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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1862 | 1 |
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| 1877 | 3 |
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29 stories matching elicit
- The Gold Rush That Wasn't: How Seattle’s Prospectors Fooled the Town
In May 1877, a wave of excitement swept through Seattle over reports of rich gold deposits on the Nootsack River. But when the 'prospectors' finally arrived with their claims, it turned out to be an elaborate confidence trick designed to drain the town's cash reserves.
- Skagit County Teachers Demand Pay Equity
At the close of their annual institute, local educators highlight the gender wage gap in the public school system.
- A Failed Holdup on the Streets of Seattle
Two highwaymen with revolvers cornered a pair of locals near the waterfront, only to discover their victims were penniless.
- The Vashon Island Opium Cache
Customs inspectors spend a day spading up an orchard on Vashon Island to recover a large stash of smuggled opium.
- Gunboat Diplomacy in Port Townsend
Governor Pickering journeys to investigate a near-bombardment of Port Townsend by a federal revenue steamer.
- A Lodged Tree, a Fatal Step: Logging’s Toll Near Ferndale
W. N. Roberts was planning how to bring down a hung tree when it fell on him—a sudden death in the woods north of Ferndale.
- Tiny Performers Wow at Yesler’s Hall
A kindergarten concert by the Baptist Sunday School brings down the house to fund a new library.
- The Tax Revolt in Willapa Harbor
Citizens in Pacific County gather to protest unequal and unfair property assessments that favored railroad interests.
- Explosion Shatters Chinese Washhouse in Seattle
A bomb destroys the front of a Sixth Street laundry, sparking fear and anti-Chinese sentiment among locals.
- The Shooting of Editor B. F. Kendall
A prominent local figure and former Superintendent of Indian Affairs is gunned down in his office on Main Street.
- The Dark Mystery of Alfred Hoyle
A body found in Snohomish County sparks a tense inquest revealing labor unrest, anti-Chinese sentiment, and unanswered questions on the Seattle waterfront.
- The Roslyn Bank Robbery Trial
Testimony in the Roslyn bank heist reveals a trail of threats and horse thievery through the Washington wilderness.
- The Price of Education in Early Seattle
A concerned citizen calls out the School Board for slashing teacher wages to settle district debts, highlighting a lopsided austerity that spared no professional pocketbook.
- The Wild West of Washington Journalism
When the courts declared they had no power to punish libel, Seattle editors went to war with their pens—and their reputations.
- A Desperate Act in the North End
A local woman narrowly survives a suicide attempt at her East 30th street home as investigators are left without answers.
- A Bloody Brawl on Commercial Street
A long-standing feud between a bartender and a steamer water tender erupts in public, leaving both men facing legal trouble.
- The Circus Comes to Walla Walla
A traveling spectacle transforms a sleepy town with camels, elephants, and a daredevil 'human fly' act.
- The Governor’s Visit and the Militia’s March: July 1877 in Snohomish
Governor Perry addresses a rapt crowd on Independence Day, while local men scramble to organize volunteer companies for the Nez Perce War.
- The Struggle for Yakima’s First-Class Reputation
Local hop grower R. J. Mackison outlines the necessary industrial upgrades to compete in the global market.
- An Overqualified Bookkeeper Answers a $3-a-Week Ad
A desperate job-seeker responds to a measly $3-a-week bookkeeping ad with a resume that includes everything from peanut roasting to dog-ear clipping.
- The Great Rancher's Fiasco: When Seattle Met the 'Eastern Immigrant'
A local farmer’s desperate search for farmhands on the docks of Pioneer Square ends in comedy of errors, revealing a cultural clash between Washington Territory agriculture and the influx of Eastern settlers.
- The Great Road War: How Prosser Tried to Starve Kennewick’s Infrastructure
A proposed county-wide tax revolt threatens to halt road building in Benton County, sparking a fierce debate over rural equity and urban development in 1914.
- The Father of Walla Walla's Nurseries Dies
Philip Kite, the territorial delegate who helped bring the Northern Pacific Railroad to the Northwest and built a massive horticultural empire, has died at age 81.
- Tambourine Drill Packs the Opera House, but the Boys Nearly Spoil the Night
A standing-room crowd cheered the young ladies' drill and a packed program—until local boys' 'hoodlumism' threatened to derail the evening.
- A Landlord, a Seized Trunk, and a Lady Left in Her Shift
After months on the run, a Populist orator is arrested at a poultry show for holding a tenant's only clothes hostage over unpaid rent.