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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 1 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1895 | 3 |
| 1914 | 2 |
| 1915 | 1 |
19 stories matching arena
- The Brutal Arena: Is Prizefighting Dying Out?
An editorial reflection on whether America’s growing appetite for athletics is being corrupted by the 'tigerish' violence of professional boxing.
- The Hop Gold Rush of the Puyallup Valley
In 1877, a booming agricultural industry turned the Puyallup Valley into a high-stakes arena of heavy capital, immigrant labor, and unpredictable environmental risks.
- The Day Seattle Shut Down: Sailors, Longshoremen and the First Labor Day
Banks, courts and public offices closed for the first time in the city's history, 2,500 people packed Pioneer Place for a 36-minute tug-of-war, and a labor orator told the crowd that good wages are the engine of everyone's prosperity.
- The World at War, Felt in Kennewick
As Europe descends into the First World War, Kennewick residents with roots in Germany, Belgium, and Britain watch the news with growing anxiety and divided loyalties.
- Ballard's City Attorney Skipped Court—and the City Paid a Debt Twice
A $1,046 judgment forced Ballard to pay the same debt twice, prompting the mayor to demand an investigation into City Attorney Edmund Peters' neglect.
- The 'Seattle Idea': A Warning Against Corporate Territorial Grabs
In an 1885 editorial, local papers sounded the alarm over the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad Company’s attempt to claim vast swaths of Seattle’s waterfront and tide lands.
- A Public Separation on the Courthouse Steps
A Tacoma couple’s attempt to end their marriage in Seattle ends in a public spectacle of incompatibility.
- The Political Power Play for Congress
As the congressional race heats up in 1890, rival factions are busy forming complex alliances and maneuvering for control of the county delegations.
- Kennewick's Close Encounter with the Great War
An editorial reflecting on the sudden, violent onset of World War I and the fear of its reach into a small Washington town.
- The Mayor's Chair Is No Bed of Roses
Olympia's old city officers resign to clear a ballot-printing challenge, the new mayor takes the oath—and both incoming and outgoing officials warn that public service brings more abuse than thanks.
- A Good Samaritan’s $10 Went Straight to the Bar Tab
Woodinville’s A. G. McLean stepped between a bully and a smaller man at a Seattle hotel saloon. The bully thanked him by lifting a $10 bill and buying the house a round.
- The Fast Runner and the Stiffed Innkeeper
A local foot-racing celebrity thought he could dodge his hotel tab, only to be caught in bed by a constable.
- Seattle Lawyers Turn a Charity Baseball Game Into a Biblical War
Rival teams of Courthouse Hill lawyers announced themselves Philistines and Jacobites, issued mock proclamations, and promised a 500-pound batter—all to sell tickets for the Associated Charities.
- The Sunshine in the Bottle: Kennewick's Grape Juice Wins the World
A homegrown experiment on Second Street becomes a gold-medal winner at the Panama-Pacific Exposition, while Kennewick cherries earn praise in Philadelphia.
- Twenty Rounds, No Knockout: Jack Dempsey Outlasts Billy McCarthy in Seattle
A large crowd at the Athletic Club watches the former champion carry a rugged Australian the full distance, splitting a $1,000 purse after twenty punishing rounds.
- The Rowdy Frontier in Icicle
A correspondent reports on the daily chaos and 'gun plays' defining the rough-and-tumble life in the settlement near Wenatchee.
- The Wealth Gap and the Labor Question
A critical look at the ethics of extreme wealth versus the necessity of creating work over charity for the poor.
- The Seattle Boom in Black and White: 1889
A look at the sheer volume of commerce flowing through Seattle's docks and rails just weeks after the Great Seattle Fire, showcasing a city obsessed with growth, brick, and iron.
- The Election of 1876: When Seattle Held Its Breath
As the U.S. Congress deadlocked over the disputed Hayes-Tilden election, the frontier town of Seattle processed the national anxiety through the lens of political 'vultures' and the hope for a peaceful transition.
Also about this, in other words
- The Arcade Saloon Melee
A morning brawl involving the 'John Bull Combination' spills out of the Arcade Saloon and into the street.
- The Fight That Sparked a Spasm of Virtue
A boxing exhibition at the opera house turns into a legal battle over what constitutes a prize fight.
- The Wrestling King of Walla Walla
A professional wrestler defeats three local opponents in succession at Armory Hall, showcasing the rugged spectacle of early 1900s prize fighting.
- The Featherweight 'Blood' Match at South Prairie
A much-hyped prizefight between two heavyweights in a dance hall turned out to be less about violence and more about a bizarre, non-contact stalemate.
- The Price of the Prize Ring
A well-known local prizefighter collapses and dies in the ring at a Seattle performance hall after a brutal exhibition match.
- Brutal Bare-Knuckle Prize Fight Ends in Foul
A local pugilist match on Pennsylvania Avenue ends in controversy after a fighter strikes his opponent while he is down.
- Olympic Athletic Club Splits Over Prizefighting
The local sports club undergoes a schism, purging members who support the controversial sport of prizefighting.
- The Prizefighter’s Penance: John L. Sullivan in Seattle
After his high-profile prizefight in the Pacific Northwest, boxing legend John L. Sullivan faces a harsh judicial reality in a Seattle courtroom.