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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 5 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1892 | 9 |
| 1893 | 8 |
| 1894 | 6 |
| 1895 | 4 |
34 stories matching span
- Spanning the Columbia: The Great Northern's Engineering Triumph
A massive, gravity-defying cantilever bridge nears completion near Rock Island, marking a feat of railroad ingenuity.
- Bridge Swept Away by Rising Cedar River
A span of the county bridge at Elliott was lost to rising waters, marking the first infrastructure failure of the season.
- After the Great Flood, a New Span for the Snoqualmie
Following the destruction of the old wooden crossing, the county moves to replace the link at the Snoqualmie hop ranch with a modern iron structure.
- A Deadly Plunge off the Grant Street Bridge
A reckless driver and his span of horses tumble into the tide flats, prompting a lawsuit against the city for its lack of safety infrastructure.
- The Great Deluge of 1891
Heavy winter rains transform Seattle’s rivers into raging torrents, washing away rail lines, bridges, and barns across the region.
- Bridge Collapse Kills Seven Great Northern Railroad Workers
A temporary construction span on the Wenatchee River failed under the weight of a heavy train, plunging workers sixty feet into the water.
- The Half Moon Bridge Collapse: A Family's Carriage Plunges into the Willapa River
A routine crossing turned to disaster when the Half Moon bridge near Lebam gave way, injuring six people and killing a horse.
- The Seven-Century-Old Shop-Worn Buddhas
A Seattle jeweler’s lawsuit over antique statues reveals a strange, centuries-spanning trail from a Japanese temple to a King County courtroom.
- Engineering Tacoma's Waterfront
Tacoma will build a $20,000 bridge to its new filled waterfront, where teredo worms eat untreated pilings.
- The Bridge That Folded Over the Nooksack
High wind and failing bolts send six workmen into the wreckage of the Welcome bridge; one man is expected to lose a leg.
- The Bridge That Broke: Tacoma's Infrastructure Crisis and the Union Mutiny
As a vital bridge spanning the Puyallup River collapses under its own weight, Tacoma residents face logistical chaos while a separate maritime labor dispute erupts into violence on the docks.
- The Great Northern's Bridge to Nowhere
A spectacular fire tears through the Moses Coulee trestle, halting traffic and forcing a massive rebuilding effort in the Washington wilderness.
- Bridging the Wilderness of Clallam County
Construction on the Solduck River bridge proves a feat of logistics, relying on indigenous boatmen to supply materials to the remote prairie.
- The Wild West of Seattle Land Speculation
A single week in April 1889 shows the frantic, high-velocity churn of property ownership as Seattle’s real estate fever hit a boiling point just months before the Great Fire.
- Nellie Holgate’s Account Arrives Postmarked From Nebraska
After vanishing during a rowing trip to Madison Park, a Seattle woman reappears with a fantastical story of abduction by a mule-driving 'Italian' in the woods.
- The Great Tacoma Land Grab
A brazen scheme to seize valuable city land by falsely labeling it a 'gold mine' has finally been defeated in court.
- Firefighters battle blaze in the ruins of the old McMaster mill
A fire sparked by a passing engine ignited the long-abandoned McMaster's mill wharf, forcing firefighters to wade through shallow mud flats to save the structure.
- Life Inside the Coal Company’s Town
A rare glimpse into the daily rhythm, infrastructure, and isolation of Franklin, a booming King County coal town in the summer of 1888.
- The Queen City’s Growing Pains
In an 1888 address, Seattle’s mayor reflects on the city's meteoric population growth, the struggle to replace wooden 'make-shift' infrastructure with modern brick, and the urgent need to expand the fire department to cover the city's steep, expanding hillsides.
- The Great Whatcom Railroad Brawl
Construction crews for two rival railroads face off in a pitched battle over a trestle crossing, turning a civil dispute into a physical struggle on the tracks.
- Trapped in the Snowy Labyrinth of the North Cascades
A Seattle prospecting party seeking a Skagit River mine nearly perishes in a brutal trek through Whatcom County’s mountain wilderness.
- A One-Legged Man, a Stolen Boat, and a Cork Leg to the Gut
A stolen rowboat, a determined owner, and a watchman with a wooden leg turn a quiet evening at the Madison Street slip into a comedy of errors.
- The Groom Who Vanished: A Tacoma Bride’s Wedding Day Turned to Ashes
A Chicago furniture manufacturer arrived in Tacoma with a 'pretty bride' and a request for cash. By the next morning, he was gone, leaving behind a suspicious telegram from his employers and a trail of fraud that spanned the West Coast.
- Gov. McGraw Opens the State Road Convention at Olympia
Delegates from every county gather in the capital to plan a statewide campaign for better roads — and to demand that the political parties finally take up internal improvements.
- A Sailor's Last Ride on the Duwamish Bridge
Alexander McRae came from New York to take charge of a lumber barkentine. Near South Park he tried to board a moving streetcar, fell twenty feet through a bridge, and died before reaching Seattle.