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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 24 |
| 1889 | 75 |
| 1891 | 27 |
| 1892 | 60 |
| 1893 | 74 |
| 1894 | 51 |
| 1895 | 81 |
392 stories matching commerci
- The Great Regrade of Commercial Street
A proposal to drop Commercial Street by ten feet to improve drainage and access.
- Brutal Waterfront Robbery Leaves Swedish Laborer Penniless
A night of drinking at a Washington Street saloon ended in a violent alleyway ambush that stunned the local community.
- Blaze at the National Bank of Commerce
A kitchen fire at the Commercial Club leaves the building soaked and damaged.
- Tacoma’s Electric Light War
A private power company accuses the city of selling light below cost to drive it out of business—and of a local editor gagging the story because he runs his own hotel plant.
- Fatal Plunge into the Tide
A runaway team forces a Seattle teamster off the unguarded planks of Commercial Street to his death.
- Tacoma Beats the Electric Company in Court and Keeps Selling Cheap Light
A Pierce County judge ruled the city may supply its own electricity — and that the private Commercial Electric Light Company has no right to shut down a competitor whose prices are simply too low for it to match.
- Tragedy at the Northport Hotel
A devastating fire at the Commercial Hotel in Northport claims the lives of two men and leaves others severely injured.
- The Transit Dream of 1889
A Seattle streetcar consolidation promised a single nickel fare from the bay to Salmon Bay, linking the city's future through private transit deals.
- The Wild Carriage Ride Down Commercial Street
A frightened team of horses turned a routine ride into a violent, smashing spectacle, leaving passengers bloody and onlookers breathless.
- Police Raid Faro Game at 'Siorah's Old Home'
Detectives arrest a dealer after breaking up a gambling operation in a Commercial Street saloon.
- The Siege of Commercial Street
A routine arrest of a sailor in a Seattle lodging house escalates into a pitched battle between police and the neighborhood’s residents.
- The Harbor Master's War with the Steamer E.W. Purdy
A standoff at the Commercial wharf leads to a municipal court battle over who truly controls the waterfront.
- Smallpox Outbreak Hits Seattle Lodging Houses
City health officers scramble to contain a sudden spike in cases as the disease spreads through the southern district.
- A Theft of Clothes Leads to Jail Time
A woman recently arrived from Victoria is sentenced to thirty days in jail after stealing clothes from a fellow resident at the Commercial House.
- Vice Raid on Washington and Commercial
Police raid a well-known downtown lodging house, arresting the proprietress and several guests.
- Fatal Accident on the Commercial Street Trestle
A well-known local character and former steamboat steward is killed by an electric streetcar.
- The Bullets That Whizzed Through Commercial Street
A quiet walk near the foundry turns into a terrifying brush with death as three men open fire on passersby.
- A Splinter, a Week of Pain, and a Fatal Case of Lockjaw
Five-year-old Willie Williamson died at a Commercial Street lodging house after a tiny wound in his foot turned to tetanus.
- Late-Night Burglary Ends in Foot Chase
A drug store break-in at Commercial Street leads to a wild foot pursuit across downtown alleys.
- Seattle Raises Half a Million for Its Canal—and the State Cheers
Citizens subscribed $511,000 toward the Lake Washington canal enterprise, a private subsidy that boosters promised would unlock millions in commercial development.
- The Struggle to Feed and House the Unemployed
As the economic depression deepens, a city mission at 604 Commercial Street reports on its efforts to sustain hundreds of displaced men.
- Walla Walla Tells Its Lawmakers: Drop Everything and Fight the Railroads
The Commercial Club wired the legislature to back the Morgan bill—and warned that any half-hearted local representative would be treated as “an enemy to this town.”
- Tragedy at the Waterfront Crossing
A seven-year-old girl is struck and killed by a Northern Pacific train at the Commercial Street crossing, highlighting the lethal risks of unchecked rail traffic in a developing city.
- Seattle's First Real Street Paving
A specimen half-block is laid on Commercial Street as a test to end the era of plank roads and mud.
- Tacoma Merchants Declare War on 'Dead Beats'
Fed up with unpaid tabs, Tacoma retailers organize a boycott committee and a $20 fine system to discipline customers who buy on credit.