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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 5 |
| 1891 | 6 |
| 1892 | 30 |
| 1893 | 42 |
| 1894 | 45 |
| 1895 | 6 |
136 stories
- The Deadly Spring Gun of Whatcom
A man who set a loaded trap for intruders in his cabin faces a murder conviction, setting a major legal precedent for property defense.
- Bellingham Bay Burned While Puget Sound Choked on Smoke
Forest fires from the British border to the Olympic Mountains sent a pall over Seattle, slowed steamers and trains, and destroyed homes, a bridge and a thirty-room mansion near Whatcom.
- The Deadly Spring-Gun Trap of Whatcom
A laborer seeking shelter in a boarded-up cabin is killed instantly by a rigged shotgun, sparking a legal inquiry into property traps.
- The Explosion at Deadman's Point
A colossal blast of two and a half tons of dynamite levels waterfront shanties and shatters windows miles away.
- The Boom That Built Bellingham: How Four Towns Merged Into One City
In the spring of 1904, the bustling communities of Sehome, Whatcom, Fairhaven, and Bellingham were rapidly converging. With housing prices soaring and carpenters working day and night, this historic merger created the city we know today.
- The Trial That Nearly Triggered a Lynching
A Whatcom jury's acquittal of George Bwiloos for a brutal murder left the town in an uproar, sparking a desperate, failed manhunt by local citizens.
- The Trial That Stoked a Mob: The Swiloos Case
After an accused murderer was acquitted, the citizens of Whatcom waged a campaign of social ostracism against the jury, reflecting deep racial tensions and extrajudicial outrage in 1892 Washington.
- The Bogus 'Happy Valley' Real Estate Scam
A swindler in Fairhaven has been selling plots in a 'Happy Valley' addition that exists only on paper and a mountain.
- The Struggle for Industry in Fairhaven
A local Chamber of Commerce defends its record against editorial attacks, citing structural economic barriers and the legacy of broken 'boom' promises.
- Fatal Trap Set for Burglars Results in Arrests
Two men are in custody for murder after their booby-trapped cabin killed an intruder in Whatcom County.
- The Deadly Spring-Gun Trap
A Whatcom man faces a murder conviction for setting a booby-trapped shotgun to defend his vacant cabin.
- The Collapse of a Fairhaven Empire
A prominent banker faces arrest as the Bank of Fairhaven closes its doors, leaving the county's finances in chaos.
- Nineteen Japanese Immigrants Arrested After Trek from Canada
Destitute group walks from Vancouver, B.C., to Whatcom in hopes of finding work in Seattle.
- The Border-Walking Japanese Laborers
An early 1894 legal test of the 'pauper and assisted immigrant law' sees laborers shuttled back and forth across the Washington-Canada border.
- The Sky Turned to Smoke: Forest Fires Choke Puget Sound
Fires across Whatcom, Skagit and the Olympic Mountains destroyed bridges, barns and a shingle mill, derailed a Great Northern train and left Puget Sound under a suffocating haze.
- The Opium Smuggler's Revenge
A Whatcom man claims he was framed by corrupt officials in a botched smuggling sting, and he's ready to tell all in court.
- The Waldron Block Inferno
A landmark four-story brick building in Fairhaven is destroyed by fire, leaving the community reeling after a disastrous attempt to control the blaze with faulty equipment.
- The Elopement That Gripped Whatcom
When a thirteen-year-old girl ran away with a suitor, the resulting pursuit and public scandal exposed the harsh limits of autonomy and safety for youth in the 1890s.
- The Mayor's Fists in Whatcom
A City Council meeting spirals into chaos as the mayor orders the violent ejection of a dissenting councilman.
- Tragedy at Blue Canyon Mine
A Seattle carpenter falls forty-eight feet to his death after being struck by a coal car at a Whatcom County mine.
- A Bloody Brawl at Blue Canyon
A quiet laborer is left battered after a saloon dispute over a wrestling match turns into a targeted assault.
- A Violent Train Ride to Justice
An emigrant inspector draws his weapon on a prisoner during a heated rail journey, only to be cleared of charges by a federal court.
- Corruption Scandal Sweeps Whatcom
Former city officials are arrested for embezzlement while the community demands a grand jury to investigate municipal rot.
- Boodle and Bust in Whatcom
An embattled treasurer and a jailed clerk highlight a city spiraling into scandal as citizens call for a grand jury.
- A Scandal in Fairhaven's Coffers
How one official's massive theft transformed city tax enforcement forever.