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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 1 |
| 1893 | 1 |
| 1894 | 8 |
| 1895 | 15 |
27 stories matching compton
- From Vera Cruz to Seattle: The Improbable Life of Levi F. Compton
A Mexican War veteran, gold rusher, bridge builder and Odd Fellows patriarch died at his Spring Street home, leaving a civic record that stretched from Virginia slavery to a Chehalis reform school.
- Seattle Aldermen Kill Scurry's Confirmation in a Jiffy
A raucous 1895 council session turns into a fight over public works, unemployment relief, and a telephone monopoly.
- A Lodging-House Keeper’s Domestic Crisis
After a brief family reconciliation, a proprietor at the Babcock House finds himself abandoned by his wife and young son.
- A Packed Seattle Council Refuses to Reconsider Andrew Jackson—and Spars Over Work for the Unemployed
In a tense night meeting, aldermen uphold the rejection of Jackson for the public works board, refer the Industrial Co-operative Society's plea for jobs, and wrestle with street names, franchises and city finances.
- The Pastor Broke Down: Seattle Buries the Pioneer Who Built Its Reform School
A crowded North Seattle church, a room full of old pioneers, and a eulogy so affecting that the minister — a friend since 1849 — had to stop and compose himself.
- The Farmers' Valley Canal
A coalition of valley landowners and city officials meet to debate the funding and construction of a massive drainage canal.
- The Iron Road Comes to the Sound
With the first section of the Seattle and Walla Walla railroad under heavy construction, the city braces for a transformation that promises to connect the waterfront to the mountains.
- Who Should Pay for the City's Infrastructure?
Facing a debt crisis following the Great Seattle Fire, city officials in 1891 debated whether to shift the mounting costs of sewer construction from the public treasury onto the backs of individual property owners.
- The Mayor, the Commissioners and a City Hall Truce
Seattle's police board waits for Mayor Phelps to make his next move after a judge sides with Commissioners Cheasty and Niggle.
- The 'Kid Committee' Sinks Andrew Jackson
A patronage feud at city hall topples the water works superintendent—then a procedural trick sets up a second vote.
- Seattle Tries to Halve Its Street-Light Bill
A council debate over arc versus incandescent lamps exposed ward rivalries and a fight over how much control the city should keep over a private lighting contract.
- Seattle’s Suspended Fire Commissioner Skips His Own Hearing
George T. Masel is a no-show before a joint session of the city council, and the rumor is he would rather face charges than let creditors see his property.
- Fraternity on the Diamond: The Odd Fellows' Grand Celebration
When Seattle’s Odd Fellows hosted a massive multi-day anniversary celebration in 1892, they turned the local baseball park into a scene of chaotic amateur athletics, friendly rivalries, and unbridled civic enthusiasm.
- Seattle Tried to Set a 20-Cent Wage Floor for Streetcar Workers. Its Own Lawyer Said No.
In 1894, aldermen tried to use street-railway franchises to force companies to pay employees at least 20 cents an hour. The city's corporation counsel called it unconstitutional, and the measure failed.
- The Forged Petition That Nearly Paved Second Street—and the Council Fight That Followed
Property owners wanted vitrified brick from Yesler to Pike. Then a signature turned out to be fake, the finance committee cut off money, and the council ordered the work anyway. The city's share: $12,000.
- City Council Wrestles a 50-Year Streetcar Franchise Into Shape
A committee debate over percentages of gross earnings reveals how Seattle gave away its transit future one clause at a time.
- A Cold Night at City Hall
Seattle's council confirms a fire commissioner, stalls a plumbing nominee accused of theft, and warns unemployed workers to stay away.
- Loaded to the Rails: Seattle Sends Its First Alaska Steamer
Crowds packed Schwabacher’s wharf as the Willapa left for the north with 79 passengers, horses, sleds and more freight than it could carry.
- The Streetcar Company Promised a Double Track. Yesler Avenue Wanted It Now.
A city council committee heard residents and bondholders argue over a one-year extension—and over who would pay for the growth the railway had promised.
- Fireboat or No Fireboat: Insurers Threaten a 25% Rate Hike
Underwriters tell the city to staff its fireboat properly or watch waterfront insurance premiums jump a quarter.
- Who Gets to Run Seattle's Streetcars?
A proposed thirty-year franchise for the Consolidated Street Railway cleared its first reading at city hall, but fights over fares, paving and transfers were far from over.
- The Telephone Monopoly Seattle Refused to Break
A national syndicate promised cheap telephones and a rival to Bell. Seattle's aldermen said no, and the city stayed in the Sunset Telephone Company's grip.
- Ten Cents a Month to Save Seattle's Library
With the library closed for lack of funds, the commission and City Council try a subscription fee—and a last-minute deal to reopen.
- The Cable Company Wanted More Time. Yesler Avenue Wanted Its Double Track.
In 1895, Seattle’s aldermen weighed whether to give a struggling street railway more time to double-track Yesler Avenue—or force it to honor the franchise the neighborhood had bought into.
- The Night Seattle Fought Over Its Streetlights
A special meeting of the Board of Aldermen turns into a tense negotiation with the Union Electric Company over the terms, safeguards and cost of lighting the city.