Research the archive

• “portion” ×
• The Northern Star ×

1. The Seattle Fire That Almost Burned the Town

   An incendiary blaze at the old Coffee and Elbow Saloon nearly consumed downtown Seattle in a narrow escape that left hundreds of men standing by with buckets.

   Jun 3, 1876The Northern StarSeattle, King CountyDisasters

2. The Great Grasshopper Panic: Why Washington Farmers Are Bracing for a Locust Apocalypse

   Professor Riley predicts an unprecedented crop of grasshoppers across the Northwest and beyond, urging immediate preparation as eggs hatch in offices from Minnesota to Missouri.

   Feb 10, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

3. The Lovers’ Lane of Snohomish

   A newly constructed plank road, intended for industrial timber transit, becomes an unlikely promenade for the town's romantic youth.

   Apr 24, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

4. The Call to Organize the Militia

   With the shadow of the Indian War and Custer’s defeat looming, the paper calls for a organized militia to protect the Puget Sound region.

   Sep 16, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyExclusion & Resistance

5. The Grand Hotel That Will Define a Territory

   A new five-story hotel rising on Main Street promises to transform Snohomish from a frontier town into the 'best city' of Washington Territory.

   Mar 18, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

6. A Correspondent Reports on the Nez Perce Conflict

   Writing from Olympia in 1877, a local correspondent describes Nez Perce leaders’ refusal to relocate and the surprise attack that sparked a war many understood as a defense of home.

   Jul 14, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyExclusion & Resistance

7. The First White Woman of the Skykomish

   In the rugged valley north of Snohomish, pioneer settler Mrs. Furtun stands as a solitary female figure in a male-dominated frontier, marking the slow, steady growth of a region destined to become a timber and mining hub.

   Mar 11, 1876The Northern StarSkykomish, King CountyBoom & Bust

8. The Great Log Jam: A River of Lost Timber

   In March 1877, a sudden rise in the Skykomish River swept away thousands of feet of logs belonging to local sawmills, turning a potential fortune into driftwood.

   Mar 17, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyDisasters

9. The $1,300 Christmas Miracle: How Snohomish Ladies Saved the Town's Soul

   In an era of economic panic, a group of 'enterprising young ladies' raised over $1,300 in gifts for the poor, proving that community spirit was the town's strongest currency.

   Dec 30, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

10. The Night of the War Dance: A Frontier Survival Story

    A young fur trader, caught in the crossfire of escalating tensions during the Indian Wars, finds his only salvation in the quick thinking of a woman named E-wan.

    Apr 17, 1878The Northern StarBig Bend, Snohomish CountyExclusion & Resistance · Strange But True

11. The Myth of the Sterile Sound

    A Victorian-era editorial refutes the popular belief that the Snohomish Valley and surrounding lands were unfit for farming, arguing that geological history created a landscape ripe for immense agricultural prosperity.

    Mar 10, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

12. The Land Grabbers of Snohomish: How Loggers Hoarded Tide Marshes

    A local editorial exposes the speculative tactics of transient loggers who are buying up fertile river bottomlands for quick profit, leaving the valley's agricultural potential in limbo.

    Mar 24, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

13. The Day Snohomish Became a Ghost Town: A Fatal Accident and the Paper That Got It Wrong

    A logger’s tragic death in Holmes Harbor was so widely reported that it appeared in newspapers across the territory—except for one crucial error: they all got the location wrong.

    Jul 1, 1876The Northern StarHolmes Harbor, Island CountyStrange But True

14. The License Law: Who Gets to Drink in Snohomish?

    A new interpretation of the Territory's temperance laws gives local boards sweeping power to deny liquor licenses based on 'moral character,' effectively letting neighbors veto their neighbors' businesses.

    Feb 19, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyCity Hall · Nightlife

15. The Railroad That Stole Our Land: How Seattle’s Interests Blocked Snohomish’s Future

    A furious letter to the editor exposes how political maneuvering in Washington D.C. and Seattle kept vital federal lands locked up, denying homesteaders their rightful homes while railroad tycoons played games with territory.

    May 5, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

16. The Man Who Laughed Through the Flames: A Snohomish Tragedy of Love and Loss

    When a gas leak ignited his home in Fruitland, Washington, Chandler Chandler didn't run for safety—he shielded his wife from the blast. His subsequent conversation with the doctor reveals a stoicism that defies belief.

    Jun 3, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyDisasters

17. The County's Ledger: A Glimpse into Snohomish Life in 1877

    Minutes from the Snohomish County Commissioners reveal a town in transition: new justices, bridge bids, and the quiet bureaucracy of building a community on the edge of the frontier.

    Feb 17, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyCity Hall

18. The Schoolmaster’s Plea: Why Snohomish Needs Better Classrooms

    In January 1877, Superintendent A.L. Fuller warns that poverty is no excuse for neglecting education, urging citizens to tax themselves for healthy schoolhouses before ignorance breeds crime.

    Jan 13, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyCity Hall

19. Into the Black: A Descent into Bellingham Bay Coal Mines

    An intrepid traveler documents the perilous journey down an 800-foot incline to explore the workings of the Bellingham Bay Coal Company in the late 19th century.

    Jun 24, 1876The Northern StarBellingham, Whatcom CountyWork & Pay

20. The Foreclosure Auction: Snohomish’s Housing Crisis in 1876

    As the Territory of Washington grapples with economic instability, three separate Sheriff's sales are scheduled for January 1877, putting local homes and land on the block for unpaid debts.

    Jan 6, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyHousing & Rent

21. The Great Skagit Jam: How Local Men Tried to Unplug the River

    In 1876, a massive logjam blocked the Skagit River for miles. While officials debated expensive dredging projects, local loggers took matters into their own hands with picks and dynamite.

    Apr 8, 1876The Northern StarBellingham, Whatcom CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

22. The Hangman's Verdict: John Thompson Convicted of Murder in Snohomish

    A trial that captivated the entire Territory ends with a death sentence for a man accused of killing his friend during a drunken brawl over a card game.

    Feb 24, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish Jail, Snohomish, Snohomish CountyTrue Crime

23. The Marsh That Could Feed a City: Snohomish’s Hidden Goldmine

    A detailed survey of the vast wetlands between Snohomish and the Skykomish River reveals thousands of acres of fertile land, drained by new ditches and accessible by scow, waiting for developers to turn swamp into wealth.

    Apr 14, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

24. The Loggers Who Built a Town: How an Indian Settlement Thrived on the Banks of Port Discovery

    While Snohomish debated its own agricultural future, a thriving community of Indigenous farmers and loggers was quietly building a prosperous life in Dungeness, complete with schools, hotels, and dairy herds.

    Apr 28, 1877The Northern StarSequim, Clallam CountyBoom & Bust

25. The Log Jam That Held Back the Skagit

    Settlers bet their savings on cutting a channel through a massive timber jam—and begged Sound steamboat captains to link the Skagit to Seattle.

    Dec 16, 1876The Northern StarConway, Skagit CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

Download all 26 as a spreadsheet (CSV)