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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 Price of a Bible and a Grumpy Husband

   A Preston man’s fiery reaction to his wife lending their only Bible captures the domestic tensions and religious rigidity of territorial life.

   Nov 18, 1876The Northern StarPreston, King CountyStrange But True

3. The Seattle Tax Trap: How the City Council Tried to Force You to Pay for Sidewalks

   A Snohomish resident learns that Washington's territorial legislature lacks the power to create municipalities like Seattle—and whether your city can legally bill you for street improvements.

   Mar 10, 1877The Northern StarSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

4. The Unmasking of a Snohomish Thief

   After vanishing from a logging camp with a comrade's savings, a thief is tracked to Port Townsend and branded a criminal.

   Sep 2, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyTrue Crime

5. Preparing for the Territorial Vote

   Governor Elisha P. Ferry issues a formal proclamation for the November 1876 general election, including a critical vote on whether to draft a new State Constitution.

   Oct 21, 1876The Northern StarOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

6. The Price of Incompetence in 1879

   When an American warship finally steamed into Puget Sound, it didn't just bring firepower—it exposed the community's deep-seated anxiety about whether the U.S. government had abandoned the Pacific Northwest entirely.

   Mar 15, 1879The Northern StarSeattle, King County

7. The Snohomish Afterlife: A Spiritualist Joke

   In an 1878 newspaper, a medium's séance takes a darkly humorous turn when a grieving widow asks her late husband if he is in heaven.

   May 1, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

8. The Unteachable 'Sixth Sense' of Journalism

   An 1876 editorial from the Northern Star debates whether the craft of a reporter can be taught in a classroom or only mastered in the heat of the newsroom.

   Dec 1, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish County

9. The Shadow Market for Public Land

   A look at the opaque system of land scrip that fueled Washington's early expansion and the brokers who profited from the hustle.

   Nov 30, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

10. The Wild West of Washington Land Speculation

    A 19th-century land agent pitches the 'script' system for acquiring Snohomish homesteads, revealing the complex, sometimes predatory, machinery behind early settlement.

    Nov 23, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

11. A Night Out, A Forgotten Medical Crisis

    A husband’s late-night obsession with the contentious 1876 presidential election nearly costs his wife her life.

    Dec 23, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

12. An Outrage on the River: Snohomish Demands Reliable Mail

    Local business leaders call for a boycott of congressional candidates until they pledge to fix the 'shameful' and intermittent mail delivery to Snohomish.

    Oct 28, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish River, Snohomish, Snohomish CountyCity Hall

13. The Chief’s Last Stand: A Vision of Justice Beyond the Grave

    In a rare and poignant interview, Spotted Tail articulates a theology of retribution where the Great Spirit favors the Native American over the white settler in the afterlife.

    Mar 25, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyExclusion & Resistance

14. The Girls Who Couldn't Be Moved

    When two sisters refused to budge for a fishing trip, a bizarre and prolonged standoff ensued involving a heavy door and a very frustrated brother.

    Nov 30, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

15. The Ring That Ruled: Whatcom’s Postal War and the Coal Company’s Grip

    A furious letter from Blaine exposes how the local post office was hijacked to serve the interests of the coal barons, turning a bureaucratic dispute into a battle for democratic survival.

    Jul 8, 1876The Northern StarBellingham, Whatcom CountyCity Hall

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