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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1886 | 2 |
| 1889 | 7 |
| 1891 | 17 |
| 1892 | 39 |
| 1893 | 78 |
| 1894 | 47 |
| 1895 | 10 |
| 1899 | 3 |
| 1903 | 5 |
| 1904 | 3 |
| 1909 | 1 |
215 stories matching ballard
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- A Legal Dispute Over Ballard's City Debt
Attorney Fred H. Peterson defends his professional reputation after being accused of negligence by the Ballard City Council.
- Ballard's Merchants Dream of a Streetcar to the Beach
After four dormant years, Ballard's Chamber of Commerce reconvenes with a plan for an $8,000 electric railway from the West Street line to Shilshole Bay.
- The Unlucky Commute to Ballard
A streetcar motorman's decision to maintain speed leads to an aromatic disaster on the Ballard line.
- Ballard’s Water Main Failures Lead to Block-Wide Inferno
A fire in an avenue saloon rapidly spiraled out of control when the local water system failed to provide enough pressure to fight the flames.
- The Fiery End of a Ballard Mill
A state-of-the-art shingle mill in Ballard is reduced to cinders after a catastrophic fire, leaving 150 workers suddenly jobless.
- The Tragedy of Tommy Lake
A young boy drowns in the tide-swept mudflats of Ballard, marking a devastating loss for a local family.
- Ballard Opera House Destroyed by Blaze
A mysterious fire levels the largest building in Ballard, narrowly sparing the surrounding town.
- 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.
- Abandoned in a Ballard Shack
After her husband left her for another woman, Mrs. Belle Eagon and her three young children faced eviction and hunger until neighbors intervened.
- A Desperate Note at Meadow Point
A young man, broken by unemployment, leaves a chilling note in a rented boat before vanishing near Ballard.