Research the archive

• “mountain” ×
• The Seattle Post-Intelligencer ×

1. Rainier Is Taller Than the Map: The Barometer Fight Over Washington’s Mountain

   A new summit reading revived a two-year-old claim: Olympia’s Dr. Riley had used three government barometers to put Mount Rainier near 15,000 feet—well above the official 14,444.

   Aug 9, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMount Rainier, Pierce CountyStrange But True

2. The Naturalist Sent to Trap the Olympics' Unknown Animals

   A government field agent bound for Hoodsport planned to collect elk, bears, marmots and mountain beavers—and maybe discover a rodent scientists had never named.

   Aug 10, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

3. The Mysterious Vanishing Snow of Mount Rainier

   A Wallula newspaper reports a strange, massive slide that left a mile-wide track across the face of the mountain.

   Apr 21, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMount Rainier, Pierce CountyStrange But True

4. A Snohomish Sculptor Takes the World Stage

   A local sculptor finds fame at the World's Fair after using a mountain lion killed in Monte Cristo as his macabre model.

   Sep 15, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

5. The Team Came Down Without Its Driver

   A body found on Wenatchee Mountain was believed to be eighteen months old; two men had been seen with a team, but only one reached Ellensburg.

   Jul 18, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWenatchee, Chelan CountyTrue Crime

6. The Tall Tale of the Olympic Mountain Silver Mine

   A notorious character in Los Angeles claims a skeleton, a secret diary, and a map have led him to a mountain of solid silver near Lake Cushman.

   Mar 30, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerLake Cushman, Hoodsport, Mason CountyTrue Crime

7. A Winter Expedition Saw Steam on Rainier—and Asked if the Mountain Was Awake

   In December 1895, a Post-Intelligencer party climbed to 9,000 feet, reported smoke and steam from the summit, and left the public demanding proof that Washington's sentinel was an active volcano.

   Jan 18, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMount Rainier, Pierce CountyStrange But True

8. The Mountain That Spilled a Flood

   An eyewitness watches a mysterious, cataclysmic burst of water tear through a mountain ravine near Colville, obliterating trees and tracks.

   May 13, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerColville, Stevens CountyDisasters

9. Naming a Peak for an Infidel

   Local climbers conquer a previously unclimbed mountain and name it after a controversial figure.

   Aug 21, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerHoquiam, Grays Harbor CountyStrange But True

10. Surveying the Edge of the Colville Reservation

    A grueling three-month expedition through dense forests and mountain terrain reveals the challenges of mapping Washington's frontier.

    Aug 15, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerColville Reservation, Nespelem, Okanogan CountyStrange But True

11. The Unlucky Traveler of Snoqualmie Pass

    A man’s attempt to cross the mountains turns into a desperate struggle against the elements.

    Nov 13, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King County

12. Mount Rainier Was Smoking, and Olympia Noticed

    In January 1895, a correspondent watching through a glass saw great volumes rising from the summit — and wondered whether the mountain had awakened.

    Jan 31, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyStrange But True

13. The Mountain That Watched: Fire on Mount Rainier’s Peak

    As Seattle and Portland celebrated the Fourth of July with parades and speeches, a mysterious signal fire blazed atop Mount Rainier, drawing thousands of eyes to the sky.

    Jul 5, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

14. Mountain Gives Way on Lake Whatcom

    A landslide in the middle of the night destroys a picturesque farm and leaves its owners fighting for their lives in the frigid lake water.

    Nov 20, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerLake Whatcom, Bellingham, Whatcom CountyDisasters

15. The Cedar Mountain Assassin

    Charles W. Nordstrom faces the gallows after the Supreme Court upholds his murder conviction for a cold-blooded shooting in Cedar Mountain.

    Dec 31, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerCedar Mountain, Maple Valley, King CountyTrue Crime

16. The Gold Rush in the Cascades

    A grueling journey into the rugged heart of the Cascade Mountains to document the boom town of Monte Cristo, where millions in infrastructure are being poured into a dream of mountain-sized ore.

    Oct 16, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMonte Cristo, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

17. A Wild Bear Fight on the Grand Ronde

    A local hunter witnesses a brutal showdown between a cinnamon and a black bear in the Asotin County mountains.

    Sep 6, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerAsotin, Asotin CountyStrange But True

18. The Wild Goose Trail: How $25,000 Chased a Mountain Pass That Wasn't There

    A state commission, an over-imaginative mountaineer and a sober engineer collide over a wagon road across the Cascades — and the taxpayers pick up the bill.

    Aug 16, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerBellingham, Whatcom CountyCity Hall · Strange But True

19. The Solitary End of a Prospector

    A prospector returning from the gold fields is found frozen to death in the Cascade mountains, a grim reminder of the perils facing those seeking their fortunes in the wild.

    Aug 19, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSedro-Woolley, Skagit CountyDisasters

20. A Terrifying Mountain Encounter

    A visiting tailor from Tacoma fled for his life after a face-to-face confrontation with a cougar in the hills near Hot Springs.

    Jun 28, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerGreenwater, Pierce CountyStrange But True

21. Chasing the Mother Lode in the Cascades

    A prospector shares his frustrated search for the source of placer gold in the northern Cascades.

    Jan 30, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerNorth Cascades, Whatcom CountyStrange But True

22. The Perils of 'Honest' John Kelly

    A prospector’s winter isolation in the Cascade mountains turns into a desperate fight for survival against avalanches and mountain lions.

    Feb 27, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSalmon la Sac, Cle Elum, Kittitas CountyWork & Pay · Disasters

23. A Saturated Sound Country Braces for a Mountain Thaw

    Heavy rain and deep snow in the Cascades raised fears of floods across Puget Sound, while Lake Washington already spilled into Seattle's parks.

    Apr 21, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyDisasters

24. A Ninety-Foot Fall Down an Icy Mountain—and He Walked Away

    William Wade tumbled down a steep incline in the Cascades while hunting mountain goats, bounding off icy benches before disappearing under a snowbank. He survived with bruises and a sprained ankle.

    Aug 16, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSkagit CountyStrange But True

25. Expedition Into the Olympic Wilds

    A trio of adventurers treks into the heart of the Olympic Mountains, documenting a 'land of promise' where cattle have never trod.

    Aug 2, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPort Angeles, Clallam CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

Download all 393 as a spreadsheet (CSV)