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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 2 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1892 | 2 |
| 1895 | 4 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1904 | 2 |
16 stories matching foss
- Turf War at the Eleventh Street Bridge
A boatman is harassed and detained by police for the crime of competing for ferry passengers.
- The Iron Road Blasts Through the Cascades
A traveler describes the relentless, army-like advance of the Great Northern Railway as it carves a path of dynamite and steam through the rugged Skykomish River wilderness.
- A Forged Passage: The Counterfeit Papers That Nearly Smuggled Chinese Immigrants Into Seattle
A ring selling near-perfect imitation government certificates was caught trying to land Chinese immigrants at Tacoma, Seattle and Port Townsend — and the customs collector was not impressed by their craftsmanship.
- The Fugitive Bride of Ellensburg
After a coerced marriage and a secret divorce, a local real estate dealer’s legal nightmare ends in a mysterious chase across the state.
- A $10,000 Railroad Check and a Whispering Campaign in Olympia
In 1895, Washington's legislature gathered to choose a U.S. senator, and the Seattle press heard that the Southern Pacific had put $10,000 behind one candidate.
- Power Company Wires Block Ships on Thea Foss Waterway
When high-voltage wires blocked a sailing ship from the city dock, a newspaper reporter dropped the story the moment they learned who owned the infrastructure.
- A Trial Over a Reproductive Choice
A jury convicts L.M. LaPointe for producing an abortion, sparking a harsh account of the social stigma of the era.
- The Klondike Gold Rush Riches Arrive in Seattle
As the ship Humboldt docks, a massive influx of gold and weary prospectors pours into the city, fueling local speculation and excitement.
- One Vote Shy: Washington’s Local Option Bill Goes Down in the Senate
A 17–16 roll call, one absent senator and a promised reconsideration left Washington’s saloon-regulation fight hanging by a thread.
- The Rotten Beef Scandal of 1872
When a local market was accused of selling diseased meat, the ensuing war of words revealed the thin line between journalism and extortion in early Seattle.
- Bears on Driftwood and Bridge Washouts in the Skykomish River
Heavy rains trigger a freshet in the mountains, leading to washed-out bridges and one very calm bear navigating the rapids on a log.
- 1876 Snohomish Court Targets Indigenous Gatherings and Brothels
In March 1876, Judge Lewis charged the first Snohomish County District Court grand jury to address public nuisances, including Indigenous gatherings and brothels, while also holding county officials accountable for fee books.
- The First Poet of Snohomish: A Captain’s Verse and a Hotelier’s Blunder
A retrospective on the town's earliest settlers reveals that E. I. Tucker wasn't just a steamboat engineer—he was also its first literary figure, while his father’s linguistic mishaps provide a glimpse into the colorful social life of the era.
- A Missing Clause Stalls the Road Through the Cascades
Whatcom and Skagit expected a governor's commission and an early start. The enrolled bill in Olympia had lost its emergency clause, and the delay was already being blamed on the wrong people.
- The City That Vanished: Seattle’s First Real Estate Bubble and the Ghosts of Terry’s Addition
A look back at January 1890, when Seattle’s land boom was in full swing, prices were soaring, and developers like George Dorffel were selling lots in new subdivisions to speculators eager for a quick profit.
- The Marsh That Could Feed a City: Snohomish’s Hidden Goldmine
A detailed survey of the vast wetlands between Snohomish and the Skykomish River reveals thousands of acres of fertile land, drained by new ditches and accessible by scow, waiting for developers to turn swamp into wealth.
Also about this, in other words
- The Blue-Flowered Bonanza: How Whatcom County Found Flax
A Ferndale doctor's experiments convince the federal government that Puget Sound can out-produce Europe's linen fields — and New York capital starts paying attention.
- The Ghost Ship of the Sound: How a Tiny Ferry Conquered the Ice
After three weeks at sea and a harrowing journey through storm and ice, the *Flossie* arrives in Juneau, proving that Seattle’s maritime spirit is forged in the coldest waters.
- The Hot Linseed Poultice: A Seattle Marriage Ends in Burns and Bankruptcy
When Mrs. Water’s anger boiled over, she didn’t just yell—she slapped a steaming poultice of linseed mush onto her husband’s head. The Superior Court had to decide if this was cruelty or just a bad day.
- The 'Daisy' of the Office: Seattle's 1891 Typewriter Craze
As Seattle transitioned into a new era of business efficiency in 1891, the Remington Standard Typewriter emerged as the essential office status symbol.
- The Human Cost of the Des Moines Boom
A tragic suicide in Tacoma exposes the devastating toll of speculative real estate schemes.
- Barber Shop on the Move
A F Street barber shop is rolled away after a foreclosure lien.
- The War on Orchard Blight
Kennewick orchardists travel to Prosser to learn how to save their trees from the ravages of fire blight and mildew.
- The Price of a Secret
A small-town tragedy of manners reveals how gossip and moral judgment destroyed one man's attempt to reintegrate into society after prison.