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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 8 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 9 |
| 1860 | 6 |
| 1861 | 16 |
| 1862 | 6 |
| 1863 | 5 |
| 1864 | 7 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 24 |
| 1876 | 147 |
| 1877 | 103 |
| 1878 | 76 |
| 1879 | 7 |
| 1880 | 30 |
| 1882 | 26 |
| 1883 | 140 |
| 1884 | 56 |
| 1885 | 139 |
| 1886 | 97 |
| 1887 | 109 |
| 1888 | 83 |
| 1889 | 216 |
| 1890 | 34 |
| 1891 | 182 |
| 1892 | 399 |
| 1893 | 376 |
| 1894 | 460 |
| 1895 | 517 |
| 1896 | 1 |
| 1897 | 21 |
| 1898 | 40 |
| 1899 | 81 |
| 1900 | 11 |
| 1902 | 6 |
| 1903 | 167 |
| 1904 | 135 |
| 1905 | 19 |
| 1907 | 11 |
| 1908 | 56 |
| 1909 | 187 |
| 1910 | 29 |
| 1911 | 14 |
| 1912 | 9 |
| 1914 | 39 |
| 1915 | 36 |
| 1916 | 67 |
| 1917 | 34 |
| 1918 | 3 |
| 1919 | 1 |
| 1923 | 14 |
| 1924 | 13 |
| 1925 | 7 |
| 1928 | 2 |
| 1929 | 2 |
4,286 stories matching could
- The Balloon-Powered Park Plan
A satirical interview with a Seattle developer reveals the absurd lengths civic boosters would go to inflate the value of local land.
- The Fight for the University’s Future
An editorial debate over the Territorial University’s location and future highlights the tension between Seattle’s growth and the necessity of territorial unity.
- The Lawyer Who Couldn't Help: A Woman’s Disillusionment with Seattle’s Legal System
In April 1877, a desperate woman seeking financial support from her absent husband walked into a Griswold Street lawyer's office, only to leave more skeptical of the legal profession than when she arrived.
- The Woman Seeking Sanctuary in the County Jail
A desperate resident turns to the law for care, highlighting the tragic lack of social support for mental health in early 20th-century Tacoma.
- Seattle's Mayor Skeptical of Coxey's Army Arrival
As unemployed men march toward Washington D.C. to demand government action, Seattle's mayor offers little hope for public assistance to the local contingent.
- The Beggar’s Plea: How an Old Man’s Tears Won a Judge’s Mercy
In a touching scene at the Snohomish County Courthouse, John Burner, a destitute laborer of 73 years, pleaded guilty to grand larceny not for greed, but because his starving family had no other way to eat.
- A Convict Killed a Fellow Prisoner. Could He Be Tried While Already Serving Twenty Years?
The killing of Reif by convict Hoyt at Walla Walla set off a legal puzzle: whether a prisoner already serving a murder term could face another trial — and whether the governor could suspend his sentence to allow it.
- The Man Who Beat Death with 'New Science' in Seattle
A local resident details his miraculous recovery from rheumatism and kidney failure after conventional doctors gave up on him.
- A Foolish Wager on Main Street
An overconfident local man loses money after betting his horse could outrun a human in a downtown race.
- The Centennial Parade and the Future of the National Guard
A look back at the grand military display in New York as a blueprint for rapid mobilization on the Pacific Coast.
- Yakima Farmers Answer the Call to Organize
At Mason's Opera House, A. B. Leckenby tells North Yakima growers that cooperation—not outside capital—is the valley's best hope, and a countywide farmers' club takes shape for Feb. 12.
- The Court Could Make Commissioners Act—But Not Tell Them How
A mandamus bid to split Martin's Creek precinct fails, with Judge Lichtenberg ruling the board already acted within the law.
- City Hall Wins Fight to Shutter Immoral Dance Halls
A Superior Court judge confirms the city's authority to declare dance halls a public nuisance, citing the corruption of public morals.
- The Threat of Slave Labor in Washington
A local writer warns laborers that the introduction of enslaved people into the territory could crash wages and destroy the dignity of free labor.
- The Balloonist Who Vanished Over France
Fred A. Gower disappeared during a balloon ascension from Cherbourg eight years ago. His brother returned to Tacoma from a trip around the world with no news—and Gower’s opera-singer wife still could not prove him dead.
- The U.S. Navy’s Floating Picnic Basket
While Washington territory officials argued over naval procurement, one local paper questioned why the government was spending a fortune on a useless 'dispatch boat' better suited for parties than maritime defense.
- The Customs Inspector Who Planned to Print His Own Money
A Port Townsend official's plaster-of-Paris counterfeiting scheme unraveled after his mistress went to police — then he caught a midnight boat for Victoria.
- The Mate Who Died Without a Name
A steamer mate is thrown overboard at Utsalady and lost. When reporters ask around the waterfront, everyone knew him—but no one could recall his name.
- When the Creamery Burned, Yakima's Milk Had Nowhere to Go
Captain Dunn lost his creamery to fire, put his cows on the range when no skimming station could be arranged, and warned that Yakima's dairy economy would feel the loss.
- Blood on the Waterfront
A brutal stabbing during the bustle of the Seattle docks leaves a man dead and the city’s laborers reeling.
- The Miracle Medicine of Seattle
A nineteenth-century testimonial for a ‘Histogenetic’ cure highlights the era’s wild medical marketplace.
- A Mother’s Desperate Rescue in Ocosta Bay
A mother who could not swim dives into the freezing tide to save her drowning son.
- Fifty Dollars for a Clean Bill of Health
A quarantine officer charged a sealing schooner $50 to steam over and inspect her — and shipping men say the fee was less public health than protection money.
- The 1876 Pitch: Why Seattle Was Bound to Boom
A booster’s argument from the pages of 1876 explains why the town was destined to become the 'leading city of the northern coast'—and why land speculators could never stop it.
- Renton Vigilantes Tear Up Railroad Tracks
After failing to secure an injunction against the Oregon Improvement Company, fed-up citizens of Renton took matters into their own hands and destroyed a controversial spur track overnight.