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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 6 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1894 | 1 |
| 1895 | 3 |
20 stories matching fortress
- The Shadow of the Fortress at Esquimalt
An 1889 editorial argues that the growing military presence across the border in British Columbia demands a rapid response from the U.S. government to fortify Puget Sound.
- The Jail That Wasn't: A Tour of Port Madison’s Fortress
While Seattle’s own jails were often little more than wooden rooms with locks, the new facility on Port Madison was built like a fortress—iron spikes, windlass doors, and a view of the sound. But its warden faces a grim reality: no work for his prisoners.
- Democratic Revolt in Washington Territory
Local Democrats are refusing to sign a call for a party convention, citing concerns that the move is secretly bankrolled by railroad interests.
- The Brick Fortress on Commercial Street
In 1872, Bailey Gatzert and Schwabacher Bros. erected a $26,000 commercial landmark that signaled Seattle’s arrival as a financial hub.
- The French Spy Storms the Seattle Stage
A grand military drama brings the fall of Algiers to the Seattle Theater, complete with smoke, grenades, and a Turkish bell dance.
- The Floating Fortress at Baker's Wharf
Seattle prepares for the Fourth of July as a heavily armed U.S. Navy monitor arrives to show off its new steel power.
- The Unbreakable Vaults of 1885 Seattle
A state-of-the-art fortress of steel and brick arrives in Seattle, promising security for the valuables of a booming frontier town.
- The Forgotten General in the City Jail
A decorated Civil War veteran and Indian fighter finds himself destitute and seeking shelter in a Seattle prison.
- The Widow's Relentless Pursuit
A Woodinville widow refused to accept a legal settlement, instead launching a campaign of letters and late-night visits to win back her former suitor.
- The Roslyn Race War: How a Strike Turned Seattle into a Fortress
In February 1903, hundreds of armed Black miners from Montana arrived in Seattle bound for the coal mines of Roslyn. The city braced for violence as white workers threatened to close down the town's economy and seize its property.
- The 'Second Gibraltar': Britain’s Plan to Fortify Puget Sound
Tensions mount on the Pacific border as the British Admiralty, spooked by U.S. sealing regulations, orders immediate military improvements to the entrance of the Puget Sound.
- The Fortress at Walla Walla
After two years of labor, the Territory's new penitentiary stands finished—a 15-foot high stone-and-cement stockade built to hold the region’s criminals.
- The Governor’s Brick Fortress: W.C. Squire Plans to Reshape Seattle’s Corner
As the territory transitions to statehood, Governor Squire announces plans for a massive new brick block on South Second and Main, signaling his permanent shift from territorial politics to local real estate development.
- The Failed Toothpick Empire of Merrihew
A classic tale of a get-rich-quick scheme gone wrong, where a man's attempt to corner the national market on thorns turned his farmland into an impassable fortress.
- The Creosote Fortress: How a New Plant Aimed to Save Seattle’s Piers from the 'Teredo'
A massive industrial complex rises six miles north of downtown, promising to protect the city's wooden infrastructure from the destructive shipworm.
- The Fresh Water Fortress: Why Seattle Was Built to Save Ships from the Sea
Captain U.H. Hall returns from Washington D.C. with a bold proposal for a Navy Yard in Lake Washington, arguing that fresh water is the only defense against the 'Teredo' worm and foreign invasion.
- The Fortress of Timber: How Mill Barons Bought the Land to Buy the Town
In 1877, a local editorial warned that Port Blakely’s massive timber companies were cornering the market on real estate, creating an economic monopoly that would stifle independent growth and keep workers dependent on their employers.
- The Castle on Capitol Hill: Seattle’s $1 Million Gamble for a Grand Hotel
Arthur Denny and his board of trustees have spent months sifting through dozens of architectural plans to find the perfect design for a new landmark. The winner? A Gothic stone fortress that will tower over Second Avenue.
- A Funeral Crowd Calls for a Killer's Neck
Thousands filed past the bodies of Philipina Miller and her child as Seattle police rushed the accused murderer to the county jail to stop a lynching.
- Camp Kelpie: A Seattle Hunting Party in the Last Great Bear Country
In 1895, Seattle sportsmen pitched camp on Hood Canal between the Duckabush and Hamma Hamma rivers and found a wilderness thick with black bear, salmon, and one very unlucky tenderfoot.