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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 4 |
| 1877 | 3 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1886 | 2 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 2 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1894 | 1 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1909 | 2 |
| 1916 | 1 |
30 stories matching compass
- Kennewick's 1916 Traffic Plan: Yield to Anyone Driving North or South
A proposed city ordinance gave north-south traffic the right of way at every intersection, prompting a local editor to wonder how anyone was supposed to know which way was north.
- A Prospector's Final Twenty Cents
Penniless and despondent, a traveler takes his own life in a Seattle lodging house after a failed attempt to mask his actions as an accident.
- The Price of Compassion in Pioneer Seattle
Before social safety nets, King County sought the lowest bidder to provide medical care, board, and lodging for the 'indigent poor.'
- An Arduous Journey to the Ranch
A difficult canoe trip up the Snohomish River turns into an overland slog through downed timber.
- A Call for Compassion
A local horse is left to suffer after being overloaded, highlighting the lack of animal protections in early Aberdeen.
- The Price of Compassion: King County's 1877 Call for Bids
In an era before robust public social services, King County officials solicited private bids for the 'care, lodging and medical attendance' of the city's indigent poor.
- Seattle Boils Over for the Northern Pacific Rail
A two-mile-long parade and a massive pavilion gathering mark the arrival of the transcontinental railroad, transforming the 'Queen City' into a national terminal.
- The Price of Compassion in Seattle
When a man arrived at the police station with a broken leg, the Chief of Police found the medical community unwilling to help without a guarantee of payment.
- The Messy Business of Mapping the Waterfront
A state land commission discovers chaotic record-keeping that effectively clouded the titles to Jefferson County’s prime waterfront property.
- The Surveyor Who Walked Into the Nemah Woods and Vanished
Capt. G. C. Brophy left his survey crew to walk back to camp near South Bend and never arrived; searchers have found no trace.
- The Dream of a Seattle Rail Empire
An 1876 editorial envisions a booming Seattle as the Pacific terminus for a global transit hub, connecting the rails of the East to the wealth of the West.
- The Tragic Wreck of the Steamer Tacoma
Captain George D. Korts faces an official inquiry into the catastrophic loss of the vessel, revealing a series of navigational errors and failed rescue attempts.
- The Sad End of the Bark Maria
A historic, weather-beaten vessel from Ecuador meets its final demise on the Seattle waterfront after a lifetime at sea.
- The View from the Frontier: How the Old World Saw Pacific Coast Science
A visiting British scientist praises American ingenuity, from the innovative naval mapping of the Pacific depths to the reliable accuracy of 'Old Prob'—the precursor to modern weather forecasting.
- A Baron's Multimillion-Dollar Gift Challenges Prejudice
Baron Hirsch authorizes a massive donation to support Jewish immigration, prompting a rare editorial rebuke of anti-Semitic stereotypes in the Pacific Northwest.
- The Confidence Man of Tacoma
A smooth-talking stranger makes off with a small fortune by playing on the trust of local businessmen.
- The Unbreakable Christmas Tradition
An immigrant inventor finds success in America with intricate, indestructible bead trees once commissioned by European royalty.
- The Seattle-Tacoma Rivalry Began with Petty Insults
While Tacoma boosters once mocked Seattle’s 'niggardly' natural gifts, the Dispatch fired back with a masterclass in civic trash-talk.
- The Six-Year Labor of the 'State of Washington'
A Port Madison artisan spends half a decade hand-crafting a scale model ship, turning ivory, gold, and silk into a $2,500 masterpiece.
- The Fracturing of Seattle’s Labor Movement
As industrial tensions simmered in 1886, a local newspaper editorial condemned the radicalization of the Knights of Labor, contrasting them with the more moderate national leadership of Terence V. Powderly.
- The Spokane Cash infusion that bought a mayoral bid
When local Seattle Democrats couldn't find a candidate to run for mayor, they looked east to a wealthy Spokane power broker willing to bankroll the party to further his own Senate ambitions.
- Waddell & Miles Stocked 50 Stove Styles in 1876 Seattle
A look back at the bustling commercial district of 1876 Seattle, where hardware stores like Waddell & Miles fueled a rapidly growing frontier city.
- The Shadow of the Gallows in Early Seattle
A crowded courtroom watches as a man is sentenced to hang for a murder on San Juan Island, marking a grim moment in the early administration of justice in Washington Territory.
- The 'Veneer and Sham' of 19th Century Schooling
A historic critique of a curriculum overstuffed with 'smatterings' and fancy subjects, arguing that public schools were failing to provide the basic, useful education required for life.
- The Child on the Train
A conductor discovers a feverish little girl wandering a train alone with only her doll for comfort.