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| 1876 | 2 |
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38 stories matching granit
- The Granite War: Why Seattle’s Federal Building Might Not Use Washington Stone
A federal contract for San Francisco's new courthouse has sparked outrage in Seattle. The lowest bidder proposed using granite from the Puget Sound region, but California lobbyists are pushing to force the use of local stone, raising questions about patriotism versus free enterprise.
- The Granite That Built a Naval Powerhouse
A Seattle contractor bypasses local stone to import Canadian granite for the massive new Port Orchard dry dock, sparks a cross-border trade friction.
- The Granite Controversy at Port Orchard
Seattle labor organizers protest the use of British Columbia rock for a U.S. Navy contract.
- 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.
- The Granite Creek Gold Rush
Prospectors flock to the Cascades as snow melts, revealing potentially rich deposits across a vast territory.
- The Skykomish River Tragedy
A saloon-keeper's body is discovered in the wilderness, unraveling a dark story of frontier isolation, lawlessness, and the lethal 'whisky' of the Great Northern construction camps.
- Local Marble Works Stakes a Claim
A local stone business proves that Stevens County granite and marble can compete with regional giants.
- The Lonely Death of an Engineer Near Granite Falls
A young city engineer vanished while surveying mineral claims, only to be found dead in the rugged wilderness by a passing prospector.
- Tragedy at Granite Falls
A local rancher takes his own life following a period of declining health.
- The Healing Lake That Hid a Walking Fish
On the Columbia plateau near Spokane lies a strange saline lake with no inlet and no outlet — credited with curing rheumatism, foaming like soap in the wind, and home to an axolotl that fooled the naturalists.
- The Day Seattle Decided Its Own Elevation
A forgotten 1877 municipal ordinance reveals the precise moment the city set its literal foundation, anchoring the downtown grid to a granite step on Commercial Street.
- 2,000 Workers Push Great Northern Railroad Across Washington
Thousands of laborers forge the path for James J. Hill's railway empire as bridge and grade construction intensifies across the Washington territory.
- The Night Colfax Burned
A Chinese cook's kerosene mishap destroys the heart of a small Washington town, exposing the dangers of inadequate civic infrastructure.
- The Great Flood of 1888
Torrential rains and melting snow paralyze the Snohomish and Stillaguamish valleys, destroying bridges and disrupting rail travel to Monte Cristo.
- 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.
- Moving Mountains for the Monte Cristo Railroad
Contractors use dynamite to carve a path for the new Everett and Monte Cristo railroad, blowing away a solid granite promontory.
- Inside the New King County Jail
A detailed look at the 'infallible' brick and iron lockup built to replace older, makeshift holding cells in 1870s Seattle.
- The Rush for the Big Bend
A new gold and grain boom on the Columbia River, driven by railroad expansion, promises to transform the Washington Territory.
- The Color Line in Trade Unions
A letter to the editor challenges the claim that Seattle trade unions exclude Black members, arguing that class solidarity transcends racial barriers.
- The Navy’s Checklist: Why Seattle Was Betting Its Future on Iron and Timber
In January 1902, the city compiled a massive dossier of industrial advantages—from Denny Mine ore to fresh-water wharves—to convince Washington D.C. that Seattle was the only logical site for a new Pacific naval station.
- Guy Phinney's Brick Building Rises First After Seattle Fire
How Seattle’s downtown business district—scorched by the Great Fire—was transformed by private investment into a modern, fireproof city in just over a year.
- A Ghastly Discovery on the Skykomish River
Two prospectors uncover a human head suspended on a wooden stake in the remote wilderness of King County.
- A Tragic End for a Shingle Weaver
After signs of erratic behavior, a local union man is found dead in the Stillaguamish River.
- Seattle’s Streets Were Still Mostly Wood—Until the Brick Came
With 750 miles platted and only 106 improved, city engineers pushed permanent pavement on Union Street and dreamed of brick from local clay.
- The Great Washington Road Trip of 1891
Edmond S. Meany traversed nearly every county in the state to prepare for the Chicago World’s Fair, documenting the rapid transformation of the Washington frontier into a modern commercial landscape.