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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 10 |
| 1877 | 16 |
| 1878 | 11 |
| 1879 | 2 |
39 stories matching proper
- The Agricultural Transformation of the Skagit Flats
Decades of diking and draining have turned tide lands into some of the most productive agricultural soil in the world.
- The Snohomish Valley’s First Great Showcase
In 1877, Snohomish County debuted its first agricultural fair, a high-stakes effort to prove the region’s soil and industry could rival the rest of the Territory.
- The Piano That Bound a Community Together
How the ladies of Snohomish organized to bring culture and music to their town.
- The Fight to Save the Stillaguamish Salmon
Long before environmental regulation was common, Snohomish Councilman Ferguson pushed for a law to curb the destructive use of dynamite in Washington’s rivers.
- The Price of Vigilance: Lessons on Parenting and Education
A nineteenth-century essay reflects on the heavy responsibilities of raising children, the failures of the 'crowded schoolroom,' and the timeless struggle between rigid tradition and the pursuit of truth.
- The Sheriff’s Hammer: Snohomish’s Last Stand Against the 'Nuisance'
In March 1877, Judge J.R. Lewis and the local Grand Jury launched a coordinated assault on vice, seizing brothels and fining operators, while simultaneously exposing corruption in county bonds.
- The Great Land Grab: How Speculators Stole Washington's Public Lands
A new federal ruling threatens to invalidate thousands of land claims in the Pacific Northwest, exposing innocent buyers to ruin and revealing a system rigged by attorneys and speculators.
- The Political Machine of 1878
Before the era of digital campaigning, Snohomish County Republicans gathered to hash out the future of the frontier at Snohomish City.
- The Tragic Death of James Riley: A Local Defense Against 'Ill-Treatment' Claims
After a man recently sent from Snohomish to the Territorial Asylum died suddenly in Steilacoom, local papers rushed to defend their community's actions against accusations of negligence.
- New Blood for the Snohomish Valley
Eight to ten new families are arriving to carve out homesteads in the river valley, marking a pivotal moment for the growing settlement.
- The Man Who Vanished Into the Slough
A Snohomish resident borrows a skiff for a trip to Thornton Mellan’s and never returns; neighbors find only his clothes on the riverbank.
- 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 Final Edition of the Snohomish Sun
After three years of chronicling the growth of Puget Sound, the publisher of the Snohomish Sun shutters his paper, citing bankruptcy, personal heartbreak, and the 'paralyzed' logging industry of 1879.
- Debating the Northern Railroad's Route to Puget Sound
As the Northern Pacific Railroad eyed a Portland terminus to maximize its land grants, a fierce editorial demands the company fulfill its promise to connect the Columbia River to Puget Sound or forfeit its territory.
- The President's Vision for Reconstruction
In an era of deep national division, President Rutherford B. Hayes addresses Congress on the withdrawal of federal troops from the South, the restoration of civil order, and his hope for the rights of the newly emancipated.
- The Logjam at Priest Point
A long-standing practice of mooring logs in the Snohomish River clashes with federal authority, leaving local loggers caught in a bureaucratic net.
- An Outrage on the River: Snohomish Demands Reliable Mail
Local business leaders call for a boycott of congressional candidates until they pledge to fix the 'shameful' and intermittent mail delivery to Snohomish.
- The Shadow of the Indian Wars in the Snohomish Valley
As rumors of conflict and uprisings on the upper Columbia stir the frontier, Snohomish locals organize a volunteer militia to defend their settlements.
- Darwin, Agassiz, and the Snohomish Pulpit Wars
A fiery editorial from 1877 Snohomish takes on the local clergy for their public ridicule of scientific discovery and the theory of evolution.
- The Dream of a 'Super Highway' for the 1870s
Before modern infrastructure, Snohomish visionaries imagined a direct, transformative road from Seattle to Bellingham Bay to unlock the potential of the interior.
- The Brutal Truth of the 'Workaday' Struggle
An 1879 editorial reflects on the universal, grinding necessity of securing a livelihood, observing that even in a 'republic' built on individualistic grit, most people are only one misstep away from ruin.
- The Unsung Toll of the Snohomish Frontier
A poignant obituary for Julia E. Haskell reveals the fragile reality of life, health, and community dependence in 1878 Snohomish.
- The Price of Litigation in 1878 Snohomish
A look at the Snohomish District Court's docket reveals a frontier society focused on land, debt, and the legal machinery of settlement.
- Trapped in a Gale on the Salish Sea
A rough winter crossing from Port Townsend to Friday Harbor turns into a life-or-death struggle against the unforgiving winds of the Straits.
- The Seattle Hotel That Won Over Snohomish Shoppers
A historic hotel and mercantile shop on the Sound becomes the preferred destination for Snohomish County residents seeking quality goods and fair dealing.