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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 5 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 5 |
| 1895 | 9 |
29 stories matching easier
- Seattle’s Oysters Are Plentiful Again
As shipping and rail logistics pulse through the city in 1889, local markets report a rare dip in prices for fresh seafood.
- The Mysterious Girl at Police Headquarters
A young girl is found alone in Seattle, sparking a quiet investigation into a suspected abduction.
- Tacoma Postmaster Fires Women to Hire Men
Local postmaster justifies replacing female clerks with men and his own son by citing efficiency and gossip concerns.
- The Hop King's Forecast
Ezra Meeker weighs in on the state’s hop yield, the superiority of 'short-pole' farming, and the labor politics of the Puyallup Valley fields.
- City Hall Debates Paying Workers in Scrip
Facing a cash crunch, Seattle city officials consider paying for sewer infrastructure with IOUs that workers might have to sell at a discount.
- The Acid Plot in the Tacoma Jail
Prisoners used acid to soften steel bars in a desperate attempt to break out, but were thwarted by a suspicious jailer.
- The Great Housing Crunch of 1889
Following the Great Seattle Fire, a surge of new arrivals finds the city's housing capacity stretched to the breaking point.
- Tragic Workplace Death at Orcas Island Quarry
A laborer from Michigan is struck and killed by a falling rock at an island stone quarry, leaving a grieving family behind.
- The 'Scrawniest Things' on Second Street: A 1889 Fight Over Slum Housing
When the city's building inspector sought clarification on code, he triggered a blistering critique of the shoddy, dangerous 'rookeries' being erected in the shadow of the Great Seattle Fire.
- The Salvage Diver of Elliott Bay
A local diver describes his successful, DIY operation to raise a sunken boiler from the depths of Puget Sound to sell for scrap.
- Ballard Shingle Mill Workers Organize
A wage reduction sparks the formation of a 500-member labor union in the shingle mill district.
- The End of the Horse-Drawn Era?
As inventors race to perfect the motor carriage, the city of the future promises cleaner streets and the eventual extinction of the horse as a daily utility.
- The Courthouse War
A fierce battle between a judge and county officials leads to a standoff, a jail sentence, and a wild threat to tear down the jailhouse to free the prisoner.
- Spokane’s Thunder: Four Thousand Voters Demand John L. Wilson Be Retired
A petition drive in Spokane turns the U.S. Senate fight into a referendum on silver and railroad pooling—and boosts George Turner as the people’s choice.
- Land Speculation or Lifeline? The Fight Over Seattle’s Lake Washington Canal
Senator Squire battles Southern committee members and rumors of a land grab to keep Seattle’s canal in the federal river and harbor bill.
- A Murder Near Auburn, a Suspect Who Almost Walked, and a Translator Called In
The killing of a Japanese man near Auburn left investigators with little cooperation and a suspect named Joe; a Japanese-born interpreter was brought in as officials waited for more evidence.
- The Room That Built a City: Seattle’s Desperate Hunt for Business Space
As the population swells and applications for commercial space hit record highs, city leaders warn that without immediate construction, Seattle will lose its economic dominance to rivals who can offer room.
- A Populist Makes the Case for Paying Kittitas County's Debts
A letter from Ellensburg argues that the county's voters rejected repudiation and urges Eastern lenders not to confuse populism with default.
- The Hop Pickers' Bargain: Growers Cut Wages as Harvest Opens
In the Puyallup Valley, growers try to hold the line at two cents a pound. Crews register, balk and bargain — while Native pickers from British Columbia are turned away in favor of white workers.
- He Burned Every Paper He Owned, Then Kept a Promise to Himself
One day after the Northern Pacific pushed its general manager out, the man who built the Sunnyside Canal methodically destroyed his records, mailed a letter to an actress, and shot himself — as he had long said a man had a perfect right to do.
- Seattle’s Fire Department Answered 197 Alarms in 1893 — Nearly Half Were False
The chief’s annual report counted 98 false alarms, touted small losses, and asked the city for a fire marshal and better alarm wires.
- The Telephone Monopoly Seattle Refused to Break
A national syndicate promised cheap telephones and a rival to Bell. Seattle's aldermen said no, and the city stayed in the Sunset Telephone Company's grip.
- The Bond Buyer Likes Seattle’s Credit—and Its Empty Storefronts
W. H. Harris tells the Rainier Club that the West is recovering from the panic and that Seattle has fewer vacant buildings, pro rata, than Chicago or St. Paul.
- Railroad Chief Blasts Seattle's Tide-Flat Terminal Plan as Too Costly
The Northern Pacific's chief engineer examines the tide-land plat and warns that filling costs and legal encumbrances could make the terminal scheme prohibitive, jeopardizing railroad centralization.
- A Ten-Inch Snowstorm Buries Seattle and Stalls the Cars
The city's streetcars, telegraph wires and outlying districts struggle under a heavy January snowfall as Portland reports three feet and the weather observer warns of more to come.