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54 stories matching billiard
- Brawl at Skip Lee's Saloon Leaves Bystanders Maimed
A violent late-night fight involving billiard cues and brass knuckles forces a call for better police protection in the growing town.
- The Ball That Burned: A Seattle Saloon Mystery
In 1876, a patron at John Brendle’s beer saloon discovered that one of the billiard balls was made of highly flammable material, igniting instantly when pressed against his pipe.
- The Temperance Experiment: A Dry Billiard Parlor in La Conner
An 1878 advertisement for a local business offers a look at the unconventional rise of 'temperance billiard halls' that combined community recreation with strict abstinence.
- Brawls Erupt Outside a Pioneer Square Billiard Hall
A night of violence in Seattle’s waterfront district leads to a messenger boy and a laborer fighting on the sidewalk.
- The Social Pulse of La Conner
A historic advertisement for a local billiard saloon highlights the center of community life in 19th-century La Conner, where the rules of order were as important as the game itself.
- Fatal Brawl Over a Billiard Game in Puyallup
A wealthy Puyallup man is dead after a dispute in a saloon leads to a violent, racially charged assault.
- Sunday Amusements Legalized in Washington
A new state criminal code moves to modernize public life, allowing theaters, baseball, and billiards on Sundays.
- The Castle on Capitol Hill: Seattle’s $1 Million Gamble for a Grand Hotel
Arthur Denny and his board of trustees have spent months sifting through dozens of architectural plans to find the perfect design for a new landmark. The winner? A Gothic stone fortress that will tower over Second Avenue.
- The Spokane Saloon Debuts
Fairhaven welcomes an elaborate new social club and billiard parlor, signaling the city's aspirations to match the sophistication of larger coastal ports.
- The Unholy Row at the Pool Hall
A local hothead turned a Sunday game of billiards into a brush with death after a botched pistol shot.
- The Fall of a Society Man
A once-prominent Seattle socialite and billiards champion has been tracked to a remote California hideout following an alleged $2,500 embezzlement scandal.
- The Berlin Building Burglary
A basement billiard room is hit for a few cigars and a handful of change after a thief hurls a rock through the front door.
- Billiards Proprietor Stares Down Armed Bandit
W.W. Pickerell uses nerves of steel to repel a late-night street robbery at his doorstep.
- A New 'Monte Carlo' in Fairhaven
Two entrepreneurs prepare to open a lavish new club and billiard room on McKenzie Street.
- The True Cost of a Game of Billiards
A Seattle man learns a hard lesson about domestic economy and the hypocrisy of his own spending habits after denying his family small requests.
- The Myth of the Wild West Cowboy
A columnist deconstructs the romantic image of the 'blood-draggled' cowboy, revealing that the men who shot up town billiard parlors were often just farm-boys performing bravado.
- The Snohomish Exchange: Where Hospitality Met the River
Before high-rise hotels and digital booking, the Snohomish Exchange offered travelers a essential refuge, billiards, and the best spirits north of San Francisco.
- The Secret Game Under the Sidewalk
A reporter uncovers a network of hidden gambling dens and 'wire-puller' locks operating with total impunity under the city's reform administration.
- Kennewick’s Saloon Keepers Pivot to Soft Drinks
As Washington State approaches prohibition in 1916, local bar owners prepare to trade spirits for sodas, card tables, and light lunches.
- Two Weeks In, Still No Senator: Olympia's Republicans Tire of the Ankeny Fight
The legislature has been in session a fortnight and Washington still has no United States senator. A colleague's insulting letter blows up, the Wilson and Allen camps fold, and a caucus is called to force the thing to an end.
- Inside the Mammoth Port Blakely Sawmill
A reporter visits the industrial powerhouse of Bainbridge Island, where steam-fed saws and massive shipments connect the Pacific Northwest to the world.
- A Massive Warehouse Blaze Leaves Yakima Scrambling
A fire of unknown origin at the Chappell & Cox warehouse caused significant damage to stored furniture, machinery, and agricultural goods.
- The Original Seattle Real Estate Hustle
In 1876, a pioneer developer lured buyers with the promise of 'a lot for nothing,' provided they were willing to build their own future on his terms.
- Olympia Legislative Chaos
A bitter brawl erupts in the Washington House over a new criminal code, featuring accusations of 'jobbery' and an eleventh-hour ban on private-home gambling.
- Chief Willard Smashes the 'Black Jack' Tables
Police Chief Willard ended a South Third Street gambling operation by raiding the game and tossing the furniture off a high fence.