfur springs at the Lower Cascades.
- The Wreck of the SS Umatilla
Local inspectors clear a ship captain of wrongdoing, citing deceptive coastal currents and a blinding snowstorm.
- The Ethics of Prohibition and the 'Beastly' Public
An editorial critique of a prohibitionist’s sermon that labels the common public as cowardly and corrupt.