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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 3 |
| 1862 | 3 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1872 | 6 |
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 3 |
| 1884 | 5 |
| 1885 | 5 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 9 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 7 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 7 |
| 1892 | 16 |
| 1893 | 22 |
| 1894 | 19 |
| 1895 | 23 |
| 1899 | 4 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1903 | 9 |
| 1904 | 8 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 2 |
| 1909 | 5 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1916 | 1 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1920 | 1 |
| 1928 | 1 |
183 stories matching explan
- Seattle's Night-Owl Law Couldn't Make a Man Explain Himself
A police-court ruling struck down the city's after-hours suspicion ordinance — after a red-haired stranger from New Westminster wandered into a Bell apartment house looking for a fire.
- The City Hall Shake-up
A surprise removal of the water department head sparks a demand for accountability.
- Spokane’s Ashes Hold a Lesson for Yakima
After a massive fire devastated Spokane, the Herald argues that wide streets and low-rise architecture are the only true defense against the region's high winds.
- Contractor Arrested for Unpermitted Street Work
A Tacoma contractor faces legal trouble for unauthorized excavation in his neighborhood.
- The Ring of Corruption: How King County’s Auditor Hid the Books
A scathing editorial in the Puget Sound Dispatch exposes Gardner Kellogg for refusing to explain thousands of dollars in missing county funds, accusing him of treating public office as private property.
- Strange Earth Upheaval Floods Queets River Basin
A geological mystery near the mouth of the Queets River has flooded valuable land, baffling local observers.
- The Chief of Police’s Private Vendetta
Seattle’s police chief is under fire for allegedly using his badge to smear a peaceful citizen through fabricated letters and baseless professional surveillance.
- The Wedding of Necessity in Olympia
A couple from Columbia County traveled to Olympia for the fair, found no vacancy in the local hotels, and sought a creative solution from the local Esquire.
- The Missing Express Package
An express agent at Ainsworth finds himself in the middle of a $15,000 mystery after a package disappears under his watch.
- The Russian War Scare Hits the Port of Tacoma
Fearful of Russian warships patrolling the coast, San Francisco merchants turn to Tacoma to route their urgent Japanese trade.
- The Unladylike Ballot
When women marched to the polls in Pasco, it sparked a local scandal that challenged traditional notions of 'respectability' and gender roles.
- The Stowaway in the Flour Car
A freight train arrived at the Seattle depot with a terrifying surprise: a man had been sealed inside a flour car since Sunday, nearly dying of starvation.
- Rents Jump Twice in One Year on Hewitt Avenue
Mill hands in 1920 watched their rent climb faster than their wages — and the landlords' explanation will sound very familiar.
- Pioneer Dies in Tragic Railway Accident near Crocker
A longtime Tacoma resident meets a sudden, grisly death under a freight train, leaving behind a mystery about his presence on the tracks.
- Henry Sprague Died by Suicide in an Unfinished House
A young farmer in Medical Lake ends his life in the unfinished house he was building for his bride-to-be after she marries another.
- Justice Glasgow Sets New Fines for Dance House Girls
Judge Glasgow increases bail and fines for women working in dance halls and brothels, signaling a harsher crackdown on vice in the city.
- The Tin Trust Betrayal: 2,000 Workers Left in the Dark
As Seattle celebrates commencement week and the Spanish-American War heats up, a massive industrial shutdown in nearby Duwamish leaves thousands of families without income.
- The Widow’s Revenge at the Buzzard Saloon
A young boarding house proprietor storms a local saloon to confront her lover at gunpoint after a broken promise of marriage.
- The Portrait Scheme Scam
A group of Seattle women are out money after an elusive photography company vanishes from the Epler Block.
- The Sudden Loss on East J Street
Tacoma physicians are left without answers following the sudden, inexplicable death of a three-month-old infant.
- The Expulsion Continues
A group of Chinese travelers is forcibly escorted out of Tacoma by local longshoremen, confirming the city's rigid policy of exclusion.
- The Ghost Ship of Port Madison
A mysterious, unmanned scow drifts into the bay, sparking speculation about the missing crew.
- The Mystery of the Freezing Well
A farmer digging a well in Eastern Washington strikes a bizarre pocket of frozen earth that defies explanation.
- A Coroner’s Clash in the Coal Fields
A King County coroner disputes a secret inquest held by mine officials, sparking a public confrontation over workplace death and legal accountability.
- The Auditor and the Sheriff: A Public Spat Over Corruption
In the lead-up to the 1876 election, a public war of words between King County's Auditor and former Sheriff exposes the messy, opaque, and highly questionable state of territorial bookkeeping.