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1. The Bold Vision for Snohomish’s 'River Fruit'

   How local developers aimed to transform thousands of acres of Snohomish river bottomland into a thriving orchard paradise.

   Jun 12, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

2. The Snohomish River’s New Monster: A Whale That Could End the Town

   A massive whale has lodged itself in the Snohomish River, threatening to become a permanent local landmark—or a disaster—if it isn't moved.

   Jan 6, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish River, Snohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

3. The Gateway to the Frontier: Snohomish Land Claims

   How local clerk H.A. Gerhardt turned the legal machinery of the 1880s into a bustling bureau for pioneer settlement.

   Sep 1, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

4. Turning Marsh into Gold

   Farmers on the Swinomish flats have completed a massive infrastructure project to reclaim thousands of acres of marshland for agriculture.

   Dec 16, 1876The Northern StarLa Conner, Skagit CountyFollow the Money

5. Brutal Assault on Indigenous Woman Reported

   An Indian woman, identified as Mrs. J'ouls, suffered a fractured skull during a violent attack near the Puyallup reservation.

   Aug 26, 1876The Northern StarPuyallup Reservation, Tacoma, Pierce CountyExclusion & Resistance · True Crime

6. The Riverboat Gamble

   A local man's attempt to navigate the Snohomish River with a custom-built craft ends in a soggy, expensive, and lesson-filled disaster.

   Feb 8, 1879The Northern StarSnohomish River, Snohomish, Snohomish CountyDisasters

7. The Unseen Agriculture of the Duwamish Valley

   A survey of the productive farmland, nascent dairy industry, and pioneering spirit of the families turning the Duwamish and White River riverbanks into a breadbasket for Seattle.

   Jul 13, 1878The Northern StarSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

8. The Price of the 'Effect': A Lesson in Lost Ambition

   A cautionary tale of a promising man who traded his health, property, and standing for a descent into the depths of a bottle.

   Dec 2, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyNightlife

9. The Dream of the Flameless Mill

   A bold industrial scheme in Olympia to run a lumber mill via the power of the tides—and the quiet, resourceful spirit behind the invention.

   Jan 25, 1879The Northern StarOlympia, Thurston CountySnake Oil

10. The Great Delinquency: Snohomish’s 1878 Tax Auction

    A sprawling list of property seizures offers a rare window into the instability of early Snohomish settlers, who faced total loss of their homesteads for debts as small as twenty-two cents.

    Mar 6, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

11. The Unruly Fourth: A Snohomish Independence Day

    A look at the chaotic, whiskey-fueled celebrations of 1878, where the lack of 'dueals' (money) was the only thing standing between the town and total revelry.

    Jul 6, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyNightlife

12. The Monster of the Beach: A Giant Squid in Snohomish

    A spectacular display of a thirty-three-foot giant squid in Snohomish invites locals to gawk at the creature Victor Hugo once called a 'sea vampire.'

    Nov 24, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

13. 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

14. The Great Timber Heist: A Raft of Logs Vanishes from Snohomish Wharf

    A massive shipment of lumber disappears from Jackson's wharf under the cover of a storm, leaving local merchants and the U.S. Mail steamer crew to pick up the pieces.

    Jun 23, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyTrue Crime

15. 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

16. The Governor’s Visit and the Militia’s March: July 1877 in Snohomish

    Governor Perry addresses a rapt crowd on Independence Day, while local men scramble to organize volunteer companies for the Nez Perce War.

    Jul 7, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyExclusion & Resistance

17. 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.

    Jun 10, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyTrue Crime

18. 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.

    May 12, 1877The Northern StarPort Blakely, Bainbridge Island, Kitsap CountyFollow the Money

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