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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 35 |
| 1877 | 25 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1880 | 7 |
70 stories matching fall
- An Expedition to the 'Niagara of the North'
A rugged traveler describes a treacherous 1874 journey by canoe and foot to witness the majesty of Snoqualmie Falls.
- Disaster at the Hardware Store
A shelf collapse at a prominent Seattle hardware firm results in injury and property loss, highlighting the hazards of downtown commercial growth.
- A Perilous Ascent on Front Street
A construction worker suffers a violent fall while building a new home, sparking a community health scare in 1870s Seattle.
- The Wettest Spring in Memory: Walla Walla’s Deluge and the Rainbow That Spanned Mountains
While Seattle residents fret over rain cisterns, neighbors to the east endure a historic deluge that has delayed planting and produced a rare midnight rainbow stretching from the Cascades to the Columbia.
- The Perilous Plank at Front and Seneca
For months, Seattle residents braved a treacherous, unlit crossing near the waterfront, until a cook’s brutal fall finally forced a call for accountability.
- The Race That Wasn't: A 'Compulsory' Chase on the Snoqualmie Road
In September 1876, a traveler near Fall City was forced into a high-speed gallop by five Indigenous men who claimed they only wanted to test their horses' speed against his.
- The Bullet That Shattered a Shoulder and Saved a Presidency
A curious historical note in the Daily Intelligencer reveals that President James A. Garfield’s fatal wound was not from a duel, but a tragic accident during a Civil War skirmish—while his predecessor Hayes suffered a broken leg from a fall.
- The Struggle for a Safer Seattle Waterfront
As the city rapidly expands its harbor, a push for a new railing along the waterfront aims to protect nighttime travelers from accidental falls.
- The Midnight Hazard on Front Street
A pedestrian falls into an open trench, highlighting the lack of basic safety measures in a growing, construction-heavy Seattle.
- The Mail Monopoly Hurting Washington’s Pioneers
Settlers in Snoqualmie and Fall City faced weeks of delays because a contractor prioritized convenience over the needs of isolated rural communities.
- The Miracle Doctor of Fall City
A smooth-talking grifter conned the countryside with fake cures and a borrowed horse, only to vanish into thin air.
- Building a Road for the Snohomish Valley
In 1876, Seattle merchants were urged to build a road to the Snohomish and Snoqualmie rivers to secure trade and accelerate settlement in the fertile bottom lands.
- The Perils of the Snohomish Slough
A grain-laden schooner runs aground in the treacherous river mud, highlighting the risks of shipping in the early days of Washington Territory.
- The Tragic Death of a Chinese Cook at Port Gamble
An accident in shallow water claims the life of a laborer, highlighting the precarious conditions for workers in the Puget Sound mill towns of 1877.
- The Iron Arteries of Early Seattle
A look inside the 1874 industrial engine of the city, where blacksmiths, carriage builders, and machinery experts kept the gears of a growing frontier town turning.
- The Great Seattle Housing Shortage: Why Immigrants Are Skipping Town
Despite a slowdown in new construction compared to last year, the city is facing a critical shortage of boarding houses and homes. Officials warn that without immediate building, the next wave of immigrants will bypass Seattle for other cities.
- The Unending Grading of Front Street
Seattle's downtown thoroughfare is locked in a cycle of costly miscalculations, mud, and construction delays.
- The Logging Tragedy on the Duwamish
A young worker’s sudden death in the woods serves as a grim reminder of the perils facing early laborers in the Seattle territory.
- The Price of Saving the Country
In 1880 Seattle, a local paper captures a cynical, all-too-familiar conversation between two men on the street regarding the true value of political engagement.
- The Day Love Defied the Justice of the Peace
A justice office in Seattle becomes a battleground for romance when an angry father-in-law attempts to stop a wedding, only to be thwarted by police and a determined couple.
- The Northwest's Silver Lining in the California Drought
As farmers in California face a 'famine year' due to extreme dry weather, Puget Sound agriculture stands to gain from a surge in demand and profit.
- The Tragic End of a Traveling Grifter
A notorious card shark is declared insane by the courts after a life spent deceiving folks from British Columbia to Virginia City.
- The Meteorology of the Woods
An 1880 meteorologist argues that deforestation is responsible for the drying of rivers and the loss of rainfall, a warning from the early days of Washington Territory.
- The Daily Intelligencer’s Take on the 1876 Political Circus
Reflecting on the fall of high-profile presidential hopefuls, a Seattle editor decries the 'professional politician' class and the loss of disinterested public service.
- The City That Couldn't Keep Up: Seattle’s Housing Crisis of 1876
As immigrants flood in from Kansas and beyond, the city's building boom fails to match the demand for shelter, threatening a severe shortage before winter sets in.