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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 8 |
| 1877 | 7 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1892 | 5 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1894 | 6 |
| 1895 | 3 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 2 |
| 1908 | 1 |
41 stories matching freshet
- The Great Walla Walla Freshet of 1876
After unseasonable rains decimated the region's infrastructure, locals wondered if a waterspout had carved a path of destruction through the mountains.
- The River’s Revenge: How a Flood Saved the Jam Company Millions
While laborers toiled for months to clear the Snoqualmie Falls log jam, a sudden freshet swept away their equipment and valuable timber—yet paradoxically cleared the river faster than human hands ever could.
- A Valley Drowns Every Spring—and One Farmer Wants a Better Dike
A correspondent warns that the Pend Oreille freshet has wrecked $50,000 worth of Calispel Valley crops—and argues the proposed diking districts are too piecemeal to save the basin.
- The Log Jam That Held Back the Skagit
Settlers bet their savings on cutting a channel through a massive timber jam—and begged Sound steamboat captains to link the Skagit to Seattle.
- 7,000 Miners Head for the Skagit, But High Water Halts the Diggings
Spring freshets wash out the wingdams on Ruby Creek while hundreds of men wait at the Portage for a trail and pack animals — and California newspapers predict a stampede of thousands.
- The Great Herring Flood: When the Duwamish River Turned White
May 1877: A bizarre natural phenomenon turns Seattle’s waterways into a slippery, smelly carpet of dead fish, while loggers race to beat an early spring flood.
- Pacific Northwest Rivers Run Wild in Record Floods
Spring freshets across Washington and British Columbia wash away bridges, drown crops, and halt the Northern Pacific and Great Northern railways.
- The Engineer Who Tamed the Tides: Col. Wilson’s Blueprint for Snohomish’s Future
A master engineer presents a radical plan to dredge the Columbia and Willamette rivers, promising to unlock Seattle's potential by reshaping the very geography of the Pacific Northwest.
- The Unpredictable Fury of the White River
For decades, pioneers in the White River Valley have battled shifting channels and massive log jams that threaten to drown the farmland—and now, a desperate, explosive attempt to save the riverbank has left the community divided.
- 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.
- Taming the Snohomish River
After six years of washed-out roads and frantic land acquisition, Snohomish County finally takes a permanent stand against the river's erosion.
- The Brutal Genie of the River Valley
An 1876 editorial reflects on the cyclical devastation of Washington’s river floods and why farmers never seem quite ready for the waters to rise.
- The Salmon Came Late: Freshets Held the Columbia Run at the River's Mouth Until It Was Nearly Too Late
Ilwaco packer B. A. Seaborg says the fish only began running two weeks ago — and the August 10 close season will shut the nets on thousands of them.
- The Great 1894 Flood Devastates the Pacific Northwest
As rivers finally begin to recede, towns from Conconully to Portland recount the total destruction of homes, bridges, and livelihoods in the wake of the historic spring freshet.
- When the Skagit River Swallowed Mount Vernon: The Great Flood of 1894
A sudden heat wave melted mountain snow, sending rivers over their banks and putting whole towns underwater. In Mount Vernon, 300 men fought a losing battle against the rising Skagit.
- The River That Could Drown a Valley
A brewing legal and ecological battle in the White River valley pits farmers against a railway company, as shifting waters threaten to swallow millions in property.
- When the Water Came Up to the Post Office: Floods Cut Seattle’s Rail and Mail Lines
Spring freshets submerged low streets, stalled Great Northern and Northern Pacific trains, and left Seattle business houses waiting days for mail.
- Warm Rain Triggers Slides and Floods Across Puget Sound
A winter warm spell melts mountain snow, sending mudslides across the Great Northern line and flooding the Skagit Delta, stranding passengers and threatening crops with salt water.
- Mount Vernon's Dikes Held—Barely—as the Skagit Rose
The Skagit River broke a dike near Fir, covered bottomlands, cut trains and mail, and left Mount Vernon watching its new levee seep.
- The Great Lake-to-Sound Canal Dream
A century-old proposal to drain swampy lands and connect the Seattle lakes to the Puget Sound, fueled by fears of devastating floods and the need for new shipping channels.
- The Muddy Arteries of Early Seattle
Decades before modern paving, Seattle’s civic leaders struggled to build a passable road to the Renton coal mines, leaving thousands of settlers and farmers stranded in the mire.
- The Skagit Valley Underwater
Farmers on the Skagit flats face ruin as dikes break and floodwaters wash away years of work.
- The River’s Toll on the Timber Trade
A sudden freshet on the White River washes away over 150,000 feet of logs, devastating local lumber operators and scattering timber as far as Smith’s Cove.
- The Great Jam: Seattle’s Gamble on Clearing the Skagit River
As a massive log jam threatens to stall trade in the fertile Skagit Valley, enterprising locals are betting their fortunes on a dangerous engineering feat to open the river for commerce.
- The Town That Rose from the Jam: Mount Vernon’s Wild Start
A new settlement is sprouting along the Skagit River, fueled by loggers, surveyors, and a patriotic name change.
Also about this, in other words
- The Klondike Nugget: A New Yakima Valley Fruit
After nearly two decades of experimentation, a local farmer unveils a plum variety that promises to outshine the industry standard.
- The Hatchet in the Room
A New Year's night assault at a Seattle boarding house leads to a suspicious man, a bloodied hat, and a neighborhood hunt.
- The Sudden Assault in the Carpenter's Shop
A South Tacoma teamster reports a mysterious and violent attack while visiting a friend's workspace.
- The 'Agricultural Wonder' of the Skagit Valley
A local farmer promises to transform the economy of the Territory with a miracle oat that promises to outgrow all others.
- Stopping the Smut Explosions
Innovation in threshing technology saved Washington farmers from fire and financial ruin.
- A New Frontier for Richland’s Harvest
Local entrepreneurs launch a commercial canning and drying facility to eliminate agricultural waste and boost valley profits.
- A Young Man’s Six-Month Jail Ordeal
After being duped into helping a stranger load stolen goods, a teenager from Prescott spent half a year behind bars simply because he could not afford bail.
- The 'Hulless' Oat Promise of 1876
An early Seattle entrepreneur touted a revolutionary 'agricultural wonder' grain, promising local farmers a harvest that outperformed wheat with half the labor.