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1. The 'Rich Deed' That Wasn't: Snohomish’s Wild Gold Rush Hoax and the Community’s Reality Check

   A sensational tale of a legendary gold mine in Snohomish captivated locals, but the paper quickly pivots to a sobering assessment of the lumber industry's financial struggles and the region's agricultural potential.

   Jan 22, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust · True Crime

2. The South End's Schoolhouse Fight

   A letter to the editor accuses Seattle's school directors of stalling on a promised south-end school block while the north end already got its building.

   Aug 11, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust · City Hall

3. San Francisco Capitalists Plan a New Waterway at Smith's Cove

   A newly incorporated dredging company asks the state for the right to dig out and fill Seattle's northern tide flats, promising wharves, railroad yards and mills.

   Apr 12, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

4. James J. Hill's Railroad Ultimatum to Seattle

   The Great Northern president tells Seattle's council he will build freight and passenger terminals 'right away'—if the city grants the track franchises he wants across the tide flats and South Third.

   Jul 15, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money

5. The $10,000 Bet That Built Seattle’s Front Street

   Superintendent Thompson risks a fortune to beat the calendar, while a separate land dispute erupts over tide flats near Grant Street.

   Mar 1, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerFront Street, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

6. The War of the Waterfront: Port Angeles' Battle for Its Soul

   As the town fights to incorporate, two factions clash over who owns the shore—leading to a chaotic 'jumping' spree where men pile claims on top of each other in a desperate grab for Pacific real estate.

   Feb 24, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPort Angeles, Clallam CountyFollow the Money

7. The Sewer Under Beacon Hill

   After quicksand, floods and a costly detour, Seattle’s South Tunnel is weeks from completion—and somehow still inside its $100,000 budget.

   Feb 18, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

8. A Gavel, a Roar, and a Populist Ticket Born in Chaos

   King County's People's Party convention at Turner Hall turned into a shouting, proxy-fighting, faction-splitting marathon—and buried Dr. J. Eugene Jordan and Jack McDonald on the way to nominating a ticket.

   Sep 7, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

9. A 10,000-Ton Cigar of Logs, 76 Miles Long End to End

   Builders at Stella, Washington, were shaping a 638-foot cigar-shaped raft of timber for a risky tow to San Francisco—10,000 tons of logs that would stretch 76 miles if laid end to end.

   Apr 6, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerStella, Cowlitz CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

10. The Half-Million Dollar Idea

    A Tacoma inventor discovers a clever water-powered pump that draws the attention of a major syndicate.

    Sep 17, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerNorth End, Tacoma, Pierce CountySnake Oil

11. The North End's Water Works Fairness Fight

    Tacoma’s City Council faces accusations of unequal treatment regarding public infrastructure costs for water hydrants.

    Feb 4, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

12. Railroad Seeks to Vacate Nine Waterfront Street Ends

    Tacoma’s City Council faces a standoff as the Northern Pacific Railway moves to consolidate control over city streets and waterfront access.

    Mar 18, 1909The Tacoma TimesMcCarver Street, Tacoma, Pierce CountyFollow the Money · City Hall

13. Twenty Inches of Snow Bring Seattle to a Standstill

    A February 1893 blizzard blocks streetcars, freezes water pipes and threatens a coal famine, forcing schools to close and residents to melt snow for drinking water.

    Feb 2, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyDisasters

14. In the County Jail, a Prisoner Fashions His Own Rope From a Sash

    Awaiting a trip to Auburn to face a murder charge, a Japanese prisoner tries to end his life with the only materials his cell allows — and is found in time.

    Aug 21, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerKing County jail, SeattleStrange But True

15. The State Draws a Street Grid Across Olympia's Tide Flats

    The tide land appraisers lay out 150-foot avenues over the Olympia waterfront, naming them for Isaac Stevens, Governor Ferry and Columbia Lancaster, and reserving 300 feet of harbor for wharves, slips and commerce.

    Feb 25, 1892The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

16. Seattle Says 'Hello' to Spokane, and the Whole Northwest Listens

    Seven hundred and ninety miles of hard-drawn copper connect Puget Sound to the Inland Empire, and the mayors of the two cities mark the occasion by orating about destiny, empire and a population of two million.

    Oct 17, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

17. The Town That Grew in Ninety Days—and Then Waited for the Railroad

    In 1890, promoters carved Anacortes out of the Fidalgo Island forest, sold lots at galloping prices, and promised a transcontinental rail terminal. Two years later, the trains still stopped short and the company wharf was closed to the public.

    Apr 11, 1892The Olympia TribuneAnacortes, Skagit CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

18. A Saloonkeeper's .32 Ends a Masked Raid on Old Town

    Three masked men with Winchester rifles walked into the Dougherty & Wilcox saloon at eleven o'clock Saturday night. One of them never walked out.

    Oct 28, 1909The Newport Miner (Newport, WA) 1899-CurrentNewport, Pend Oreille CountyTrue Crime · Nightlife

19. A House of Prayer for All the Nations

    In 1892, Seattle's Congregation Ohaveth Sholom dedicated the first Jewish synagogue in Washington, filling the new sanctuary at Seventh and Seneca with Jews and Gentiles and with sermons that insisted the building must be more than stone and gold.

    Sep 19, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King County

20. Seattle’s First Brush with the Future

    When an agent from Portland brought a pair of telephones to town, residents gathered at Yesler’s Hall to hear voices and music traveling eight miles through thin air.

    Apr 13, 1878Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

21. The Waterfront Railroad War

    A high-stakes turf war breaks out at the foot of Madison Street as rival rail companies fight to lay track across contested land.

    Jun 9, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMadison Street, Front Street, Yesler Avenue, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money

22. Bags of Gold and a Streetcar Auction in Tacoma

    A sheriff's auction outside the Pierce County courthouse transfers the Point Defiance end of the street railway to General Electric for $82,000—with $100,000 in gold sitting in a hack.

    Jan 2, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

23. The Sad End of Sport the Fire Dog

    The local firehouse dog, a beloved fixture of the Seattle south end, met a tragic end under the wheels of a patrol wagon.

    Jun 25, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

24. The Pastor, the Circular, and the Hung Jury

    For three days a Seattle courtroom heard accusations of adultery, an illegitimate son, and a pastor’s libelous circular. At 12:35 a.m., the jury was still deadlocked.

    Feb 2, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyScandal

25. The Water Wars of Walla Walla

    City residents demand an end to water sales to rural farmers, claiming agricultural demand drains the city's limited supply.

    Aug 25, 1903The Evening StatesmanRose Street, Walla Walla, Walla Walla CountyFollow the Money

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