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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 22 |
| 1877 | 18 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1880 | 5 |
48 stories matching kept
- The Salt Water Summer of 1878
Before indoor plumbing and private beaches, Seattle's waterfront was the city's shared, chaotic, and joyous summer escape.
- 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 Wellington Strike: When Coal Miners Said 'No' to a Pay Cut
In July 1876, 70 miners at the Wellington colliery were fired for refusing a wage reduction, bringing the mine to a halt in a struggle that defined labor relations on the Pacific Northwest frontier.
- The Pioneer Wagon Shop of Old Seattle
A look at the essential craftsmanship that kept the streets of 1870s Seattle moving.
- The Pox Patrol: When Smallpox Patients Went Out for Whiskey
In 1880, Seattle's quarantine measures were so lax that victims were reportedly slipping out of the pesthouse at night to hit the saloons.
- The Victorian Anxiety Over 'Fat Babies'
An 1880 advice column warns parents that 'excessive fat is really a disease' and cautions against the physical toll of oversized toddlers on their own developing bones.
- The Artisan of the Seattle Frontier
Before the city became a tech hub, it was built by tradesmen; M. J. Oldis established a stoneyard at the foot of Second Street to provide the marble and masonry that would give a permanent face to a wood-plank town.
- Forging a Growing City: The Pioneer Wagon Shop
While Seattle’s entrepreneurs advertised exotic goods, T. W. Hunt kept the city moving by building the heavy wagons essential to the region's logging industry.
- A Bloody Struggle at the Wharf
A dockside confrontation leads to a violent stabbing, shedding light on the tensions surrounding labor and safety in the growing port of Seattle.
- Seattle’s First Great Infrastructure Boom
An 1877 report captures a young Seattle at a crossroads, boasting of massive rail investments and its first-ever public spending on city grading, setting a precedent for a city that never stops building.
- The Concordia Beer Hall Heist
A cool-headed band of thieves broke into a Seattle saloon, cracked the safe, and held an impromptu dinner party with stolen beer and cigars before vanishing.
- The Night Watchman's Duel: Officer Thorndike Wrestles Pistol from Drunkard in Seattle Jail
A violent struggle inside the local jail cell block leaves an officer battered but victorious after a prisoner attempts to shoot his way out.
- The Alpine Music of South Seattle
South Seattle residents protest the discordant 'Alpine music' of roaming livestock that kept the neighborhood awake.
- A Soaking Wet Spectacle at Harrington Wharf
A drunken man's attempt to secure a tow across the water ends in a humiliating and hilarious public splashdown.
- Stagecoach Chaos on Mill Street
A frightened team of horses sparks a wild ride through downtown Seattle, leaving a lone passenger clinging on for dear life.
- The Industrial Heartbeat of 1876 Seattle
A glimpse into the daily churn of a rapidly growing frontier town, where hardware, coal, and steam power built the foundation of the Emerald City.
- 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 Great Seattle Straw Hat Swindle
A smooth-talking grifter fleeced the crowds of Seattle by promising cheap hats, only to leave them holding handfuls of worthless paper.
- The Unwelcome Neighbor
When a Seattle doctor suggested a medical procedure involving a neighboring family, a local woman’s sharp refusal revealed the rigid social anxieties of the frontier.
- The Great Meat Safe: How Seattle’s Fishermen Could Have Rivalled London’s Beef Trade
A July 1876 dispatch from the Agricultural Gazette reveals that fresh American beef was successfully shipped to London in refrigerated holds. The Daily Intelligencer editor sees a parallel opportunity for Puget Sound halibut, which currently spoils before reaching San Francisco markets.
- The 'Pretty Man' at the Seattle Theatre
An 1878 local columnist offers a biting, satirical takedown of a local dandy, mocking his grooming habits and public vanity at the theatre.
- 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.
- The Dog Tax That Barked Back: Seattle’s First Crackdown on Strays
In 1876, the City Council passed a law requiring every dog to wear a numbered collar and pay a tax—or face execution. The result? A chaotic hunt for unlicensed mutts and a grim new reality for the city's half-starved strays.
- City Hall's Belt-Tightening Cost Two Officers Their Badges
Facing a sudden budget crunch in 1876, the Seattle City Council moves to dismiss two members of the police force to balance the books.
- The Price of Panic: 1876 Seattle Views on Labor and Economic Depression
An editorial from the Seattle Daily Intelligencer explores the deep-seated economic anxieties of the era, blaming trade disputes and 'idle' men for the systemic instability of the Pacific Northwest.