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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 5 |
| 1889 | 5 |
| 1891 | 5 |
| 1892 | 10 |
| 1893 | 10 |
| 1894 | 14 |
| 1895 | 12 |
61 stories matching oldest
- The Remarkable Life of Mrs. Jack Scoopes
One of the oldest women on the Puyallup reservation, who saw the land change before Tacoma was founded, passes away at an estimated age of 100.
- The Sound's Long Memory for Rain
While storms rattle the nerves of new arrivals, an old-timer’s meticulous forty-year record shows the 1894 weather is nothing compared to the '63 deluge.
- The Battle for Steilacoom Lake
A landmark lawsuit reveals the vanished history of Washington's oldest grist mill and the early water wars of Pierce County.
- The Man Who Wanted to Insure the Sound: London’s Lloyd’s Agent Eyes Seattle
A representative from the world's oldest marine insurance firm arrives in Seattle, arguing that Puget Sound is safer than British waters and ready for a new branch.
- The Logging Camp’s Oldest Hand
At 72, Richard Burnham remains one of the toughest laborers in the logging camps, defying the assumption that youth is a requirement for heavy work.
- The Passing of Chief Tacanum
A venerable Puyallup leader dies, prompting a debate between his modest final wishes and the elaborate plans of his community.
- The Passing of South Bend’s Founder
Captain F.W. Swett, a pioneer of Pacific County and the visionary behind South Bend, dies in Portland after a struggle with heart failure.
- A Fatal Nap on the Great Northern Track
John Elwell, a twenty-year Snohomish County resident, lay down on the rails near Monroe and was struck by the morning passenger train.
- A Coupeville Pioneer Takes His Own Life
Charles Crockett, a resident of Whidbey Island since 1854, is found dead at his home in a sudden and tragic suicide.
- The Oldest Settler in Washington Dies—and He Left a Peace Between Two Worlds
Thomas Stensgar came with the Hudson Bay Company, married into Chief Tomcomly’s family, and was called on to mediate between settlers and Indians.
- The Circus Elephants Take a Dip in Lake Washington
Thousands gathered at the lake to watch the performers of John Robinson's show take an afternoon bath.
- Community Mourns the Drowning of 'Old Jack'
Indigenous community members gather in the rain to recover the body of a tribal elder near Westminster.
- Tragedy at the Spring: A Mother’s Drowning in Cathlamet
A logger returns home after a week of work to find his wife dead in a two-foot deep spring and his three children alone in the snow.
- A Family Found in Desperate Straits
A sick, destitute family in Oakesdale is discovered in squalid conditions by a community member.
- The passing of a pioneer dentist
Dr. John Colburn Grasse, an early resident of Seattle and a founder of the State Dental Association, dies at home.
- The Coffin Captain: A Father, a Son, and the Wreck of the Lily and Maud
Ship carpenters warned Captain Robert Jack he was building his own coffin. Last Sunday night the frail schooner capsized in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the captain and his 23-year-old son went down with her.
- The Great Garden Plague of 1889
A voracious 'brown worm' army descends on Seattle, wiping out local vegetable patches and leaving residents desperate for a solution.
- The King of Oil Comes to Call: Standard’s Rockefeller Eyes Seattle's Future
John D. Rockefeller arrives in the Pacific Northwest, promising to train local workers for his new refinery and dominate the regional fuel market.
- The Columbia River in Upheaval
Unprecedented flooding devastates communities along the Columbia River, washing away homes, bridges, and livelihoods.
- Utsalady Bay's Dream of a Great City
An 1890 advertisement pitches the deep-water harbor of Utsalady as the inevitable next metropolis of the Pacific Northwest.
- The Oldest Trick in the Book
A grifter in Seattle's city jail has a penchant for a classic pocketknife switch that leaves tourists penniless.
- The Ghost of a Tropical Colfax
Deep under an Eastern Washington farm, workers unearth the massive, prehistoric remains of a creature from a forgotten era.
- A Flash at the Switchboard: Tacoma's Veteran Electrician Killed by 2,000 Volts
Peter Peterson, six years with the city light station, grabbed two live plugs at once. He was dead before doctors could even attempt a revival.
- The Collapse of the Credit System
Palouse farmers are forced to abandon large-scale agriculture and the credit-dependent lifestyle as the hard times of 1894 take hold.
- The Passing of a Seattle Pioneer
Samuel Kenney, a merchant tailor who helped shape the city's early commercial landscape, dies at his home on Houghton Street.