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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 55 |
| 1889 | 70 |
| 1891 | 24 |
| 1892 | 50 |
| 1893 | 52 |
| 1894 | 49 |
| 1895 | 76 |
376 stories matching develop
- The Feeding Frenzy of 1889
Before the city’s meteoric rise, land developers in Seattle were already peddling the 'next big thing' across the water, promising smelters and shipyards to anyone with cash in hand.
- The Real Estate Handshake: A Forgotten Legal Precedent
An 1889 court ruling from Kansas reverberated in Seattle, forcing a change in how developers and land brokers accounted for profits.
- The Pioneer Spirit and the Building of Seattle
A look at the ambitious civic development of Seattle's Front Street and the men behind its early transformation into a modern business hub.
- The Boom-Time Promises of Seattle’s 'Most Popular Addition'
In the spring of 1891, real estate developers peddled the dream of cheap housing and rapid growth along the new James Street car line, a precursor to the century of development that followed.
- The Sudden Passing of a Seattle Titan
Guy C. Phinney, the wealthy capitalist and benefactor of Woodland Park, dies at his estate following a brief illness.
- The Dream of the Suburban Garden Plot
Developers in 1891 sold city dwellers on the 'choicest' acreages just outside of the developing Seattle core, promising a life of suburban gardens along the new Rainier Avenue electric line.
- The Battle Over Seattle’s History
Pioneer C. B. Bagley takes to the pages of the P-I to correct misstatements about the city's early development and street history.
- The Rapid Rise of Palatine
A new industrial settlement along the canal route emerges as a hub of quick development.
- The Fight Against Mortgage Taxes
The Chamber of Commerce warns that taxing mortgages will drive away capital and hurt economic development.
- The Real Estate Boom at Salmon Bay
A speculative land development promises a suburban future in Seattle’s north side, betting on railroad connectivity.
- 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.
- James J. Hill’s Pacific Ambitions
The Great Northern Railroad president reveals a bold plan to dominate the Pacific lumber market and establish high-speed steamship links to Asia.
- 1888 Seattle Development Offered 60 Lots and Five Cottages
Developers used a high-stakes giveaway to lure buyers to the city’s growing outskirts, blending real estate speculation with a chance at a 'small fortune.'
- Untangling the 'Ram's Horn' Rail Lines
A committee of aldermen pushes to straighten a confusing rail right-of-way that crippled Seattle's waterfront development.
- The Tragedy of the Salmon Bay Shipyard
A maritime accident in the newly developing industrial tideflats of late 1889 reveals the human cost of Seattle's rapid expansion.
- The Push for a Seattle-Tacoma Inter-Urban Boulevard
Business leaders rally behind a proposed wagon road to connect the two cities, hoping to capture rural trade and boost regional development.
- The Buried Forest Beneath Denny Hill
Excavations for a new industrial facility in Seattle reveal a startling subterranean history: an ancient, preserved forest resting 22 feet beneath the city's surface.
- The 1888 Land Grab: Seattle’s First Lottery-Style Housing Development
Before modern zoning and master plans, developers in the boom-era Northwest used gimmicks like house-lot raffles to sell undeveloped land on the city’s fringes.
- The Rise of Seattle Football
Three months ago the game was unknown; today, the city is a powerhouse on the Pacific Coast.
- Smallpox Outbreak at King and Seventh
A new case of smallpox is discovered in a house at King and South Seventh streets, leading to the immediate quarantine of the inhabitants.
- The Wife-Slasher Who Tried to Play Insane—and the Seattle Jury That Didn’t Buy It
McGee feigned madness so badly that the jury convicted him on the first ballot. A Steilacoom asylum doctor explained why three months of observation found no insanity—only a terrified wife.
- The Seattle Land Rush of 1889
A weekly log of deeds and transactions reveals the frenzied pace of development, speculation, and shifting property lines in pre-statehood Seattle.
- The City Rises Against a Heavyweight Bully
When boxing legend John L. Sullivan publicly spewed racist venom in 1892, Seattle’s Afro-American League turned his own brutal rhetoric against him, demanding dignity from the local press.
- Railroad Giant Declares Bankruptcy
The Northern Pacific Railroad has been placed into receivership, signaling a major shift in Northwest transit and land development.
- The Renton Addition: Seattle’s 1889 Speculative Gold Rush
As property developers paved the way for Seattle's expansion, one man's high-stakes sale of the 'cream' of Beacon Hill real estate signaled a city-wide frenzy for land and infrastructure.