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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 13 |
| 1877 | 16 |
| 1878 | 8 |
| 1879 | 3 |
40 stories matching forc
- The Invisible Milky Way in a Glass of Wine
A scientific lecture from 1878 explores the 'vital ether' and the microscopic life forces that drive fermentation.
- The Human Machine: An 1876 Warning on Burnout
A century-and-a-half-old editorial from Snohomish reminds us that the pressure to keep working is not a modern invention.
- The Hoodlums of Snohomish: A Night of Guerilla Warfare
In August 1877, a 'protective force' and the police clashed with gangs of young men in downtown Snohomish, destroying saloons and quelling what officials called 'riotous conduct.'
- The Great Quarantine: Port Ludlow’s Armed Stand Against 'Commercial Agents'
In a rare display of local vigilante health policy, armed residents of Port Ludlow blocked a boat from Victoria, British Columbia, forcing it away after learning the passengers had smallpox.
- The Seattle Tax Trap: How the City Council Tried to Force You to Pay for Sidewalks
A Snohomish resident learns that Washington's territorial legislature lacks the power to create municipalities like Seattle—and whether your city can legally bill you for street improvements.
- The Price of a Company Town
Economic instability ripples through Seattle and the Washington Territory as unpaid miners force merchants to tighten their belts.
- The Intellectual Promise of Women in the Frontier
A bold 1877 editorial argues that forcing women into 'drudgery' and loveless marriages serves only to limit society, calling for full access to higher education and the professions.
- An Hydraulic Solution to Snohomish’s Water Woes
Innovation at the eastern edge of town brings running water to the school house flat.
- The Hard Luck of the Northern Mines
When the Snohomish River ran too shallow for navigation, hopeful miners found themselves stranded, forced to trade their picks for cobbler's benches.
- A Rough Road for Blackman Brothers
A massive timber haul turns into a dangerous mishap, highlighting the perils of Snohomish's logging industry.
- The Ultimatum: Lager or Love
A Snohomish woman forces a choice between the bottle and the altar.
- Organizing the Veteran Battalion for the Sioux War
A local editor and former soldiers organize to provide support and military service amidst tensions following the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
- The Price of Survival: The Rise of the Cash-Only Store
In an era of credit-heavy frontier commerce, a Snohomish general store forces a shift to a 'cash-only' economy.
- The Wedding That Lit Up Snohomish: A Steamer’s Arrival and a Night of Revelry
When the steamer Millie docked with its popular proprietor Benj. Smith Earp and his new bride, the town turned out in force for one of the most brilliant social events ever seen in Snohomish.
- The Loggers' Stand Against the Mill Cartel
Facing a coordinated effort to depress timber wages, loggers in the Snohomish valley chose to halt production, sparking a classic confrontation between labor and capital.
- The Steamer Yakima’s Narrow Escape on the Snohomish River
A dangerous excursion up the river tests the limits of steamboat navigation through uncharted waters and shifting logjams.
- The Secular Send-off
When a Snohomish family rejected the fire-and-brimstone dogmas of the 1880s, they hired a friend instead of a priest to speak at a funeral, sparking a radical discourse on death, reason, and kindness.
- The High Cost of Being 'Across the River'
In 1878, Sumner settlers faced a familiar struggle: a transportation monopoly that forced them to pay as much to haul freight across the river as to ship it 150 miles by rail.
- The Dream of the Flameless Mill
A bold industrial scheme in Olympia to run a lumber mill via the power of the tides—and the quiet, resourceful spirit behind the invention.
- The Professor and the Boston Butterfly
A college professor disguises himself as a farmhand to avoid social pretension, only to be caught in a high-stakes comedy of errors after a train wreck brings his secret—and his stubborn romantic interest—to a head.
- Legal Ruling Defines Validity of Real Estate Leases
A court case in Port Townsend clarifies the strict requirements for property leases, warning landowners that failing to notarize agreements can lead to disastrous litigation.
- The Struggle for Steamship Service at Oak Harbor
When the captain refused to land because the water was too shallow, a determined community built their own way to the deep water.
- The passing of a pioneer sheriff
Edwin T. Dodge, a veteran of the California gold rush and early lawman who helped dismantle legendary highwayman gangs, has died at the Occidental Hotel.
- The Judge Who Lobbied for the Church
A scathing critique of Washington Territorial Judge Roger B. Greene, accused of using his office to force tax exemptions for church property through a back-door deal.
- Betrayal in the Press Room
When the editor of the Northern Star went on holiday, his trusted staff staged a secret coup to force the newspaper into bankruptcy.