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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 5 |
| 1889 | 12 |
| 1891 | 5 |
| 1892 | 15 |
| 1893 | 17 |
| 1894 | 17 |
| 1895 | 23 |
94 stories matching solid
- 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.
- The Tacoma Strike, Undone and Redone in a Single Day
Northern Pacific tries to declare victory, but firemen, switchmen and engineers vote to stay out—while Debs wires that the fight is still solid.
- Moving Mountains for the Monte Cristo Railroad
Contractors use dynamite to carve a path for the new Everett and Monte Cristo railroad, blowing away a solid granite promontory.
- Spokane Delegation Breaks for John B. Allen
A legislative stalemate over the election of John B. Allen reveals fractures in the Spokane delegation and a bitter feud between political factions.
- A Silver Chest for the Political Boss
Prominent Republicans gather at the Rainier Club to honor John H. McGraw with a lavish testimonial of solid silver for his role in the senatorial contest.
- Fifteen Thousand for Dinner: The Butchers Roast Seattle a Whole Ox
The trade closed the shops, marched from Pioneer Place to the Yesler dock to meet Tacoma, and hauled the whole town out to Madison Park for four solid hours of carving, a ball game against Arlington, a greased pig and a dance under the lanterns.
- A Senator Breaks Ranks, and Seattle Howls
Senator Rutter abandons John B. Allen for George Turner, turning the 1893 U.S. Senate deadlock into a test of party loyalty and constituent fury.
- A Veteran Railroader Reflects on Seattle’s Industrial Growth
After a year as Lake Shore superintendent, I. A. Nadeau retires from the position, looking back on the era when the city’s rail freight grew from a single car of hardware to a hub of transcontinental commerce.
- The Mystery of the Solid Rock Fish
Workers drilling a deep well near Ruston were shocked to find a live, pale fish emerge from 140 feet below the surface.
- 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.
- The Boomtown Myth of 1889
As Seattle entered the year of the Great Fire, the local press touted a narrative of unstoppable, 'solid' growth that masked the fragility of an exploding city.
- The Day Ellensburg Burned
A devastating fire leaves 12 city blocks in ruins, highlighting the catastrophic failure of the local water system.
- Bridge Collapse Inquiry Mired in Secrecy
A tenth victim has died following a bridge collapse on the Great Northern line, as company officials actively obstruct the inquest.
- The Night They Burned the Bridges: Sprague Makes Its Stand
A mob stones the returning militia, torch-wielding strikers destroy trestles on both sides of town, and a governor wires back orders to 'use all force at your command' to disperse the rioters.
- The Siege of Seattle: When the City Huddled Behind Timber Walls
A newly unearthed account from pioneer A.A. Denny details the terrifying winter of 1856, when settlers built fortified blockhouses at key intersections and waited for an Indian attack that never came.
- The Terminal War: How the Northern Pacific and Union Pacific Seized Seattle
Wireless reports confirm that two major railroads are conspiring to make Seattle their northern terminus, effectively cutting off Tacoma from transcontinental traffic.
- The Railway King Comes to Town
James J. Hill, president of the Great Northern Railway, arrives in Seattle to scout terminal sites and plot the future of the city's waterfront.
- The Pulpit Versus the Saloon
Rev. Wallace Nutting denounces Seattle's 'reform' government for failing to regulate nightlife and corruption.
- The Struggle to Feed and House the Unemployed
As the economic depression deepens, a city mission at 604 Commercial Street reports on its efforts to sustain hundreds of displaced men.
- ‘Bought for Hard Gold Coin’: The Railroad Bill Dies in Olympia
The Helm railroad bill, passed by the House, was killed in the Senate. Newspapers across Washington condemned the railroad lobby and the senators who voted against lower freight rates.
- The Dredgers Are Coming: Seattle's Canal Project Finally Starts Moving
After years of financing delays, engineers promised to begin bulkheads and surveys on the south canal—and to haul giant hydraulic dredgers north to reshape the tide flats.
- A City Turns Out for Its Dead: Seattle's Memorial Day, 1895
Three hundred and five veterans, three militia companies, high-school cadets and a twelve-foot column of flowers marched Front Street and filled the Seattle Theater — while the Board of Health kept the schoolchildren from singing.
- The Night Cheney Burned to the Ground
A pre-dawn fire decimated half of Cheney’s business district, leaving city officials to suspect arson as the town vowed to rise again from the ashes.
- The $3 Million Scheme to Turn Seattle's Tide Flats into Dry Land
A private company plans to dredge the Duwamish and fill Elliott Bay's mudflats — paid not in cash but in land and liens — while St. Louis money waits to see the ground before it bets.
- The Whistleblower Who Risked It All on the House Floor
When Washington legislator Metcalfe turned in a bribe, his colleagues turned on him. In a dramatic trial for expulsion, he dared to tell them their political machine was 'as corrupt as hell.'
Also about this, in other words
- The Dream of a 'Solid Block': Seattle's Early Real Estate Ambitions
Prominent business owners in late 19th-century Seattle collaborate to replace fragmented shops with a singular, uniform 'splendid block' of stone and steel, signaling the city's transition from pioneer town to burgeoning metropolis.
- The Soul of a Building
When the new Unitarian Church on Seventh Street held its dedication in 1889, the sermon offered a meditation on how timber, iron, and stone are transformed into a living, spiritual home for the community.