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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 3 |
| 1876 | 27 |
| 1877 | 14 |
| 1878 | 8 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 6 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 8 |
| 1884 | 8 |
| 1885 | 13 |
| 1886 | 5 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1888 | 18 |
| 1889 | 12 |
| 1891 | 10 |
| 1892 | 27 |
| 1893 | 34 |
| 1894 | 38 |
| 1895 | 45 |
| 1896 | 1 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 16 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 3 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1909 | 3 |
| 1910 | 2 |
| 1928 | 2 |
| 1929 | 1 |
316 stories matching draw
- The Day the Seattle Gold Lottery Fell Apart
A grand public spectacle at Occidental Square took a sour turn when organizers confessed they had sold only half the tickets, forcing a desperate, on-the-spot slashing of prize money.
- Gambling in the Stag Saloon
A municipal judge rules that draw poker is punishable as a misdemeanor under city ordinance.
- Ten Cottages and 110 Lots in an 1888 Seattle Drawing
In 1888, real estate developers in Seattle drummed up interest in a new subdivision by raffling off modern cottages to property buyers.
- Five Cottages in 1888 Seattle Jackson-Rainier Lot Drawing
Developers used a high-stakes raffle system to offload residential plots in the city's rapidly expanding Rainier Valley.
- 1888 Seattle Land Sale Included Ten Cottage Prizes
A real estate development in South Seattle offered prospective buyers not just a plot of land, but a literal chance to win a 'Queen Anne' cottage in a public drawing.
- The 'Shut Up or Shut Up' Baseball Challenge of 1885
After a hard-fought draw on the diamond, the Newcastle Baseball Club issues a pugnacious challenge to the Seattle team for a rematch on the race track.
- The Aristocracy of Skin
An editorial reflection on the prevalence of racial prejudice in the North and the exclusion of Black students and congregants from 'civilized' institutions.
- The 1888 Lottery of Homes: A Seattle Real Estate Gamble
Developers used a high-stakes drawing for five brand-new cottages to drum up interest in the nascent Jackson and Rainier Streets Addition.
- A Saloon Shootout Averted
A Montana man faces justice after drawing a pistol in a Mill Street saloon over a gambling dispute.
- Architects Allege Rigged School Design Contest
Local architects claim the selection of A.L. Haley for the West Seattle schoolhouse was pre-determined and never truly competitive.
- The Tailor, the Raffle Ticket, and the Entire Afternoon Police Force
A well-dressed Californian sold chances on a $30 suit of clothes to nearly every patrolman in Seattle. Then the drawing night came and went — and the swindled cops hauled him in themselves.
- The $100,000 Mill: Seattle’s Legalized Lottery for a Fortune
In 1876, the Washington Territory authorized a massive public lottery to fund a road across the Cascades. The grand prize? A fully operational steam sawmill and prime real estate in downtown Seattle.
- The Sketch That Sobered a Father
A young artist's chance drawing of a child watching over his intoxicated father becomes a catalyst for family redemption.
- The 1888 Seattle Lottery for Homeownership
A classic speculative land scheme promised five free cottages to lucky buyers, fueling the rapid expansion of Seattle's residential map.
- The Pioneer Developer’s Gamble
When Seattle was a young, growing town, Henry Yesler looked for an unconventional way to fund critical mountain infrastructure: raffling off his massive timber empire.
- Blood and Romance at the Lightweight Prize Fight
A local lightweight bout at the Puget Sound Athletic Club draws crowds, fueled by rumors of a love triangle between the fighters.
- The Horse Tamer Who Captivated Seattle
Professor O. R. Gleason's horse-taming exhibition at the Armory becomes a city-wide sensation, drawing crowds and high-stakes wagers.
- The Push for a Western Migration
In 1877, Seattle boosters and railroad agents mapped out a deliberate campaign to transform the Puget Sound basin from a 'remote' wilderness into a thriving, industrial metropolis.
- The Rogue of Seattle
A serial con artist who targeted the generous, leaving friends to pay his debts.
- Seattle’s Massive Water Ambitions
The Spring Hill Water Company is betting its future—and the city's growth—on a monumental pipeline from Lake Washington.
- The Miracle Metal of the Future
An 1889 report speculates on the dawn of the 'Aluminum Age,' predicting a world transformed by the lightweight, non-tarnishing wonder metal.
- The Strange Lottery of Seattle’s 1889 Democratic Primary
While Republicans held conventional district conventions to nominate candidates for the constitutional convention, Seattle’s Democrats opted for the 'novel' method of picking delegates by lottery.
- The Great Seattle Lot-and-Cottage Gamble
In the summer of 1888, developers launched a high-stakes, city-wide lottery to sell residential lots, promising ten lucky buyers a move-in ready home.
- The Great Seattle Lot-and-Cottage Lottery of 1888
Developers Kittinger Brothers launch an ambitious and speculative real estate scheme, baiting buyers with the chance to win a fully finished home on the outskirts of 1880s Seattle.
- Seattle's Jackson and Rainier Lots Offered Cottage Bonuses
A speculative real estate scheme offered a 'fortune' in cottage homes to entice buyers into Seattle's rapidly expanding southern suburbs.