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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 7 |
| 1877 | 3 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 5 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1885 | 7 |
| 1886 | 2 |
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| 1889 | 8 |
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122 stories matching belt
- The Rockefeller Land Grab: How a $2 Million Deal Bought Seattle’s Lakefront
In January 1891, the massive Lake Washington Belt Line Improvement Company, backed by John D. Rockefeller and former Governor Russell A. Alger, acquired nearly 13,000 acres of eastern Lake Washington shoreline for steel and iron works, signaling the dawn of heavy industry in the Pacific Northwest.
- The Fight for the Indemnity Belt
How Washington settlers fought to reclaim land from corporate control, breaking the grip of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- A Senator’s Lake Washington Commute
Senator Watson C. Squire returns to Seattle to mediate a messy standoff with the Belt Line railroad, which carved a deep, uncrossable ditch right through his prized farmstead.
- The Coxeyites Descend on Spokane
Populist supporters and unemployed 'Industrial Army' marchers head toward Spokane, setting up a confrontation with the city's new leadership.
- The Forest Empire That Built Washington
A sweeping 1900 survey of the state's lumber industry counted billions of feet of standing timber, 250 sawmills, and $7 million a year in wages—proof that the trees, not the cities, came first.
- A Circular Saw Opened His Skull—and He Stayed Conscious
At the Stetson Post Mill on Commercial Street, engineer Horatio Stetson crawled under a rip-saw table to fix a belt. The saw caught his head, cutting through bone and into his brain, yet he never lost consciousness.
- The Woodin Mill Burns Down
A fire sparked by a friction belt destroys a major Fairhaven lumber mill, leaving forty-seven men jobless in an already struggling economy.
- The Woman Who Swung on the Belt
A draft at the Aberdeen planing mill caught Mrs. F.M. Campbell’s dress, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around a shaft—her screams were the only thing that saved her life.
- The Fight for the Sunnyside Belt Line
Residents are firing back at rumors of railroad abandonment, insisting their fertile soil promises a profitable future for the Northern Pacific.
- Ballard Mill Worker Maimed in Belt Accident
A sawmill worker is in the hospital with a crushed arm after a plank snagged on machinery.
- Northern Pacific Superintendent Heads South
W. T. Tyler leaves his Pasco post to manage the Cotton Belt Line in Texas, marking a significant leadership change for the regional rail network.
- The Iron City That Never Was: Kirkland’s $3 Million Bet on Steel
In 1891, promoters promised to turn the shores of Lake Washington into the 'Pittsburgh of the Pacific,' selling lots for a fortune and laying tracks for a empire that would vanish within a decade.
- Vandals Target Seattle Shingle Mills Amid Labor Unrest
Striking shingle weavers are suspected of sabotage at the Stimson and Cedar Lumber Company mills, marking a tense escalation in local labor disputes.
- The Oasis in the Arid Belt
How irrigation transformed the Yakima Valley from desert to a model of agricultural productivity and speculative ambition.
- City Hall's Saloon Showdown
A legislative battle over liquor limits and grade taxes highlights the growing pains of a booming Seattle.
- The Darkest Hour: Temperance Leader Declares Cause 'Dead' Amidst Political Corruption
At the State Temperance Alliance meeting in Seattle, Rev. Clark Davis delivers a scathing indictment of the liquor industry's grip on politics and religion, while Rep. De Steiguer rallies support for Watson Squire.
- A Miraculous Escape at the Old Town Mill
A worker's arm was caught in a drive belt, and his body was hurled through an eight-inch opening in the floor, yet he survived with only a broken ankle.
- The Tragedy on the Beach
A grim discovery near a logging camp raises questions of foul play in 1876 Seattle.
- F.A. Nadeau Favors Belt Line Over City Track Control
As Seattle rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1889, railroad managers and city officials butted heads over who would control the lifeblood of the growing port: the tracks on Railroad Avenue.
- The Price of Progress on Lake Washington
A century before Seattle’s modern infrastructure battles, property owners in 1891 fought a railroad’s attempt to claim waterfront for a 'Belt Line' at a discount.
- The Unraveling of the Northern Pacific Rail Empire
A scathing critique of Henry Villard’s financial management and the 'banana belt' myths that promised prosperity to the Pacific Northwest.
- Why the Great Northern Railway Matters
Reflections on how the newly completed transcontinental link will change the economy of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.
- A Streetcar War in Tacoma
A power struggle over the consolidation of electric rail lines leads to a suit to dissolve a corporation and prevent a massive foreclosure.
- The King of the Wheat Belt
A Harrington farmer cashes in on a historic wheat windfall, securing the largest grain payment ever recorded in the state.
- The Desolation of the Arid Belt
A pioneer reflects on four decades in Washington and Idaho, warning that unchecked grazing and timber harvesting are turning fertile mountain valleys into sagebrush barrens.
Also about this, in other words
- City Hall's Belt-Tightening Cost Two Officers Their Badges
Facing a sudden budget crunch in 1876, the Seattle City Council moves to dismiss two members of the police force to balance the books.
- The 1885 Fight to Protect the Workingman’s Tools and Bedding
A proposed territorial law sought to expand property exemptions from debt, shielding everything from a mechanic's tools to a family's bedding from creditors.
- The Retired Wrestler and the Bull
A former champion wrestler faces the fight of his life against an enraged bull on Beacon Hill.
- A Captain’s Defense of Military Order
A local officer speaks out to justify his actions leading to the court-martial of a lieutenant in Company K.
- 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 Queen City Brass Band's High-Stakes Ballroom Dance
In an era of strict social decorum, a Seattle brass band hosts an 'apron and necktie' ball at the Court House, strictly barring 'disreputable characters' to fund their new uniforms.
- 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.
- A Dispute Over Laundry and Etiquette
A laundryman and a theatrical man clash in a courtroom, highlighting cultural prejudices of the 1890s.