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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1886 | 2 |
| 1889 | 7 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 20 |
| 1892 | 41 |
| 1893 | 79 |
| 1894 | 47 |
| 1895 | 61 |
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286 stories matching ballard
- Ballard Asked Seattle for a Drink—and Hinted at Annexation
In 1895 Ballard was running on wells and springs. Seattle had Lake Washington to spare, and officials began talking rates, mains, and a merged city.
- Arson Suspected After Fire Devours the Ballard News
A 2 a.m. blaze destroyed a newspaper plant and several buildings in Ballard; the fire chief’s engine never made it through the roads.
- Ballard Wins a Round in Its Water War—But the Fight Isn't Over
A judge refused to permanently stop Ballard's council from buying the West Coast Improvement Company's waterworks, finding the city could use the pipe in its new plant. Inspector Shields immediately appealed.
- The West Seattle Intruder
A night watchman’s wife attempts suicide after a violent confrontation with a ship's officer in their home.
- Two Frozen Men Drowned Within Twenty Feet of a Rescue Line
The new Ballard schooner Lily and Maud broke up off Deception Island, and the crews of the Utopia and Justine could only watch.
- A Missing Lawyer, a $350 Deed, and the North Olympia Land Scheme
With Attorney D. P. Ballard absent, Olympia lawyers are tracing suspicious transfers in a platted addition—land already sold to dozens of owners, now used as security for a $4,000 mortgage.
- Ballard Fights to Save Its Waterfront
Local mill owners and city officials protest a state contract to fill Salmon Bay tide lands, fearing economic ruin.
- Arson Attempt Targets Ballard Hotel
A suspicious fire at the Ballard Hotel was thwarted by a night watchman, raising alarms about safety in the burgeoning mill town.
- Ousted Over an $18.90 Lumber Bill, a Councilman Gets His Seat Back
Ballard's council removed Thomas Winsor without a hearing — right after he accused the city treasurer of pocketing $1,058. A judge ruled the whole thing illegal and threw out his replacement.
- Anti-Chinese Violence in Ballard
A Chinese man is brutally assaulted by a mob in Ballard, highlighting the dangerous climate of racial exclusion in 1890s Washington.
- Sewer Graft Scandal Hits Ballard
A contractor linked to Walla Walla infrastructure is accused of corrupting a massive sewer project in Ballard.
- Ballard's Post Office Moves Next Door to a Saloon—And Residents Are Furious
When the post office relocated to a building owned by saloonkeepers Cors & Wegner, Ballard citizens cried foul, accusing the mayor and postmaster of putting a public office in a den of vice.
- The Dam That Shut Down Ballard
Fremont millers raised a timber barrier at Lake Union’s outlet. When Ballard’s mills lost their water, the fight went to court—after some talked of tearing it out by hand.
- Where Is D. P. Ballard? The Lawyer Who Vanished With the G.A.R. Fund
A well-known Olympia attorney disappears leaving debts, a destitute family, and a fraternal post asking what happened to its money.
- The Fight for Public Water in Ballard
Before Ballard was absorbed by Seattle, its citizens held a heated public meeting to reject corporate control of their water supply, demanding municipal ownership instead.
- Ballard’s Big Bid for the Great Northern
A town of 200 citizens gathers to discuss a high-stakes proposal to bring the railway's car shops to their shores.
- Ballard's Water Fight Goes to Court
When a lawsuit tried to block the young city from buying the West Coast Improvement Company's springs and pipes, Ballard's answer warned that an injunction would leave the water system in peril.
- Ballard Sees Its Future in a Dredged Salmon Bay — but the Bonds Can't Wait
Councilman Keane presses Ballard to claim the Lake Washington canal right-of-way through Salmon Bay, while two Populist members skip town to block a quorum on the water and electric bonds.
- Vigilante Mob Targets Ballard Policeman
A vigilante mob descended on a Ballard home demanding that an acquitted police officer flee the county within 24 hours.
- Ballard’s Fire Chief Killed by a Falling 1,200-Pound Head-Block
Frank Finnerin was guiding five men across a mill tramway when the stringer gave way. He died fifteen minutes later in the boarding house, leaving a wife and three small children.
- Ballard’s High-Stakes Annexation Fight
As municipal elections approach, Ballard residents are divided over the high cost of local government and the prospect of merging with Seattle.
- The Ballard Y.M.C.A. Rebels Against Seattle
After the city association attempted to dissolve the Ballard branch, residents rallied to save the reading rooms from the saloons.
- Holiday Travelers Stranded by Mudslides
A Great Northern train headed to Seattle was halted by a series of massive land-slides near Ballard, forcing passengers to hike five miles through mud and slush to reach the city on Christmas Eve.
- Ballard’s Plea for a Deeper Harbor
Before it was a neighborhood, Ballard was the 'shingle capital of the world' and petitioned Congress to dredge its shallow, muddy waterfront.
- Ballard's Tide Flats Belong to the Uplanders, State Board Rules
In a decision touching Shilshole Avenue and the Ballard waterfront, the state land commissioners gave upland owners the preferred right to buy tide lands—and warned cities not to become land speculators.
Also about this, in other words
- The Ballard Boarding Mother
In 1891, a classified ad captures the informal, precarious economy of childcare in the rapidly expanding neighborhood of Ballard.
- A Ballard Tragedy
A three-year-old child dies after his dress catches fire from matches while his mother is away.
- Ballard Businesses Devastated by Early Morning Fire
A grocery store and adjacent saloons were lost in a significant blaze, with one family narrowly escaping the flames.
- Ballard Votes to Pay the Piper
A special election in the young city of Ballard clears the three-fifths bar to fund debts that ran about $3,000 past the legal limit.
- Ballard Voters Overwhelmingly Reject Water System Bonds
Residents of Ballard soundly defeat a $71,000 bond proposal for the Wagner steam well water system due to mineral concerns.
- Delayed Water Pressure Dooms Ballard Buildings
A fire in Ballard destroyed local businesses after the department struggled with water delivery, injuring a family of three.
- A New Industrial Anchor for Ballard
Councilman Thomas Winsor breaks ground on a $15,000 industrial complex, promising 100 new jobs to the growing waterfront district.
- The Unwritten Law of Ballard
A Chinese laundryman is chased from the suburb by a mob enforcing a local, extra-legal ban on residents of Chinese descent.