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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 4 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 8 |
| 1893 | 8 |
| 1894 | 7 |
| 1895 | 9 |
39 stories matching stuff
- The Opium Standoff at Sedro
When a customs discovery led to a tense standoff in a small town, an armed family stood their ground against federal agents.
- A Boy's Fishing Line Hauls Up 20 Pounds of Smuggled Opium
Lucky children and treasury agents netted a smuggler's jettisoned cargo from under Seattle's wharves — and the owner was never found.
- The Seattle Milk Scandal of 1891
A police investigation in Helena, Montana, leads back to a Seattle man selling a recipe for 'manufactured' milk, highlighting the early days of consumer food fraud.
- Canada Bans Seattle's 'Depraved' Tabloids
Provincial authorities in Victoria and Vancouver slam the border shut on Seattle newspapers deemed too obscene for public consumption.
- Theft and Capture in the Shingle Camps
A spree of petty theft in Everett and Snohomish ends in a muddy arrest.
- The Opium Smuggling Ring of Pike Street
A failed nurseryman and a former grocer are arrested in a desperate scheme to smuggle opium in Seattle, orchestrated by a local 'fast young man.'
- Mystery at East Clallam
Two Indigenous men vanish after a suspicious boat wreck, leaving only a shredded canoe and a missing shoe behind.
- Customs Raid Finds Illicit Opium in Walla Walla
Law enforcement seized $1,000 worth of smuggled opium from Chinese business houses in a coordinated sting operation.
- The Lamp-Explosion Racket at Snoqualmie
Confidence men peddling a miracle powder to stop lamp explosions are run out of town after a local skeptic replicates their 'scientific' trick without the product.
- Seattle Bets Big on a Canal to the Sea
A booster item from the Goldendale Republican celebrates Seattle citizens pledging $250,000 toward a half-million-dollar Lake Washington canal fund.
- The Case of the Counterfeit Opium
A man arrested in Everett for 'smuggling opium' into Seattle is cleared after authorities realize the suspicious substance was merely a fake product sold to con greenhorns.
- Ritzville Under Siege by a Serial Arsonist
After a failed attempt to torch a warehouse, the town council posts a reward for an elusive firebug terrorizing the business district.
- Police Raid Hidden 'Fan Tan' Parlor
Officers storm a fortified gambling den in an alley between Yesler and Washington, arresting eighteen men in a late-night sweep.
- The Ballard Tragedy
A 14-year-old nursemaid is accused of murdering an infant in her charge with rat poison.
- Opium Smuggler Intercepted on the Great Northern
Customs officers tracked a shipment of 'dope' from Vancouver to Ballard, arresting a man who tried to hide the illicit goods in a bedroll.
- The Rescued Souls of the Denmark
After the steamer Denmark founders at sea, survivors arrive in Washington, offering a glimpse of the harrowing endurance of 1889 sea travel.
- Late-Night Blaze Nearly Consumes Third Avenue Shop
A swift response by Seattle firefighters prevents a major conflagration at a secondhand goods store.
- The Seattle Produce Squeeze of 1892
Farmers accuse local retailers and wholesalers of a price-fixing boycott that left growers fighting for scraps.
- The Sawdust in Your Spice Cabinet
A Seattle newspaper exposé from 1888 reveals that the city's food supply was being systemically poisoned by greed, with sawdust in spices and grease in butter.
- A Paradise Prairie Tragedy
A young mother poisons her children and herself, leaving a farm family shattered.
- The Myth of the 'Overcrowded' Frontier
In 1889, local papers pushed back against sensationalist claims that Seattle was a destitute wasteland, framing the 'idle' men on street corners not as victims of an economic crisis, but as voluntary loafers.
- Pittsburgh Capital Bets on Seattle’s Industrial Future
A new steel works in Seattle, managed by a Pittsburgh expert, signals the city’s post-fire resurgence and potential to become a national steel hub.
- The Great Seattle Opium Double-Cross
A Victoria capitalist sues his smugglers for replacing high-grade opium with sawdust and molasses, revealing a bungled customs heist that captivated Seattle.
- The Skykomish River Tragedy
A saloon-keeper's body is discovered in the wilderness, unraveling a dark story of frontier isolation, lawlessness, and the lethal 'whisky' of the Great Northern construction camps.
- The Wild West of Snohomish City Hall
A small town descends into administrative chaos as rival marshals, contested elections, and judicial flip-flops leave residents wondering who is in charge.