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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 83 |
| 1889 | 213 |
| 1891 | 95 |
| 1892 | 345 |
| 1893 | 339 |
| 1894 | 418 |
| 1895 | 593 |
2,086 stories matching first
- A Grand Hotel for the Growing City
A wealthy citizen petitions the city to vacate public streets for a massive, modern hotel, arguing that Seattle’s burgeoning reputation requires world-class accommodations.
- The Great Goat Gambit: Seattle's First Angora Import
A local merchant imports the territory's first genuine Angora goats from Mexico, betting that their mohair will be worth more than the meat.
- Seattle's Baseball Team Defeats Portland
A strong start in the first inning secures a victory for the home team at Madison Street Park.
- The Renton Addition Gold Rush
Before the neighborhood existed, Seattle land speculators stoked a frenzy for 'prime' lots along Madison Street, capping sales to prevent a total buyout on the first day.
- The Professional Tailoress Wanted in 1891
A job advertisement from a ladies' intelligence bureau signals a high demand for skilled female labor in early Seattle.
- The Uncivil Mayor: A Diplomatic Disaster in Tacoma
Tacoma’s Mayor Huson manages to deeply offend the visiting Mayor of Spokane, creating a public relations nightmare between two of Washington's first-class cities.
- The First Labor Day Parade in Seattle
Thousands of Seattle workers marched through the downtown streets on September 2, 1889, in the city’s inaugural celebration of the labor movement.
- The Price of a Plea in the Seattle Courts
After a hung jury and two days of intense legal maneuvering, James M. Evans, charged with the murder of his wife in Franklin, admits to second-degree murder to avoid a life-or-death first-degree verdict.
- Seattle's First Pastor Recalls a Fragile Village
Rev. David E. Blaine returns to the First M.E. Church to recount the harsh early days of Seattle, including the Indian war years.
- A Tired Opera Troupe Nearly Sinks, Then Saves Itself
The Pyke Opera Company reached Seattle after three days of hard travel, opened two comic operas under-rehearsed, and turned a rocky first night into a success.
- The Great Hotel Fight: Olympia’s Race for a First-Class Inn
As the state capital swells with new residents, locals realize private developers won't build what they need. So they take matters into their own hands, raising $10,000 in days to force the construction of a grand hotel before the constitutional convention arrives.
- The First House, Lost
A historic residence is reduced to ashes in Kettle Falls due to a faulty flue.
- The Salvation Army’s First Wedding
In an era of high-society galas and grand balls, two members of Seattle’s Salvation Army quietly exchange vows in the first matrimonial alliance for the local branch.
- The First Populist in Washington Says His Party Betrayed Him
George Schorr, who helped launch Washington's Populist movement, publicly disavows a county convention he says was captured by schemers and poolroom politicians.
- She Took the Bar Exam Beside Her Husband — and Became Whitman County's First Woman Lawyer
W. H. Harvey and his wife, E. M. Harvey, of Pullman, pass their oral examinations in Colfax, making Mrs. Harvey the first woman admitted to practice law in Whitman County.
- The Child Who Vanished in Plain Sight
A toddler wanders off near First Street and is found covered in blood, sparking fears about Seattle’s crowded streets.
- Governor Disbands Ten Militia Companies in Small-Town Washington
A new military law concentrates the National Guard in Seattle and Spokane, leaving Klickitat County with no militia at all.
- Seattle’s Wild Reaction to the Corbett-Sullivan Fight
Thousands filled the streets and saloons as the underdog James J. Corbett defeated John L. Sullivan in twenty-one rounds.
- The Political Fight for Control of the First Regiment
A power struggle in the Washington National Guard sees Seattle and Tacoma officers clashing over the colonelcy of the First Regiment.
- Fifteen Hundred Fans and One Silk Pennant: Port Gamble Takes the Sound Championship
A steamer of rooters, gold coin at the gate and a decisive game at Madison Street Park — Port Gamble beat Port Blakeley 15 to 5 for the Puget Sound pennant, and flew it from the steamer's jackstaff.
- A Backroom Vote Redraws Tacoma's First Ward
Tacoma Republicans reverse the base for municipal convention apportionment, threatening Council President Harris and the Wickersham faction's grip on the First Ward.
- The Steamship Utopia’s Battle for the Alaskan Trade
A steamboat owner challenges federal inspectors over his right to command the Utopia, amid allegations of a corporate conspiracy to sabotage the vessel.
- The Unsung Heroes of Seattle’s Great Fire
While Seattle lay in ruins, the First Regiment of the National Guard took on the grueling, thankless job of guarding the city’s heart from looters and disaster.
- The Great Northern Arrives
The first passenger train from the East signals a new era of rail competition and economic expansion for Seattle.
- The Price of a Human Life
A Seattle newspaper critiques the wildly inconsistent sentencing for murder in Washington Territory, highlighting how local bias and venue changes drastically altered justice for accused killers.