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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1876 | 5 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 3 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 4 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 4 |
| 1893 | 1 |
| 1894 | 4 |
| 1895 | 6 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1903 | 2 |
| 1909 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
47 stories matching abound
- The Canal That Would Make Seattle an Island
In 1883, surveyors proposed locks and canals linking Lake Union and Lake Washington to tidewater—so coal could move by water and Seattle could 'practically stand on an island.'
- The Chief's Daughter in the Shadow of the City Named for Her Father
A San Francisco Chronicle correspondent visits Princess Angeline in her Seattle shack and finds the city proudly carving her father's face on a new business block while his daughter lives on charity.
- A Final Insult for a Fallen Engineer
After an Everett railroad engineer died in a tragic mountain fall, his employers refused to pay for his transport, offering only a boxcar for the journey home.
- Puyallup Leader Peter Stanup Found Dead in River
A prominent Puyallup leader disappears, sparking fears of foul play and 'shanghaiing' amidst intense tensions over railroad grading on the reservation.
- The Mud-Sunk Streets of Pioneer Square
A local editor slams city officials for leaving commercial thoroughfares in such disrepair that industrial wagons are being swallowed whole by the earth.
- The Great Escape: Two Prisoners Vanish from Seattle’s Basement Jail
In a display of audacity and desperation, two men held on smuggling and liquor charges crawled through a torn-off board in a water closet to flee the U.S. Marshal’s improvised prison beneath the Clancy Building.
- The Dogfish Gold Rush on San Juan Island
Before tourism, local entrepreneurs on San Juan Island sought their fortune in the 'stinking' but profitable trade of extracting oil from thousands of dogfish caught in the sound.
- The Millionaire’s Gamble: Ryan & McDonald Awarded the $3M Rail Contract
New York contractors secure the massive deal to connect Seattle and Spokane Falls in just two years, promising to unlock Eastern Washington's grain and timber wealth.
- The Settler's Hunger for the Moses Reservation
An 1891 report from Colville showcases the era's aggressive push to seize Indigenous land for white settlement, detailing the minerals and rich soil the state's residents felt belonged to them rather than the tribes.
- The Radical Doctor of Seattle
An 1876 lecture at the local Opera House challenges the city's elites, railing against the morality of wealth, the indignity of labor, and the hypocrisy of the church.
- The Temperance Storm Brews in Seattle
Prohibition advocates take to the stage in 1886, igniting a fierce debate over morality, city control, and the role of the working man in a changing Washington Territory.
- The Policeman Who Refused to Leave
After being told his resignation was expected, an officer showed up at a commission meeting to demand his job back, turning the proceedings into a chaotic argument.
- An Ecological Disaster on Pine Creek
Local farmers find hundreds of pounds of dead trout after a creek is diverted into an irrigation ditch.
- A Deadly Error on Lopez Island
A 70-year-old man, a repeat offender in accidental shootings, is critically wounded after being mistaken for a deer in a fern patch.
- The Walla Walla Man Who Wanted to Buy the Rails
In 1903, B.D. Crocker—former collector of internal revenue and local favorite—shocked railroad executives by offering to buy the Columbia River & Northern line, sparking rumors of a secret deal with the powerful Oregon Railway & Navigation Company.
- The Mystery of the Ice-Forming Caves
A scientific inquiry into why midsummer ice forms in the lava tunnels of the Washington wilderness.
- The Navy’s Checklist: Why Seattle Was Betting Its Future on Iron and Timber
In January 1902, the city compiled a massive dossier of industrial advantages—from Denny Mine ore to fresh-water wharves—to convince Washington D.C. that Seattle was the only logical site for a new Pacific naval station.
- The Salmon Wars of 1891: Puget Sound’s Battle for Fishing Sovereignty
While the Columbia River dictated state fishing laws, Washington’s northern waters faced an existential threat, prompting a legislative clash over spawning cycles and local control.
- The Dream of a Mountain Railroad
Proponents argue that a narrow-gage line over the Cascades would spark an economic boom for Seattle and the Yakima Valley.
- The Tugboat Race to a Distant Sail
Off Cape Flattery, crews raced rivals for incoming ships and went months without seeing home — while rum-drunk gulls kept them company.
- A Seattle Expedition Sets Out to Map Mount Rainier's Glaciers—and Find a Hidden Volcano
Major Ingraham's party leaves Seattle for three weeks on the mountain, hoping to name glaciers, test mineral springs, and locate a smoking volcano seen from the foothills.
- Fleeing the Blizzard: Farmers Look to Puget Sound
Colonies of farmers from North Dakota, Minnesota and Michigan—some worth up to $50,000—are selling out and heading west to Whatcom, Skagit and Whidbey Island, drawn by railroad inducements and a milder climate.
- The Man Who Walked the Entire Union
A formerly enslaved man recounts his epic, cross-country trek to the Puget Sound, fueled by a simple curiosity to see the nation for himself.
- The Grass Isn't Always Greener in Indiana
A young couple leaves Shelton for the Midwest, only to find themselves struggling and desperate to return to Washington.
- Bethune’s Report Chronicles Washington’s Early Gold Discoveries
A state geologist’s 1891 report reveals the immense mineral promise of Washington, dreaming of a future where steel mills line the mountains and industrial progress transforms the rugged wilderness.
Also about this, in other words
- Despair in the Tenth Ward
A Tacoma resident survives a desperate act of self-harm, only to face further neglect from city services.
- A Desperate Act in Waitsburg
A young woman is found unconscious after ingesting carbolic acid, sparking local debate over whether the act was a tragic mistake or a suicide attempt.