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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1899 | 31 |
31 stories matching think
- The Woman Who Stopped the Express
A quick-thinking resident of Ballard prevented a catastrophic train wreck by spotting danger from her bedroom window.
- The Price of a Circus: Seattle Council Fights Over 'Rubbing It All' for Big Top
In 1903, the City Council clashed over licensing fees for Ringling Bros., with one councilman arguing that theatrical companies already take enough money from the public.
- The Day an Indian Survived a Waterfall Leap
Mitchell Potera, a Shawnee man from Waunette, Washington, jumped off Steilacoom Falls to escape his pursuers—and walked away with only scratches.
- The Seattle Police 'Missing Persons' Bulletin
In an era before global telecommunications, a desperate column in the Seattle press served as a human switchboard for families separated by the Alaska gold rush, the Klondike fever, and the transience of a booming frontier town.
- The Justice of the Peace Who Found His Salary Unjust
A Seattle judge argues that new laws have expanded his workload beyond his original pay grade, testing the limits of municipal budgeting.
- The Night Watchman’s Leap: A Seattle Police Officer’s Brutal Fall
William Wyatt, the city's night watchman at the Union Station mail depot, suffered broken ribs and internal injuries after falling from a moving train while chasing a thief.
- Tragedy in a Tin of Pills
When a toddler in a historic Washington town mistook medicinal pills for candy, a medical error turned into a heartbreak that echoed across the community.
- A Barroom Brawl on Washington Street
A morphine-addicted laborer brings chaos to a downtown saloon, highlighting the volatile daily life of Seattle's waterfront workers in 1899.
- 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.
- Seattle’s Ladies Plan a Royal Welcome for the Boys of Manila
As the First Washington Volunteers prepare to return from the Philippines, prominent women and Mayor Humes unite to organize a massive civic celebration, turning grief into gratitude.
- The Yokohama House Murders: A Seattle Tragedy
A Japanese woman is found strangled and poisoned in her Fourth Avenue home; police arrest a lodger and hunt for a white suspect.
- The Horseless City
Seattle businessmen begin the race to bring the 'new motor machines' to the city's steep streets.
- The Only Safe Trust: Chauncy M. Depew’s Warning to Seattle Investors
Railroad magnate and former Senator Chauncy Depew tells a Seattle audience that the government must regulate trusts, predicting that 'rotten' companies will fail while others are placed on a proper basis.
- The Price of Fortification: Seattle Landowners Win Big Jury Verdict Against Federal Government
A federal jury in Port Orchard has valued land for a new military fort at $185,000—nearly double the government's appraisal. Officials warn the deal may collapse if the price is too steep.
- The Feathered Truce: How Seattle High School Girls Promised to Save Birds
In a rare moment of progressive activism in 1900, students at Livingston Avenue High School pledged to stop decorating their hats with the plumage of songbirds, responding to a plea from a local ornithology advocate.
- The Great Tacoma Brake-Man Mystery: Was It a Brutal Assault or a Tragic Accident?
Railroad officials and witnesses in Tacoma are debunking the claim that brakeman Cook was beaten by a robber, pointing to a bridge strike as the likely cause of his skull fracture.
- The 'Servant Girl' Stigma: A Century-Old Labor Crisis
An editorial from 1899 examines why American women shun domestic service in favor of office work, even when domestic positions offer higher stability.
- Domestic Feud in Fremont Turns Police Matter
A laborer from the Fremont neighborhood faces accusations of threatening his wife, but local authorities point to the interference of a lodger as the true source of the discord.
- The City’s Wallet vs. The Streetcar Barons: Seattle Votes on Who Owns the Rails
As fares rise and corporate power grows, Seattle councilmen debate a radical idea: municipal ownership of street railways to save taxpayers millions.
- The Captain Who Died for His Flag
A Seattle lawyer’s final wish—to be killed in battle while holding the American flag—was tragically fulfilled in Manila, casting a storm over the local community.
- The Great Nude Debate: When Seattle’s Church Ladies Tried to Save Their Living Pictures
A fundraising gala at Christ Episcopal Church descended into moral panic when vestrymen declared 'living pictures' (nude art) too scandalous for the pulpit, forcing a cancellation that left donors furious and ladies defiant.
- The Color Line at the Temple: Seattle’s Masonic Order Faces National Backlash
As the Grand Lodge of Washington convenes at the Masonic Temple to debate racial segregation in its ranks, telegrams from across the country reveal a deep national fracture over 'Negro Masonry.'
- The Chambermaid’s Lock: A Seattle Hotel Guest’s Brutal Mistake
When a wealthy Chicago businessman accidentally locked himself in his hotel room and then roughed up the maid who tried to help him, he found himself facing a $10,000 lawsuit for assault.
- The Gold Rush That Wasn't: Copper River’s ‘Sickness’ and the Lie of the Trail
A prospector returns from the Copper River country with a chilling warning: the gold is gone, the camps are sick, and the 'passage' to new fields is a myth.
- The Hall That Never Was: Seattle’s $1 Million Dream for a Convention Center
In 1908, prominent businessmen and editors rallied to build a massive exposition hall to rival San Francisco, but the project stalled in debate over public funding versus private capital.