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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 4 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1876 | 21 |
| 1877 | 15 |
| 1878 | 10 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 4 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 13 |
| 1886 | 5 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 10 |
| 1889 | 25 |
| 1890 | 3 |
| 1891 | 26 |
| 1892 | 25 |
| 1893 | 8 |
| 1894 | 14 |
| 1895 | 4 |
| 1899 | 6 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 5 |
| 1904 | 8 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1909 | 3 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 2 |
| 1916 | 6 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 2 |
| 1924 | 1 |
240 stories matching defin
- The Brutal and Busy Year of 1899 in Colfax
A chronological review of Whitman County's most dramatic events, from fatal run-ins and vigilante justice to the transformation of the landscape by new rail and sewer lines.
- The Political Battle for Tacoma's Soul
As the 1904 municipal election looms, Democratic mayoral candidate George P. Wright faces intense pressure to define his stance on 'open town' vice policies and city regulation.
- The Fight for Utility Regulation
Following the city's costly struggle with a water monopoly, the Statesman warns that a new, loosely-worded electric franchise will lead to predatory billing.
- The State's First Great 'To-Do' List
Acting Governor Charles E. Laughton’s 1891 address to the legislature provides a rare, wide-angle snapshot of a young Washington State struggling to build its infrastructure, protect its forests, and define its civic identity.
- The 'Law and Order' Battles of Old Seattle
As municipal elections approached in 1885, rival factions clashed over the 'principle' of regulating vice, revealing a city struggling with its own moral identity.
- When the Taps Ran Dry: Seattle's 1894 Water Famine
City council rations water as Renton Heights residents go without during a dry summer, passing a joint resolution to restrict use and hire an extra inspector.
- The Mysterious Vanishing Snow of Mount Rainier
A Wallula newspaper reports a strange, massive slide that left a mile-wide track across the face of the mountain.
- The First Professional Survey of the Puget Sound
In 1875, a new map sought to define the rugged, uncharted beauty of the Washington Territory for settlers and investors alike.
- The Waterfront Showdown: Anti-Chinese Tension in 1885 Seattle
When rumors swirled of a pro-Chinese organization in Seattle, the city’s labor leaders and local officials met to define the limits of the anti-Chinese movement.
- The Midnight Bells of Olympia
When two Northern Pacific agents arrived at midnight to announce the rail terminus, the town of Olympia erupted in a celebration that would define its future.
- The Wharf King’s Victory: Yesler Wins Millions in Land Battle
Judge Lichtenberg rules that the state cannot seize waterfront property without paying just compensation, halting the Harbor Line Commission and protecting H.L. Yesler’s empire.
- The Violent Expulsion of Seattle's Chinese Community
In November 1885, following the forced removal of Chinese residents in Tacoma, a tense public meeting at the Seattle Opera House debated the 'Chinese Question' while labor leaders and city elites sought to avoid the bloodshed that defined neighboring towns.
- The Night of the Three Nooses
A double lynching followed by a swift vigilante mob justice against a third prisoner defined one of the most violent episodes in early Seattle history.
- The Judge Who Was Both Defendant and Accused
In a stunning legal double-header, Judge Wickersham is convicted of seduction in one court, then immediately indicted for perjury by the federal grand jury in the very same day.
- The $500 Vote: How a Spokane Judge’s Bribery Plot Exposed Seattle’s Political Rot
In the winter of 1903, Washington’s legislature was paralyzed by a scandal involving bribed senators and a desperate governor. When Representative Metcalfe revealed he was paid to vote for Judge Calkins, the resulting investigation tore through Olympia’s elite, revealing a web of corruption that threatened to define the state’s young democracy.
- The Fight for the Right to Trade
Chinese merchants detained upon returning to Seattle face a legal battle over what defines a 'merchant' versus a 'laborer' under federal law.
- A 1909 Newspaper Campaign Against Japanese Immigrants
A local labor newspaper warns that the white working class of Everett faces the same economic ruin as San Francisco due to competition from Japanese laborers.
- The Cable Car Veto: How a 1889 Power Struggle Defined Seattle’s Streets
Mayor Robert Moran’s refusal to approve a cable railway franchise on Front Street—citing private greed over public interest—mirrors Seattle’s century-long battle with developers and transit infrastructure.
- Hanged on a Doubt: Washington Territory's First White Execution
When John Thompson was hanged in Seattle in 1877, many believed he was guilty of manslaughter, not murder. The Dispatch made the case that the law had taken a life it should have spared.
- 1891 Commission Rejects Private Control of Seattle Harbor
A landmark 1891 report reveals the state's fierce battle against private interests to reclaim Seattle's tide lands and shoreline for public use.
- The City Council’s War on Williams: How Seattle Tried to Fire Its Own Engineer
A bitter power struggle between the Board of Aldermen and city engineer Benezette Williams led to a legislative loophole designed to strip him of his contract, sparking fears of costly lawsuits and stalled infrastructure projects.
- The Man Who Took the Bribe to Expose It
Representative Metcalfe’s daring sting operation against Senatorial corruption has turned him into a hero for reformers and a target for powerful enemies.
- The Battle of Yesler’s Wharf
When an opposition newspaper accused Seattle’s steamboatmen of being 'bogus' voters, the local press fought back to defend the right of the working class to define the city’s political future.
- The Tragic End of Marie Story
A teacher of vocal music is murdered in her Seattle home by an obsessed suitor, sparking a city-wide conversation about stalking and accountability.
- The Tragedy at the Log House
A murder-suicide on Madison Street leaves a wealthy widow and her spurned partner dead, exposing a complex web of jealousy and property disputes.