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35 stories matching drought
- The Great Migration North: Why Settlers Chose Washington Over Drought-Stricken California
An 1877 report chronicles the shifting tides of American migration as thousands look to Puget Sound for a fresh start during a season of western uncertainty.
- The New Crop Bringing Hope to the Valley
Agricultural experts test a hearty, drought-resistant forage grass that could transform local ranching.
- The Northwest's Silver Lining in the California Drought
As farmers in California face a 'famine year' due to extreme dry weather, Puget Sound agriculture stands to gain from a surge in demand and profit.
- The Original Seattle Growth Strategy
In 1877, business leaders debated how to fund a private office to lure immigrants from 'grasshopper-stricken' regions, mirroring today's debates over attracting talent and industry to the Pacific Northwest.
- Eastern Gold Trickles Back into Seattle
After eight months of investment drought, local agents report the first renewed interest from Eastern backers in Seattle property.
- Drought in the 'Crystal Springs'
Citizens of Walla Walla were sold a dream of mountain water, but a local investigation reveals little more than mud and dried-up holes.
- The Price of a 'Pest House' in Pioneer Seattle
As drought and economic chaos gripped 1877 San Francisco, Seattle citizens found themselves debating the ethics of turning a local residential property into an isolation facility for the smallpox-stricken.
- Drought and Forest Fires Gripping the Inland Empire
A grim report from the Colville Valley details parched crops, ruined timber, and a sun obscured by thick smoke.
- An Army of Harvest Hands Rides the Rails Into Eastern Washington
With California's fields barren, thousands of laborers descend on the region's mammoth crops — arriving on foot, on freight trains, and under the noses of train crews.
- Senator Squire Appeals for Fire Relief
Washington Senator Watson C. Squire petitions the Department of Agriculture to prioritize fire-ravaged Whatcom County for seed distribution.
- The River Runs Dry: A Drought Threatens White Bluffs
Record-low water levels in the Columbia River leave irrigation systems high and dry, forcing farmers to brace for a parched season.
- The Great Timber Fires of 1887
As drought conditions persist, devastating fires tear through the logging camps and timberlands near Seattle.
- The Great Sheep Boom of 1897
As drought devastates Australian herds, Northwest sheepmen anticipate a massive windfall in wool and mutton prices.
- The Irrigation Promise
Democratic congressional candidate C. W. Masterson rallies voters in Kennewick, attacking the incumbent's record on federal irrigation and drought relief.
- The Dry Spell on Eureka Flat
Farmers are stalling wheat planting as a rare November drought threatens the upcoming harvest.
- Thanksgiving at the Schoolhouse
Community ties remain strong as the Valley View schoolhouse hosts a holiday feast, soldiers' fundraiser, and prayer during a season of drought.
- Drought Threatens Walla Walla's Wheat Harvest
Farmers and weather observers warn that a record-breaking dry spell is devastating crops in the Walla Walla Valley and Garfield County.
- Drought Forces Franklin County Farmers to Pivot
After a difficult harvest hampered by insufficient rainfall and improper cultivation, local ranchers shift to fall-sown wheat.
- The Water Wars of the Yakima River
Two competing land companies engaged in a legal and physical standoff over irrigation rights, leaving laborers arrested and local farms in limbo.
- The Pioneer Dream: Settling Seattle as an Organized Colony
In 1877, Seattle newspapers championed the idea of 'colonizing' the Washington Territory to solve the isolation of homesteading, mirroring today's debates over density and regional growth.
- The desperate engineering of a Snohomish log drive
With a drought halting logging operations, crews in Snohomish turned to a clever, labor-intensive dam-sluicing method to force logs to tide water.
- A Welcome Storm Saves the Harvest
After weeks of drought threatening the region's crops, a heavy storm brings relief to local farmers.
- The Meteorology of the Woods
An 1880 meteorologist argues that deforestation is responsible for the drying of rivers and the loss of rainfall, a warning from the early days of Washington Territory.
- Fleeing the Blizzard: Farmers Look to Puget Sound
Colonies of farmers from North Dakota, Minnesota and Michigan—some worth up to $50,000—are selling out and heading west to Whatcom, Skagit and Whidbey Island, drawn by railroad inducements and a milder climate.
- Drought Grips the Yakima Valley
A mild, snowless winter leaves ranchers facing a disastrous crop failure and calls for immediate expansion of irrigation canals.
Also about this, in other words
- Seattle’s Thirst: A Winter Warning
A deep freeze has exposed the city's crumbling, inadequate water infrastructure.
- The Summer Seattle’s New Neighborhoods Ran Dry
Nine residents sign a public letter blaming the city water department for weeks of rationed service—and say the expensive new City Park tank only made things worse.
- The Summer the Smoke Saved the Harvest
With rainfall a third of normal and crops burning in the fields, Seattle's paper made the case that the season's suffocating pall of forest-fire smoke had been the region's salvation.
- 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.
- Pioneers Face Ruin as Irrigation Fails
Early White Bluffs settlers struggle with crop failure, water shortages, and financial desperation.
- The Mountain Snow Is Already Gone: A Warning of Record Low Water
State hydraulic engineer Marvin Chase tells irrigators to clean every canal and lateral now, because this summer's ditches may run lower than any on record.
- The Struggle for Water in the High Desert
While Washington’s coastal regions flourished, homesteaders in the arid eastern interior were driven to desperation by the failure of deep-well drilling in Douglas County.
- A Dry Spell Finally Ends for Walla Walla Farmers
A much-needed rainfall brings relief to local agriculture after a month of concerning precipitation deficits.