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1. Seattle's Water System Passes Its First Big Test

   A morning fire reveals that recent upgrades to the city's hydrant system are already paying dividends for public safety.

   Mar 20, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

2. The Great Debate: Freethought vs. Orthodoxy in Snohomish

   A fiery public debate pits local skeptics against orthodox believers over the nature of God, the morality of the Bible, and the necessity of eternal hellfire.

   Aug 26, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

3. The North Bend Ducking Stool

   When a man terrorized his family during a drunken rampage, his neighbors took justice into their own hands with an icy river dip.

   Nov 25, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSnoqualmie River, North Bend, King CountyNightlife · Local Legends

4. The Quest for a Clean City

   A proposed 'Liernur System' could turn Seattle's sewage into marketable fertilizer while solving a desperate public health crisis.

   Feb 25, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall · Strange But True

5. The Ground-Squirrel Plague and the Bomb That Sent Them to 'Squirrel Heaven'

   Whitman County farmers hoped a mysterious disease would wipe out the pests. Then came strychnine, arsenic and patented giant-powder bombs.

   Apr 9, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPenawawa, Whitman CountyStrange But True

6. The Country Estate as Medicine: Why Seattle’s Elite Are Buying Farms to Save Their Nerves

   A satirical essay in the Daily Intelligencer argues that small country plots are not financial investments, but essential health remedies for city professionals suffering from 'trade winds' and nervous exhaustion.

   Jul 24, 1876The Daily IntelligencerFront Street, Seattle, King CountySnake Oil

7. The Ship Canal Double-Cross at the Democratic Convention

   Seattle's delegates went to Olympia ready to die on the canal plank. Their own campaign manager had already sold them out.

   Aug 30, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall · Scandal

8. The Keeley Cure Comes to Olympia

   Olympia's Keeley Institute promises release from drink, and the Tribune opens a discreet charity fund for patients who cannot pay.

   Dec 21, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyNightlife · Snake Oil

9. The Fatal Dance of Washington's Ground Squirrels

   Scientists at the state agricultural college tried to wipe out crop-destroying rodents with bacteria—and found a native plague that sent infected squirrels spinning until they dropped.

   Sep 15, 1898Ranche and RangeWashington State University, Pullman, Whitman CountyStrange But True

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