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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1889 | 8 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 2 |
| 1893 | 5 |
| 1894 | 4 |
| 1895 | 2 |
| 1899 | 3 |
| 1904 | 1 |
30 stories matching furth
- The Senatorial Machine of Seattle’s Banking King
Powerful banker Jacob Furth, whose corporations control Seattle’s streetcars and credit, is positioned to dominate the race for the U.S. Senate through money and influence.
- The Missing Will That Would Have Given Seattle a Library
Henry Yesler's widow and two doctors are arrested, accused of burning a will that left the pioneer's fortune—and his mansion—to the city.
- The Legislators Who Came to See a Ditch—and Left Believers
A steamboat tour of Smith Cove and Lake Union turns Eastern Washington lawmakers into ship-canal converts.
- The 1895 Push to Split Seattle From King County
A Chamber of Commerce meeting with new state legislators turned into a drive to separate Seattle from King County—and to force the school board to live within its means.
- Rising from the Ashes: The Great Seattle Fire of 1888
While the downtown core smoldered, Seattle citizens gathered in the courthouse—lit by tallow dips—to demand a modern city of brick and stone, rejecting makeshift wooden shacks and dreaming of a reconstructed metropolis.
- A Senate Seat, a Caucus, and a Yakima Ditch Deal
In Olympia, Republicans moved to settle the U.S. Senate contest between Ankeny and Wilson—while opponents circulated a story that Wilson had traded a Congressional favor for stock in a Yakima irrigation scheme.
- A Revolver at the Polls: Seattle’s Republican Primary Erupts
Seattle’s Republican primaries collapsed into shouting, challenged voters, fake tickets and a police chief drawing his revolver to declare the polls open.
- The Franchise Fight: Seattle’s Battle for Control of the Streets
As the Corporation Committee prepares to report on the street railway franchise, a fierce debate erupts over whether the city should sell its public assets to private developers for 40 years or keep them in public hands.
- The Court House Conflict
King County officials struggle to seize property for the new courthouse as tenants refuse to vacate.
- The Bankers’ Bailout for City Debt
Seattle’s financial elite push for state intervention to retroactively legalize city debt incurred in excess of the constitutional limit.
- The Disappearing Contractor of Madison Street
A Seattle infrastructure project hits a snag when the lead contractor vanishes with thousands of dollars in city funds, leaving his bondsmen to face the bill.
- The Rise of Scientific Charity in 1890s Seattle
A crowded public meeting at Ranke's Hall seeks to formalize city charity, sparking a debate on 'worthy' versus 'unworthy' poor and the ethics of professionalized benevolence.
- The Lawyer Who Saved a 'Sucker'
A South Prairie man was nearly swindled out of $1,000 in a fake lottery scheme until he sought the advice of a prominent Seattle attorney.
- Bailey Gatzert Dies Peacefully Among Loved Ones
Ex-Mayor and civic leader Bailey Gatzert dies at the Rainier Hotel; the city mourns a man who helped build Seattle's foundation.
- The Senator’s Farewell: Mrs. Squire’s Lobby Battle and a Pledge to 'All the People'
As Watson Squire prepares to leave Seattle for Washington D.C., his wife recounts the chaotic reality of their election victory at the Olympia hotel, while he pledges impartial service to the entire state.
- A Stranded Worker Waits for a Prosthetic
After an industrial accident in Fairhaven cost him his leg, a painter finds himself destitute in Seattle, relying on charity while he saves for a replacement limb.
- Seattle Buries Bailey Gatzert Under a Grave of Flowers
The ex-mayor, banker and merchant drew hundreds to the Rainier Hotel, where Masons, city officials and civic societies honored a pioneer.
- The Jackson Street Railroad Takes Shape
The City Council reviews a massive ordinance granting transit rights across town, from Elliott Bay to the city limits.
- The Padded Guest List
A political movement to reform Seattle government gets caught red-handed inflating its support with the names of prominent citizens who never agreed to join.
- The Great Seattle Streetcar Standoff
A proposed deal for a unified street railway system in Seattle hits a wall as Boston-based investors reject municipal demands for fair wages and affordable fares.
- The City’s Crackdown on Traveling Salesmen
In 1886, Seattle’s City Council passed a strict licensing ordinance to curb 'peddling' and hawking, requiring vendors to pay steep daily fees or face jail time.
- The Fire That Paid: A Grocery Store’s Lucky Escape
When a Jackson Street grocery burned down in January 1889, the owners didn't just rebuild—they received a full cash payout from their insurer, Pacific Carpet Company President John P. Hoyt, and sent a public note of gratitude.
- The Fire That Paid: How a Grocery Store’s Loss Became a Lesson in Civic Trust
When a fire destroyed the premises of Mossfeldt & Pratt on Jackson Street, their insurance company didn't just pay up—they published a public thank-you note. A rare moment of transparency in 1889 Seattle.
- Madison Street Gets a Cable Line
A new franchise is granted to build a cable railway from Front Street to Lake Washington.
- The Seattle Bazaar Bankruptcy Scandal
Bank sues Samuel Levy, alleging the Seattle Bazaar’s closure and stock seizures were a scheme to defraud creditors.