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1. The Germ War on Washington’s Wheat-Field Squirrels

   A state bacteriologist in Seattle tested whether a contagious germ could turn Eastern Washington’s crop-destroying ground squirrels into agents of their own destruction.

   May 27, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

2. The Fatal Dance of Washington's Ground Squirrels

   Scientists at the state agricultural college tried to wipe out crop-destroying rodents with bacteria—and found a native plague that sent infected squirrels spinning until they dropped.

   Sep 15, 1898Ranche and RangeWashington State University, Pullman, Whitman CountyStrange But True

3. Rabid Coyotes Put the Whole Columbia Valley on Edge

   State College confirmed hydrophobia in a hog’s head from a Richland-area ranch, prompting dog quarantines and warnings that unusually bold coyotes could spread the disease through the valley.

   Nov 23, 1916The Kennewick Courier-ReporterRichland, Benton CountyDisasters

4. Ten Days Over Cascade Pass—and No Wagon Road

   A member of Mayor Curtis's 1894 party recounts the camps, storms and lost pack animals on the route from Marblemount to Winthrop.

   Mar 10, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMarblemount, Skagit CountyBoom & Bust

5. The Pied Piper of Seattle: The Policeman Who Controlled Animals

   Before Seattle became a sprawling metropolis, a local officer reportedly possessed a magnetic, inexplicable influence over stray dogs and wild creatures.

   Mar 7, 1872Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyLocal Legends

6. A Desperate Corral Rescue

   A husband is gored by a bull near his home, leading to a harrowing, multi-generational effort to save his life.

   Jun 2, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyStrange But True

7. Abandoned Horses and Mules Left to Die at Green Lake

   Neighbors report an instance of extreme cruelty as neglected animals are left to starve near the lake shore.

   Feb 21, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerGreen Lake, Seattle, King County

8. The Legal Definition of Animal Abuse

   A jury acquits a man who killed a 'balky' horse, raising questions about the threshold for animal cruelty in the 1890s.

   Apr 26, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

9. The Bull That Terrorized Snoqualmie

   A ferocious bull escapes captivity and leads the community on a chaotic chase, narrowly missing a man with an axe.

   Oct 27, 1886Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSnoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, King CountyStrange But True

10. A Brutal End for a Balky Horse

    A North Seattle man kills his horse after it refuses to move, drawing the attention of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

    Feb 15, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King County

11. A Freight Train Chases Three Horses Into Newport

    One of Ed G. Harris's horses is struck near Hardscrabble, then driven miles into town by an eastbound freight before City Marshal Jenne puts the injured animal down.

    Jan 2, 1908The Newport Miner (Newport, WA) 1899-CurrentNewport, Pend Oreille CountyStrange But True

12. A State Veterinarian's 1899 Warning: Fund Animal Disease Control or Pay for It Later

    Washington's biennial animal-health report counted diseased horses and cattle, traced a horse meningitis outbreak to mouldy straw in Waterville, and warned lawmakers that tuberculosis could jump between cattle and people.

    Dec 1, 1898Ranche and RangePullman, Whitman CountyCity Hall

13. The Cougars of Spangle

    Predators roam the countryside, prompting fears for the safety of children and local livestock.

    Dec 27, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSpangle, Spokane CountyStrange But True

14. A Night of Vengeance in Horse Heaven

    Twenty-eight draft animals were found slaughtered in a calculated act of malice, suspected to be the work of a disgruntled farmhand.

    Aug 13, 1914The Kennewick Courier-ReporterHorse Heaven, Benton CountyWork & Pay · True Crime

15. The Invisible Killer in Your Milk: Seattle’s Health Officer Warns of Tuberculosis Cows

    With consumption rates soaring and no dedicated veterinary inspector on staff, local officials admit the city is dangerously unprepared to stop diseased cattle from entering the food supply.

    Jun 28, 1899The Seattle StarCity Hall, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

16. The Governor Vetoes the Anti-Vivisection Bill

    Washington's governor refuses to sign a sweeping ban on animal dissection in public schools, arguing that medical progress and anatomy lessons depend on it.

    Feb 22, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

17. The Pit and the Claw: A Tacoma Man’s Terrifying Tale of Surviving a Bear Attack

    Larsen describes the agony of being pinned in a bear trap, his arm crushed by the beast's jaws, and his desperate fight for survival in the woods near Schomaker.

    Mar 7, 1899The Seattle StarTacoma, Pierce CountyDisasters

18. A Hunter's Bear Hug Nearly Becomes His Last

    Adam Mechling shot at what he took for a fawn in the Skagit County woods and found himself beneath a 300-pound she bear.

    Aug 17, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerHamilton, Skagit CountyStrange But True

19. The Ground-Squirrel Plague and the Bomb That Sent Them to 'Squirrel Heaven'

    Whitman County farmers hoped a mysterious disease would wipe out the pests. Then came strychnine, arsenic and patented giant-powder bombs.

    Apr 9, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPenawawa, Whitman CountyStrange But True

20. The Absurd Cost of Imaginary State Lines

    A local rancher laments how rigid cross-state veterinary inspection laws turn a simple pig sale into a financial catastrophe.

    Jun 25, 1914The Kennewick Courier-ReporterKennewick, Benton County

21. The Mystery of the 'Sea-Monster' in Pierce County

    A strange creature from the 'animal kingdom' is brought to Steilacoom, sparking local debate over its true nature.

    Sep 23, 1859Puget Sound HeraldSteilacoom, Pierce CountyStrange But True

22. The Glasshouse Farm That Fed Seattle's Hotels

    In 1898, an editor toured a Lake Washington model farm where seven greenhouses and a prize Jersey herd supplied the city's finest tables.

    Jul 16, 1898Ranche and RangeBellevue, King CountyGone Forever

23. Midnight Cattle Rustlers at Richmond Beach

    Three valuable animals, including a prize Jersey and two Holsteins, were spirited away under the cover of darkness.

    Oct 2, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerRichmond Beach, Shoreline, King CountyTrue Crime

24. The Hidden Menace in the Valley

    After a surge in rabid animal attacks in Benton County, local Grange members issue an urgent guide on how to survive a bite.

    Mar 23, 1923White Bluffs SpokesmanBenton County

25. Seattle's Balloon Animal Cruelty Fight

    The local Humane Society moves to stop a spectacle involving dogs and monkeys tied to parachutes and dropped from balloons at public parks.

    Jul 23, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyNightlife

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