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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 9 |
| 1889 | 21 |
| 1891 | 7 |
| 1892 | 12 |
| 1893 | 21 |
| 1894 | 20 |
| 1895 | 43 |
133 stories matching foundat
- The House That Slid Down the Hill
A ramshackle boarding house on Main Street collapses after heavy rains and poor construction send it sliding down an unstable Seattle hillside.
- The Struggle to Shore Up the Seattle Waterfront
Engineers face a daunting challenge as they fight back the rising tide in a race to reinforce the city's crumbling wharf foundations.
- The Building That Fell Down
Owners and contractors are locked in a court battle over the construction of a brick building at Third and Washington that collapsed during its assembly.
- The Unstable Foundations of Early Seattle
When aggressive development on the Masonic lot caused a prominent brick building on Front Street to crack, it revealed the high-stakes risk of early Seattle’s rapid expansion.
- The Navy's $600,000 Question: Was the Dry Dock Built on Bad Piles?
A special commission of Army engineers is rushed to Puget Sound to test whether the navy's new dry dock was built on bad piling and inferior concrete.
- The Foundation of Prosperity in Roslyn
A report on the coal mining boom town of Roslyn, where the labor of the 'tin bucket brigade' powers the regional economy.
- The Foundation of the State: A Warning Against Corporate Capture
In March 1889, just weeks before Washington’s statehood, the Post-Intelligencer warns voters that powerful corporations are maneuvering to control the new government’s constitution.
- The Juvenile Crime Spree in Colfax
A gang of boys, sons of prominent citizens, ran wild in a night of vandalism and theft.
- A Funeral Panic at the Salvation Army Barracks
A tragedy in Spokane leads to a funeral service so crowded that the church building began to buckle and crack, nearly causing a second disaster.
- The Final Act of Henry Yesler
A look back at the life of the pioneer sawmill owner whose legendary generosity and deep ties to early Seattle shaped the city's foundations.
- Smallpox Quarantines Hit Everett's Dance Halls
An outbreak of smallpox at the New Zealand dance house has forced the closure of Everett's variety homes as a public health precaution.
- The Price of Panic in 1888 Seattle
When an unfounded rumor of a merchant’s bankruptcy swept through the city, the local business community banded together to stave off a catastrophic bank run.
- The Commissioner's Conflict
Commissioner Williams denies avoiding Banker Atkins's case, calling the 100-mile warrant assignment unnecessary.
- A 100,000-Gallon Tank for Seattle's Thirsty Hills
A reserve tank is about to come online for Capitol Hill and Broadway, while crews begin another on Queen Anne to end morning water shortages.
- Banking on Seattle’s Resilience
When the First Presbyterian Church laid its cornerstone in 1893, they buried a message of defiance against the global financial panic.
- The Crumbling Capitol Gets a Patch-Up
As legislators prepare for the 1893 session, the barn-like structure in Olympia receives a new roof and a desperately needed expansion.
- The School Land That Was Salted With Gold
Washington's attorney general told the Interior Department that a claimant had planted jeweler's gold in gravel from a Pierce County school section to turn public land into a mine.
- Death of a Local Coal Baron
Benjamin B. Jones, a foundational figure in the development of the Coast's coal mines, passes away at 64.
- Spokane's New Municipal Building Lost in Fire
The nearly completed city hall, a $100,000 project, was gutted by a blaze that started from a plumber's tarpot.
- The Great Northern Moves to Remake the Tide Flats
A legal victory paves the way for a massive industrial expansion on Seattle's waterfront, promising a surge in local jobs and terminal capacity.
- The Pulpit vs. The Parochial School
A Seattle minister takes the stage to denounce Catholic education and demand the defense of the secular public school system.
- The Shifting Foundations of Early Seattle
Before the grand campus was built, the University of Washington's temporary home was a collection of borrowed spaces, including fire stations and churches.
- The City Bids Farewell to Its Founding Father
Thousands of mourners, from pioneers to laborers, gathered at the Yesler mansion to honor the man who built Seattle’s first mill and served as its patron.
- The Court Rules Against Railway Union Contracts
A federal judge sides with the Lake Shore Road receiver, ruling that collective labor contracts do not bind court-appointed management.
- The Passing of Edward Eldridge
Washington loses a foundational figure who helped shape the state from its territorial beginnings.