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1. The Snohomish 'War Path'

   A rowdy night at the Snohomish riverfront ends in a knife fight between a local drunk and the city marshal.

   Sep 16, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish River, Snohomish, Snohomish CountyExclusion & Resistance · True Crime

2. The Day the Silver Rush Hit Snohomish

   Local merchants and miners report a 'considerable excitement' as rich silver ore is discovered near Mud Springs, promising a new boom for the region.

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

3. The Rapid Growth and Growing Pains of Puget Sound

   A local correspondent reports on the shipping boom, the rush of Indigenous harvest workers, and the unsettling pace of land speculation.

   Sep 2, 1876The Northern StarFront Street, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

4. 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

5. The Swift and Terrible Justice of the Gallows

   A condemned man is rushed to the gallows in just five days, sparking outrage over the speed of the judicial process in Snohomish.

   Oct 6, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyCity Hall · True Crime

6. 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.

   Aug 5, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

7. 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.

   Oct 28, 1876The Northern StarSwinomish, Skagit County

8. The Mukilteo Land Rush

   A frontier real estate advertisement reveals how developers sold the dream of independence to prospective settlers by subdividing the rugged waterfront into 'homesteads.'

   Jul 20, 1878The Northern StarMukilteo, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

9. The Great Olympia Fire: How a City Rallied Against the Flames

   When an August blaze threatened to consume Olympia's business district, the community, including local women, rushed to save the heart of the town.

   Aug 11, 1877The Northern StarOlympia, Thurston CountyDisasters

10. The Hop Gold Rush of the Puyallup Valley

    In 1877, a booming agricultural industry turned the Puyallup Valley into a high-stakes arena of heavy capital, immigrant labor, and unpredictable environmental risks.

    Sep 29, 1877The Northern StarPuyallup Valley, Puyallup, Pierce CountyBoom & Bust

11. The Tragedy at Tenino: A Mother’s Search for Her Child in the Flames

    When a fire destroyed the home of Stephen Hogden and his boarder B.W. Ward on February 15, 1877, most escaped—but nine-year-old Nellie Ward was lost to the inferno.

    Feb 24, 1877The Northern StarYelm, Thurston CountyDisasters

12. 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.

    Dec 15, 1877The Northern StarOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

13. The Great Heartbreak: A Local Girl’s Secret Wedding to a Seattle Stranger

    When Miss Mary Ann Farmer married Mr. J.G. York in Snohomish, the town was left reeling—not just by the news, but by the sudden silence of their local bachelors who had been courting her.

    Apr 15, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyScandal

14. 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.

    Jun 17, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish County

15. The Lightning Rod Swindler Who Targeted the Courthouse

    A traveling salesman tries to sell protection to a jury foreman, only to discover he’s been pitching his wares to the wrong building.

    Apr 29, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish County Courthouse, SnohomishSnake Oil

16. The First White Family: A Pioneer’s Log-Cabin Legacy

    An excerpt from the diary of a local historian recounts the arrival of Mr. Thompson in Snohomish in 1864, detailing the rugged journey up the river and the humble beginnings of what is now a thriving town.

    Jan 22, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust · Gone Forever

17. The 'Rich Deed' That Wasn't: Snohomish’s Wild Gold Rush Hoax and the Community’s Reality Check

    A sensational tale of a legendary gold mine in Snohomish captivated locals, but the paper quickly pivots to a sobering assessment of the lumber industry's financial struggles and the region's agricultural potential.

    Jan 22, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust · True Crime

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