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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 6 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1878 | 4 |
| 1879 | 3 |
15 stories matching thick
- The Hardscrabble Frontier of the Stillaguamish
A detailed 1879 survey of the Stillaguamish River valley reveals a diverse community of pioneers, Prussian soldiers, and dreamers attempting to tame the wilderness of the upper valley.
- 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.
- 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.
- A Night in the Hollow Tree
A traveler lost in the brush near Snohomish spends a freezing, rain-soaked night in an hollowed-out tree, only to discover he was feet away from safety.
- 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 Unending Mountain: The Promise of the Newcastle Coal Mines
A detailed 1878 report on the labor, engineering, and seemingly limitless coal wealth of the Newcastle mines, then the engine of Seattle’s industrial future.
- The Contract Prison of the Skookum Chuck
A look inside the privatized territorial penitentiary of 1879, where convict labor was auctioned off to pay for a sheriff's enterprise.
- 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 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.
- The Night of the Knives: Snohomish Councilman and Printer Attacked in Coordinated Assault
Two men were ambushed on Third Street within hours of each other; one beaten with an iron bar, the other held at knifepoint. The paper warns that 'a general preparation for self-defense' may soon be necessary.
- Ice Breaks: Two Young Men Drown in Snohomish River Tragedy
Horace Low and Arthur Butt, employees of the local newspaper office, lost their lives after ice gave way beneath them while skating on the river.
- 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.
- The Blues of the Black River: A Walk Through Snohomish’s New Frontier
A local resident takes a stroll through the muddy pastures and new homesteads near the Black River, finding beauty in the 'mounds' of ancient history and the promise of a fresh start for settlers.
- 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.
- 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.