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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 35 |
| 1877 | 25 |
| 1878 | 18 |
| 1880 | 4 |
82 stories matching clear
- The Skagit River Jam Scandal
A public spat between two men regarding the funds collected to clear the Skagit River, a vital waterway for early logging and shipping.
- The Great Cedar Jam: How Settlers Cleared the Skagit River by Hand
In September 1876, a group of determined farmers and loggers took on the massive timber jams blocking the Skagit River, hoping to unlock sixty miles of navigation for their struggling community.
- The Duwamish River's Unexpected Log-Clearing Service
A winter flood on the Duwamish River brought chaos to local farmland, but farmers found a silver lining in the disaster.
- The Great Jam: Seattle’s Gamble on Clearing the Skagit River
As a massive log jam threatens to stall trade in the fertile Skagit Valley, enterprising locals are betting their fortunes on a dangerous engineering feat to open the river for commerce.
- The Unfinished Business of Education
A reflection on school life, lifelong learning, and the ambitious spirit of Seattle’s youth in 1876.
- The Snow Shoveler’s Lesson in Seattle Manners
A local woman learns that dignity isn't just about hard work—it’s about how you carry yourself, even when clearing a sidewalk.
- Snoqualmie River Farm With 160 Acres for Sale
A rare 1878 listing offers a glimpse into the grueling reality of clearing timber and building a life on the frontier, where 'weak lungs'—a common death sentence in the era—forced a settler to abandon his homestead.
- The Magic of Christmas in Pioneer Seattle
A glimpse into 1876 holiday traditions, from elaborate 'Fairy Land' church displays to the grab-box giveaways that defined the season for the city's children.
- The Rising Forests of Belltown
A 1875 dispatch captures a neighborhood in metamorphosis, as the deep woods of Belltown are rapidly cleared to make way for cozy cottages and the expansion of Seattle.
- The Blue Sand Beneath Seattle
In September 1876, a crew of Chinese laborers excavating the foundation for a new building at Wellington and Third struck a rare geological treasure: a bed of pure blue sand.
- The Promised Land of North River
A booster advertisement in 1878 paints the North River Valley as a hidden agricultural utopia awaiting two hundred families.
- The River’s Revenge: How a Flood Saved the Jam Company Millions
While laborers toiled for months to clear the Snoqualmie Falls log jam, a sudden freshet swept away their equipment and valuable timber—yet paradoxically cleared the river faster than human hands ever could.
- The Farmers’ Fight to Clear the Skagit River
When the government refused to fund the removal of dangerous log jams, local settlers and merchants took the job into their own hands, relying on community donations rather than official aid.
- The Fairview Dream: Installment Housing in 1878 Seattle
A real estate advertisement for the 'Fairview Addition' highlights the city's early embrace of the installment plan to help working-class families buy land.
- The Fairview Addition: A 19th-Century Real Estate Pitch
An 1878 advertisement for a 'rich, level' tract of land reveals how early Seattle developers used the installment plan to sell the dream of homeownership.
- The Shell That Survived the Fire: A Seattle Man’s Close Call with a Civil War Artifact
An eccentric local resident discovers a live cannonball in his firewood, leading to a terrifying explosion that sends him tumbling down a hillside.
- The Bullet That Traveled Half a Mile
A quiet morning in Seattle turns into a medical mystery when a stray bullet from a distant rifle finds a local man in his own shop.
- The Struggle to Clear the Skagit River
Loggers and settlers face a massive, shifting timber jam on the Skagit River, with locals debating the impact of land ownership on the future of the valley.
- The City That Slid Away: Seattle’s Front Street Disaster of 1876
As the city expands up its steep hills, a critical retaining wall on Front Street collapses under the weight of new development, leaving officials to wonder if Seattle is building itself into a disaster.
- A Near-Fatal Industrial Error at the Mill
A dangerous malfunction at a Seattle sawmill nearly crushes a worker, serving as a reminder of the perils of unregulated labor in the territory.
- The Unsung Pioneers Clearing the Skagit River
While the territory hailed the opening of the Skagit Valley to navigation, the men bankrolling the arduous labor of clearing the massive log jam were left bankrupt.
- The Farming Pioneer of Protection Island
A bold settler bets on agriculture in the San Juan Islands, finding a thriving home where others saw only isolation.
- The Pioneer Dream on the Snoqualmie River
A settler lists his homestead for sale, offering a window into the grueling physical labor and speculative ambition of 1870s life in the Washington Territory.
- The Bachelor’s Secret: Why He Loves a Crying Baby
A humorous anecdote from the May 5, 1877, *Seattle Daily Intelligencer* reveals the cynical charm of a local bachelor who finds comfort in infant noise because it clears the room.
- The Price of a Filthy City
In 1877, Seattle editors warned that stagnant water and neglected gutters were more than just a nuisance—they were a matter of life and death.