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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 32 |
| 1877 | 35 |
| 1878 | 15 |
| 1879 | 5 |
87 stories matching present
- The Struggle for School Space
A call to stop patching the Snohomish public school and instead plan for the city's inevitable future growth.
- The Great Legislative Mess of 1877
A scathing editorial reveals how Washington Territory lawmakers spent their time sight-seeing instead of legislating, resulting in a chaotic pile of 'undigested' laws.
- The Ghost of Utsalady
A bustling milling hub on Camano Island faces a judicial reckoning as its sawmill property is set for auction.
- Taming the Skagit Tide Lands
Early farmers in the Skagit Valley share sworn affidavits proving the extreme fertility of reclaimed tide lands, boasting of massive grain harvests.
- The Boom Town That Water Built
A look at the commerce, civic ambition, and social life of Port Townsend as it established itself as the Pacific Northwest’s primary port of entry.
- The Price of Print: A 1878 Tariff Battle
A century and a half ago, Snohomish printers were already navigating the tension between protecting home industry and the rising costs of doing business.
- The New Life of the Black Diamond
A Snohomish captain purchases a small steamer to ply the rivers of the Sound, reviving a vessel from his past.
- The Strange Salvage of the Snohomish River
After days of underwater labor, the sunken hull of a local vessel has finally been raised from the riverbed.
- County Board Orders Isolation for Tulalip Reservation
As a smallpox epidemic looms, Snohomish County officials order the Tulalip Indian Agent to restrict movement to contain the outbreak.
- The Looming Crisis in Snohomish Schools
A blunt warning from the school board highlights the fragility of local education funding in 1878.
- Sultan River Prospectors Build a Half-Mile Flume
Deep in the Snohomish backcountry, a group of determined prospectors labors to divert the Sultan River in hopes of striking it rich.
- The Mill That Built a Town: Inside Port Discovery’s Industrial Heart
A rare look inside the massive lumber operation on Port Discovery Bay, where 60 men worked around the clock to feed the timber boom of the Pacific Northwest.
- The Treasury’s Call: A Deadline for Snohomish County Debt
An 1875 public notice issued by County Treasurer John D. Morgan warns citizens that the county will stop paying interest on outstanding orders drawn prior to the new year.
- 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.
- The Political Machine in Old Snohomish
A look inside the 1878 Democratic County Convention, where local power was consolidated, delegates were appointed to regional councils, and candidates for sheriff and judge were chosen by ballot.
- 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.
- The Birth of the Snohomish Brass Band
A group of enterprising young men organize to bring music to the Snohomish community, pledging to be performance-ready in just a few months.
- The Man Who 'Bled' His Town Dry: The Rise and Ruin of Eldridge Morse
A 1876 traveler’s letter to the Oregon City Enterprise paints a damning portrait of Snohomish’s most energetic citizen, accusing editor Eldridge Morse of draining public funds for private ambition.
- The Great Ice Blockade of the Snohomish River
A historic winter freeze has choked the river with ice, threatening the timber industry and commerce in the early days of Snohomish.
- An Arduous Journey to the Ranch
A difficult canoe trip up the Snohomish River turns into an overland slog through downed timber.
- The Newspaper Wars of 1878
A Snohomish editor accuses a rival publication of blatant plagiarism, citing the biblical commandment against stealing.
- 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 Exclusionary Pledge of La Conner
A frontier town in the Swinomish Flats organizes a formal, collective boycott against Chinese residents, highlighting the intense racial tensions of the 1870s Pacific Northwest.
- The Town That Rose from the Jam: Mount Vernon’s Wild Start
A new settlement is sprouting along the Skagit River, fueled by loggers, surveyors, and a patriotic name change.
- The Fortress of Timber: How Mill Barons Bought the Land to Buy the Town
In 1877, a local editorial warned that Port Blakely’s massive timber companies were cornering the market on real estate, creating an economic monopoly that would stifle independent growth and keep workers dependent on their employers.