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| Year | Stories |
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| 1858 | 1 |
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| 1876 | 6 |
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93 stories matching dull
- The Salmon Slump of 1894
A historic overproduction leaves Seattle's fishing industry in a cold, stagnant market.
- The Correspondent Called Spokane Poor and Dull. The Local Paper Fired Back.
In 1883, a traveling writer dismissed Spokane Falls as a speculative boomtown with no real hinterland. The local press answered point by point, defending the mills, the grain trade and the city's future.
- A Mysterious Death at the Asylum
A state official dies suddenly at the Fort Steilacoom asylum, sparking local rumors and questions about the workplace environment.
- The Boom Before the Bust: Seattle’s 1892 Financial Confidence
As the city shakes off the 'dull period' of reckless credit, local bankers and businessmen find newfound optimism in a stable marketplace.
- The Price of the 'Boom' in 1885 Seattle
While the city rode a wave of prosperity, locals were already feeling the strain of rapid expansion, speculation, and the 'dull times' that inevitably follow a growth spurt.
- The Economic Chill on the Waterfront
Shipping faces a depression as crews are paid off and vessels are laid up in port.
- The Art of the 'Custom' Suit in 1885 Seattle
A reporter goes undercover on Front Street to find out how local haberdashers are surviving the 'dull season' with high-end, custom-ordered fashion.
- The Price of a Company Town
Economic instability ripples through Seattle and the Washington Territory as unpaid miners force merchants to tighten their belts.
- The Perils of the Pike Street Curve
A streetcar passenger sues the cable company for $15,000, claiming the line's dangerous construction and the crew's carelessness left him permanently disabled.
- The Price of Vigilance: Lessons on Parenting and Education
A nineteenth-century essay reflects on the heavy responsibilities of raising children, the failures of the 'crowded schoolroom,' and the timeless struggle between rigid tradition and the pursuit of truth.
- The Desperate Struggle at the Steilacoom Asylum
A man awaiting commitment to the insane asylum attempts to take his own life in the halls of the institution.
- Brutal Murder on the Columbia
A Chinese miner is found murdered near the Columbia River, sparking a manhunt for his countryman who coveted his gold dust.
- A Potter's Field Grave and a Countrymen's Tombstone
After a Japanese laborer died alone in a West Seattle shack, fellow immigrants considered marking his county grave.
- The Sudden 'White Squall' Hits Tacoma
A ferocious storm rips through the harbor with wind, rain, and snow, causing ships to drift and confusing local scientists.
- The Slaughterhouse Tragedy
A young worker’s mental health decline is met with the blunt reality of institutionalization.
- Trapped by the Wheat Harvest
A collapse in transport leaves massive piles of wheat rotting in the open air.
- Little Falls Fire Clay Plant Reopens with Tacoma Sewer Contract
After months of silence due to the economic 'dull times,' the Washington Fire Clay Company resumes operations to fulfill a massive city infrastructure order.
- The Loggers' Stand Against the Mill Cartel
Facing a coordinated effort to depress timber wages, loggers in the Snohomish valley chose to halt production, sparking a classic confrontation between labor and capital.
- The 1876 Plea to Ditch the City for the Soil
Amidst economic stagnation in a young Seattle, a local editorial poem urges the 'idle clerks' and unemployed of the city to trade their pens for plows.
- Blaine's Dry-Town Experiment
The city council refuses liquor licenses, forcing the town's saloons to shut their doors as the temperance movement gains a local victory.
- The Hop Growers' Gamble
An outspoken Auburn farmer rallies regional hop growers to challenge a buyers' monopoly, citing the success of a New York growers' association in forcing price hikes.
- The Bottomless Well of Christopher
A routine digging job on a Washington farm turned into a bizarre geological mystery when a well-digger hit a void that seemingly had no end.
- The City That Stopped Cutting: Why Seattle's Mills Shut Down
When an oversupply of lumber and a city-wide shift toward brick construction forced the city's mills into an unexpected, collective silence.
- The Rapid Rise of Yakima's Skyline
Four years ago, Yakima was a desert of sagebrush; today, the city moves toward a multi-story, modern future.
- Why Seattle Is Quiet While Tacoma Booms
A comparison of economic philosophies reveals Seattle’s conservative approach to business and growth in 1886.