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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1889 | 9 |
| 1890 | 3 |
| 1891 | 5 |
| 1892 | 3 |
20 stories matching destroy
- Auditor’s Home Lost in Late-Night Blaze
A lamp explosion destroys the residence of County Auditor Mathew Bartholet, highlighting the constant threat of fire in the growing city.
- Spokane Falls Fire of 1889 Destroys Thirty Blocks
A detailed account of the massive conflagration that leveled thirty blocks of Spokane, leaving thousands homeless and causing an estimated $12 million in damages.
- The Senator and the Boomer
Senator Frye recounts a colorful anecdote about Spokane Falls, gambling, and the ruthless competition between Washington cities.
- Seattle's 1889 Fire Destroys 64 Acres of Downtown
A glue pot disaster in a paint shop levels sixty-four acres of Seattle’s business district, triggering a massive regional relief effort.
- The Teacher Who Erased His Own Past
Jesse Edward Brown ran Yakima's Indian school, gave away his salary to his pupils—and destroyed every paper that might explain who he was.
- City's New Fire Engine Destroyed in Rail Wreck
A critical piece of infrastructure, a Clapp & Jones fire engine, was ruined in a freight train accident, leaving the city to seek a replacement.
- The Juvenile Crime Spree Gripping North Yakima
Two local boys sit in jail after a series of brazen burglaries and industrial sabotage, awaiting the heavy hand of the grand jury.
- Home Lost in Afternoon Fire
A northern Yakima house is reduced to ash while a mother tends to her sick child.
- Fire Ravages Cle-Elum
A devastating blaze wipes out a business district, echoing the recent destruction in North Yakima.
- Collapse of a Mercantile Giant in Ellensburg
A devastating fire and the tightening of the money market force the largest mercantile house in Central Washington into a complex legal assignment.
- A Violent Storm Strikes the Yakima Valley
High winds leveled buildings and tore heavy equipment from foundations in a storm that locals described as a true tornado.
- A Local Political Feud
A scathing editorial attack on a local rival editor, accusing him of paranoia and claiming he sees imaginary plots to destroy his newspaper.
- The Struggle for Water Rights on the Yakima Reservation
Agent Jay Lynch warns that unmanaged irrigation is drying up tribal streams and threatening future agricultural viability for both the reservation and the surrounding valley.
- The Smoke Over the Okanogan
Forest fires fueled by arsonists are devastating the landscape and choking the residents of the Okanogan country.
- Settlers Declare War on Sheep Herders
Yakima County farmers organize to stop the 'wanton destruction' of range land and demand a new tax on foreign sheep.
- Railroad Agent Disputes Spokane Fire Loss Estimates
A freight agent reports on the aftermath of the devastating Spokane fire, highlighting the community's resilience in the face of immense loss.
- Drought Grips the Yakima Valley
A mild, snowless winter leaves ranchers facing a disastrous crop failure and calls for immediate expansion of irrigation canals.
- The Political Shadow of the Civil War in North Yakima
When the President nominated a former Confederate leader's son to a federal land office in North Yakima, the local press ignited a firestorm over whether the territory should be a landing pad for the sons of secessionists.
- The Firemen Held the Line at First and A
A wind-whipped blaze threatened a row of frame storefronts in North Yakima. The department stopped it—and grateful citizens filled its empty fund.
- Dirty Tricks, 1892: Yakima's Candidate for Governor Fights Back
A Seattle paper accused the Democratic nominee of fleeing his debts and defrauding orphans. Snively's supporters called it a Republican smear—and produced letters to prove it.