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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 7 |
| 1877 | 12 |
| 1878 | 7 |
| 1879 | 1 |
27 stories matching show
- Baseball Fever in Snohomish: The Sport’s Dangerous Beginnings
Before the professional era, Snohomish locals engaged in the early, rugged version of the game, resulting in more black eyes than home runs.
- The Pioneer Variety Store: A Snapshot of Commerce in Early Seattle
Before the age of big-box retailers, local general stores like T. P. Freeman’s served as the essential hubs for hardware, furniture, and household needs on the frontier.
- The Engineer Who Tamed the Tides: Col. Wilson’s Blueprint for Snohomish’s Future
A master engineer presents a radical plan to dredge the Columbia and Willamette rivers, promising to unlock Seattle's potential by reshaping the very geography of the Pacific Northwest.
- 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 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 Great Debate: Freethought vs. Orthodoxy in Snohomish
A fiery public debate pits local skeptics against orthodox believers over the nature of God, the morality of the Bible, and the necessity of eternal hellfire.
- The Snohomish 'Lady' and the River Trick
A local performance in the Snohomish social scene reveals a talent that bridged the gap between labor and artistry, even if the era's framing was narrow.
- The Mill That Could Have Been: A Snohomish Tragedy of Ambition and Illness
In June 1877, the Northern Star reported on the collapse of a massive new mill project at Port Ludlow, blaming the death of its owner, Arthur Phinney, for halting construction that promised to rival any in the territory.
- Snohomish Land Claim Dispute Heads to Probate Court
A legal summons from 1877 reveals the precarious reality of early Washington settlers who vanished from their claims, leaving behind only government paperwork and public notices.
- The Oregon Land Agent’s Smear Campaign
When a rival state agent spread wild lies about 'timber forty feet deep' and 'streets of sawdust,' early Snohomish settlers fought back to set the record straight.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 1877 Olympia Land Office Hears Snohomish Homestead Dispute
A legal notice reveals the abrupt vanishing of a local homesteader, triggering a formal search for his whereabouts after he abandoned his land claim.
- 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 Boom Town on the Skagit
As La Conner transformed into a bustling grain-shipping hub, new docks and storefronts sprouted along the Swinomish Slough to accommodate the region's agricultural explosion.
- Trekking Through the Frontier: The Sheriff’s Duty
A grueling journey through Whatcom County’s wilderness in 1878 to summon jurors, revealing a rapidly changing landscape.
- The Candidates’ Campaign Trail on the Snohomish River
As election season heats up in 1878, candidates for the Territorial Assembly trade speeches in the freezing cold and debate the future of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- The Devil's Own: Oak Harbor's Waggish Protest Against the Preacher
When a reverend tried to post a notice for his Sunday sermon in the Grange Hall, the locals of Oak Harbor responded with a satirical flyer that dared the Devil himself to show up.
- Forging a Life in the Pilchuck Valley
A look at the rapid expansion of settler life and the struggle to build roads into the rugged Washington backcountry.
- The Sudden Passing of Captain E. A. Starr
A beloved community leader and steamship captain dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances.
- The Jam That Stalled a Territory: How Local Men Tried to Clear the Skagit River
In 1876, Snohomish residents rallied to fund the removal of massive log jams blocking the Skagit River, arguing that clearing the waterway was essential for settling the vast timber-rich lands of Washington Territory.
- The Great Cascade: A Pilgrimage to the Roar of Snoqualmie Falls
In July 1877, three travelers walked the rugged trail from Snohomish to Fall City, documenting the lush farms, the hospitality of settlers, and the awe-inspiring power of the falls—a testament to the beauty and isolation of early Washington Territory.
- The Goddess of Slang: A Poetic Flirtation in the Territory
A whimsical verse from the late 19th century captures the playful, rhyming courtship rituals of Snohomish Territory, offering a glimpse into the lighthearted side of pioneer life.
- 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.