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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1860 | 1 |
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| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 8 |
| 1877 | 7 |
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| 1883 | 9 |
| 1884 | 3 |
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| 1923 | 3 |
| 1924 | 1 |
99 stories matching folk
- The 'Easy' Job That Wasn't
A classic tale of a hotel proprietor in Snohomish trying to hoodwink a miner into an impossible, unpaid-labor arrangement.
- The Mothers of Richland Storm the Caucus
Women turn out in force at Gibbs Hall, nominate Mrs. C. D. Hopper for council, and promise a bachelor mayor the fight of his life.
- The Battle for Ravenna Park: When Seattle’s Elite Tried to Buy Out the Public
In May 1899, a private park association posted trespassing warnings and threatened legal action against streetcar passengers, sparking a fierce public debate over whether Seattle’s green spaces belonged to the people or their wealthy owners.
- Seattle Newsboys Take Tacoma by Storm
A pack of Seattle newsboys descends on the Interstate Fair, jeers a non-union print shop, climbs the roofs, and eats Chilberg’s restaurant out of house and home.
- The Midnight Mutiny of Annabel McCarty
A young socialite’s debut party in 1877 Seattle takes a turn when she decides the festivities are entirely overrated.
- The Terminal War: How the Northern Pacific and Union Pacific Seized Seattle
Wireless reports confirm that two major railroads are conspiring to make Seattle their northern terminus, effectively cutting off Tacoma from transcontinental traffic.
- The Ghosting of Yakima City
When the Northern Pacific Railroad bypassed the original town of Yakima City, they didn't just move the station—they forced the entire town to uproot itself.
- Tragedy at Franklin Mine: A Fatal Night for Three Workers
A high stump falls through a miners' cabin, taking three lives and leaving families in mourning in South Seattle.
- The Water Works Betrayal
Tacoma citizens feel duped after voting for a massive bond issue to purchase a water plant under the false promise of a new railroad to Mount Rainier.
- The City’s Grasping Monopoly
Tacoma’s editorial board calls out corporate greed and local political complacency regarding the city’s power infrastructure.
- The Legislative Shuffle: How Power Really Worked at Olympia
A rare look behind the curtain of the 1923 state legislative session, where committee back-scratching, lobbyist influence, and alcohol fueled the fate of over 600 bills.
- The Battle Over Sidewalks: When Seattle's Poor Were Forced to Pay for Progress
In 1885, a divided City Council grappled with whether to tax struggling residents for public infrastructure or use the city's general fund.
- The Price of Public Gunfights
A shootout in the streets of Walla Walla leaves locals shaken and a judge scrambling for safety.
- A Father’s Gun, A Mother’s Heart, and a Daughter’s Paralysis: The White River Tragedy
When a father tried to stop his daughter's elopement with a shotgun, the resulting chaos killed her mother and left the bride paralyzed. A local paper reports on the 'terrible tragedy' that ruined an entire family in moments.
- Fatal Faro Game Ends in Shootout
A friendship between two Spokane gamblers turned deadly during a dispute at the faro table.
- The Art of Getting Helped
A clever traveler tricks two impatient men into doing the labor he was too tired to finish.
- The Annual Migration to the Hop Fields
With harvest season underway in the Puyallup and Yakima valleys, 10,000 workers descend on the fields for a grueling, seasonal labor rush.
- The Scandalous Church Rivalry of 1872
A Seattle editor lashes out against a local rival, defending his character against allegations of meddling in the affairs of the Methodist Church.
- The Day the Pigs Needed Life Jackets: Seattle’s Great Duwamish Flood of 1876
As the Duwamish River swells and farmers flee to their attics, local merchants rally to clear the Skagit River, betting on a waterway that could transform the territory's economy.
- The Amazon of Second Street
When an officer attempted to arrest a man during a street brawl, his wife stepped in with a display of pugilistic skill that stunned the police and the crowd.
- The Deserted Husband's Tale of Woe
A Seattle man brings his domestic grievances to Justice Court after his wife reportedly elopes with a man he had taken in as a charity case.
- The 'Two Per Cent' Shylock of Tacoma
As Tacoma voters head to the polls, bitter memories of the 1885 anti-Chinese expulsion flare up, branding a mayoral candidate with a nickname that still stings.
- Seattle's First Pastor Recalls a Fragile Village
Rev. David E. Blaine returns to the First M.E. Church to recount the harsh early days of Seattle, including the Indian war years.
- A Year-Old Schoolhouse Blown Over as Waitsburg Schools Strain
The Lost Spring schoolhouse was wrecked by wind just as the district hired an extra teacher for a first-primary room bursting with 61 children.
- The Art of the Real Estate Hustle
A satirical look at the 'Sunset Addition' land boom, where maps lied and conscience was an impediment to profit.