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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 9 |
| 1877 | 9 |
| 1878 | 7 |
| 1879 | 3 |
28 stories matching upper
- The Magic Well of the Upper Skagit
An 1877 expedition pushes beyond the edge of known maps into the upper Skagit wilderness, encountering glowing tunnels, giant eagles, and the promise of a rugged agricultural frontier.
- The Iron of Snohomish City
Before the concrete arrived, the pulse of the town beat in the forge of L. Hanson.
- 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.
- The Brutal Labor of Clearing the Snohomish River
For over two years, crews braved the most dangerous and grueling work in the territory to clear the river for navigation, battling everything from treacherous snags to a lack of promised payment.
- The Industrial Heartbeat of Snohomish
Before the town was a bedroom community, it was a frontier hub of iron, wood, and hard labor.
- Forging a Frontier Living
A glimpse into the daily trade of a local blacksmith in 19th-century Snohomish, serving the loggers and farmers who carved the town from the wilderness.
- Forging a Life in Frontier Snohomish
Before the city was a sprawling hub, local blacksmiths like H. Hanson were the essential engine keeping farms and logging camps running with 'neatness and dispatch.'
- 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 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.
- The Ironworker of Snohomish
How a local blacksmith hammered out a living for the logging camps of the frontier.
- A Heartbreak by the Snohomish River
A lonely local man is caught in a 'melancholy case' of unrequited love, spending his days watering a hitching post in a lovestruck daze.
- The Hard-Won Coal of Wilkeson
A persistent mining operation in Wilkeson struggles with geological faults and shifting veins to keep the fuel moving toward the Puget Sound.
- The Iron Cage of Fort Adams
A rare glimpse into the brutal security measures at a Washington Territory jail in the late 19th century.
- A Double Tragedy in Lewis County
A tragic hunting accident leads to a young boy's death and the subsequent destruction of his family home by fire.
- 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.
- The Log Jam That Held Back the Skagit
Settlers bet their savings on cutting a channel through a massive timber jam—and begged Sound steamboat captains to link the Skagit to Seattle.
- The Steamer Yakima’s Narrow Escape on the Snohomish River
A dangerous excursion up the river tests the limits of steamboat navigation through uncharted waters and shifting logjams.
- The Man Who Laughed Through the Flames: A Snohomish Tragedy of Love and Loss
When a gas leak ignited his home in Fruitland, Washington, Chandler Chandler didn't run for safety—he shielded his wife from the blast. His subsequent conversation with the doctor reveals a stoicism that defies belief.
- A Correspondent Reports on the Nez Perce Conflict
Writing from Olympia in 1877, a local correspondent describes Nez Perce leaders’ refusal to relocate and the surprise attack that sparked a war many understood as a defense of home.
- Life at the Edge of the Wilderness: The Nooksack Settlement of 1873
A rare window into the early days of agricultural pioneers, steam-powered dreams, and the quiet resilience of a solitary woman living on the edge of the Nooksack River.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Great Skagit Jam: How Local Men Tried to Unplug the River
In 1876, a massive logjam blocked the Skagit River for miles. While officials debated expensive dredging projects, local loggers took matters into their own hands with picks and dynamite.