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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 20 |
| 1889 | 60 |
| 1891 | 19 |
| 1892 | 104 |
| 1893 | 103 |
| 1894 | 147 |
| 1895 | 191 |
644 stories matching hard
- The Mayor Who Wanted to be an Autocrat
Mayor Ronald’s fascination with authoritarian rule leads to a public firing during a police board meeting.
- The Struggle Over a Mother’s Custody
A local children's bureau official defends the controversial intervention into a family's life in the face of public criticism.
- Fire at Tchewasan: A Point Roberts Indigenous Village Loses Homes and Orchards
Five houses and 27 tents burned near Point Roberts, prompting an Indian agent to bring bedding and food to a hard-working community.
- The 'Hard Times' Social in Black Diamond
Coal miners and their families in Black Diamond held a 'Hard Times' social, where the most bedraggled costumes were awarded prizes, offering a brief moment of levity during a period of economic strain.
- The Brutal Rise of Seattle Football
In a 1892 hard-fought battle against Tacoma, Seattle claimed the silver championship cup in a match that saw players crashing into the dust.
- An April Fool’s Joke Gone Wrong
A local office prank involving 'hard-boiled' eggs and croton oil turns into a bitter lesson in Seattle workplace etiquette.
- A Nail-Biter at Madison Street Park
Seattle edges out Spokane in a tense, hard-fought baseball match decided by late-game heroics.
- The Hard Pan Tax Dispute
A small-town legal battle in Anacortes reveals how railroad companies and local governments clashed over the definition of 'rock' to dodge municipal assessments.
- Seattle's 'Kid' Camp Falls in Pitcher's Duel
Despite a brilliant return to the mound by 'Kid' Camp, Seattle falls to Portland at the Madison Street Grounds in a hard-fought contest.
- Violence Hits Walla Walla
A house of ill-repute on Alder Street is leveled by a dynamite explosion; officials suspect a gang of 'hard characters.'
- The Brown Paper Ball of 1894
When the Panic of 1893 hit Tacoma, the St. Elizabeth Guild defied the mood with a tongue-in-cheek 'Hard Times' dance featuring invitations and programs printed on brown paper.
- Vigilante Justice in Carbonado
A group of townspeople took matters into their own hands when a tailor-shop swindler began fleecing locals out of their hard-earned money.
- A Fatal Tiller Blow on the Sound
A pioneer fisherman faces manslaughter charges after a tragic, unintended killing of a close friend.
- The Great Snohomish Trunk Heist
When two 'dudish' young merchants tried to skip town without paying their boarding house bill, the landlord intervened with a classic confrontation.
- Street Sharks and Baggage Swindles
Seattle's waterfront 'sure thing' men are preying on innocent travelers and hard-working ranchers.
- Hard Times Hit the Congregation
The Ohaveth Sholem congregation votes to suspend the hiring of a rabbi to manage the financial fallout of the 1893 depression.
- The Criminalization of Unemployment
A Seattle candy maker, down on his luck during hard times, faces repeated arrest for the 'crime' of being unable to find work.
- The City Clerk’s Surprise Banquet
When Seattle's City Clerk Forrest tendered his resignation to the 'hard-headed' Common Council, they responded not with cold bureaucracy, but with a secret banquet and a cane with a musical head.
- The Hustle Returns: Seattle’s Economic Pulse Picks Up
After weeks of talking 'hard times,' local merchants report a sudden shift toward optimism and consumer spending.
- Tragedy at King and Commercial
A jury awards $1,000 to the parents of a 13-year-old boy killed by a Northern Pacific locomotive at a busy downtown crossing.
- The Hard Times Ball
Seattle's elite staged an 'economical' dance party to navigate the financial strain of 1893.
- The Bartender’s Vengeance
A Seattle saloon worker opens fire on his boss after a wage dispute, highlighting the volatility of 1888 labor-management relations.
- Seattle Raises Half a Million in Hard Times for a Harbor and Canal Dream
A New York paper marvels that Seattle has secured a $500,000 subsidy for waterfront improvements and a canal linking Puget Sound with Lake Washington — most of the capital coming from St. Louis.
- The Salmon Strike Ends
After a hard-fought season, Seattle union fishermen concede to cannery pricing as the catch hits record levels.
- The Trial of the Jar Thieves
Three men face time in the penitentiary after confessing to a clumsy burglary at a local store.