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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1899 | 41 |
41 stories matching close
- The Gambling Den Dilemma: Why Seattle’s Top Detective Fought the Ban on Vice
When City Council shut down gambling houses to clean up the streets, Detective Corbett warned that vice wouldn't disappear—it would just scatter and hide.
- The Justice vs. The Saloons
When the County Prosecutor refused to enforce Sunday closing laws, a Seattle Justice of the Peace stepped in to seize the gavel and threaten mass arrests.
- The Mayor’s Raid: Seattle’s Gambling Houses Shut Down in One Night
Mayor Hume and Police Chief Sullivan execute a council resolution, closing every known gaming parlor in the city. Was it moral reform or a power play against saloon owners?
- The Sunday War in Seattle
A local Christian organization vows to shutter all saloons and theaters on the Sabbath, sparking a defiant clash over public pleasure and civic life.
- The Day the Cracker Kings Merged: How Seattle’s Sweetest Monopoly Was Born
In May 1904, a consolidation of biscuit factories created a new corporate giant with $250,000 in capital, signaling the end of local competition and the rise of concentrated industrial ownership in the Pacific Northwest.
- The Day Seattle’s Saloons Went Dry
Facing a sudden crackdown from the Chief of Police, Seattle’s tavern culture was forced to lock its doors tight every Sunday.
- The Backroom Shuffle: Seattle’s Underground Gambling Revival
As the century turns, whispers circulate through the city that the illicit gaming houses are preparing to reopen, fueled by rumors of local political complacency.
- The Pugilist and the Player: A Seattle Clash of Champions
A local boxing favorite and a Philadelphia fencing master prepare for a high-stakes showdown at the Jefferson Street Theater.
- The Mayor’s Gambit: Humes Defers to Council as Seattle Sweeps Away Its Gambling dens
In a rare moment of unified reform, the City Council has ordered the closure of all gambling houses and restricted saloons in the business district. Mayor Humes, citing legal ambiguity over the saloon ordinance but promising strict enforcement against lotteries, leaves the fate of Seattle’s vice industry to the police chief.
- The Great Cedar Shingle Cartel: How Washington’s Mill Owners Colluded to Halt Production
In a bold move to stabilize collapsing prices, nearly all of the state's 141 cedar shingle mills agreed to shut down for two weeks, forming an association to enforce quality standards and living wages.
- The Great Wire War: How Seattle’s Electric Giants Tried to Buy Their Way Out of the Underground
When the City Council threatened to bury power lines underground, Union Electric and Consumers’ Electric screamed ruin. But the real drama wasn't the wires—it was the council dodging a crowd of gamblers and churchgoers demanding saloon closures.
- The Industrial Grasp on Public Space
A Seattle business owner petitions to close a city block to make room for his growing lumber factory, sparking a debate on private gain versus public infrastructure.
- The Tin Trust Betrayal: 2,000 Workers Left in the Dark
As Seattle celebrates commencement week and the Spanish-American War heats up, a massive industrial shutdown in nearby Duwamish leaves thousands of families without income.
- The Mayor’s Sealed Envelope: A City Holds Its Breath
Mayor Humes returns the saloon redistricting ordinance to the City Council in a sealed envelope, sparking wild speculation about whether he has vetoed the measure or simply signed it into law.
- The Mobbing of the Moralizers
When four prominent temperance leaders and a local businessman tried to close down a suspected illegal saloon, they were met on the street and pelted with rotten eggs.
- The Great Puma Panic: How a Loose Cat and a Lucky Dog Sparked Chaos at Leschi Park
In the early days of Seattle's municipal parks, a puma escaped its cage, chased a terrier into a bear pit, and nearly cost the zookeeper his bones in a brawl that read like a cartoon.
- The Mystery of the Smalley House Fires
A suspicious string of blazes on Queen Anne Hill has residents calling for a new fire station.
- The Uncharted Drift of the Little Lorenson
A schooner, untethered by high winds, nearly wreaks havoc in the Seattle harbor after snapping its lines near the waterfront.
- The Battle for Ravenna Park: When Seattle’s Elite Tried to Buy Out the Public
In May 1899, a private park association posted trespassing warnings and threatened legal action against streetcar passengers, sparking a fierce public debate over whether Seattle’s green spaces belonged to the people or their wealthy owners.
- The High Stakes of Seattle Tennis
Athletes from across the Pacific Northwest descend on Seattle for a high-tension tournament, as the city gears up to host the regional championships.
- The Battle for the Post Office: Who Owns Seattle's Future?
As federal inspectors hunt for a site for a new U.S. Post Office, local property owners are scrambling to offer their buildings—revealing the intense competition for civic infrastructure and the high value of downtown real estate.
- The Midnight Mystery of Alki Park
A recent arrival to Seattle is left wounded in the dark after an unseen assailant fires twice into his hand during a walk through the woods.
- The Wild Rush for a Mining Exchange
Prominent investors race to establish a formal trading floor on First Avenue as the Klondike Gold Rush transforms Seattle into a global commercial hub.
- The Great Dry Crusade: Seattle’s Religious Leaders Unite to Close the Saloons
In a packed meeting at the First M.E. Church, clergy and temperance advocates organized a new anti-saloon league, aiming to dismantle the liquor trade through moral pressure rather than just legislation.
- Tragedy on Pioneer Square: A Young Woman’s Brush with Death
While visitors from Victoria watched the fireworks display on Pioneer Square, a stray firecracker ignited a young woman's clothing, leading to a harrowing struggle for survival.