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17 stories matching hoax
- The Tacoma Bachelor Hoax
When a false newspaper report claimed the Mayor of Tacoma was soliciting wives for his countrymen, he was swamped with heartfelt letters from women across the country.
- The Great Smokestack Hoax: Seattle’s Mountain Top Mystery
In 1873, local entrepreneur S. W. Peck convinced the city that a legendary 'living rod' lay buried atop American Flat. His desperate drilling operation reveals more about the era's speculative fever than geological truth.
- Fatal Panic Following a Cruel Hoax
A woman drowns in a desperate escape attempt after a stranger falsely claims a Seattle saloon is under quarantine.
- The Great 'Chicken Hunt' Hoax Exposed
A reported runaway incident during a chicken hunt near Eureka Flat turned out to be a manufactured prank on a local reporter.
- A Deadly Prank at the Blue Front
A malicious false alarm of a plague quarantine triggers a fatal panic in a Seattle dance hall.
- The False Rumor of a 'Doc' Griswold Shooting
A street rumor concerning a fatal card game dispute in New Westminster turns out to be a total fabrication.
- The Telephone Dust Prank
A creative hoax in a small town fooled local housewives into wrapping their telephones in rags to 'blow out the dust.'
- The Ballard Ghost Case
A morbid prank involving a 'dummy corpse' in Ballard sends the local coroner on a wild goose chase, leaving the town laughing at his indignation.
- The Great Butter Hoax of 1859
A classic tall tale of rancid butter, two tipsy pioneers, and an elaborate prank on a local tavern keeper in Olympia.
- The Patent Medicine Suicide Hoax
A supposed farewell note found on Yesler Wharf turns out to be a clever, cynical advertisement for a health elixir.
- The Great Hops Hoax: Tacoma’s ‘Massive’ Landslide Turns Out to Be a Trifle
Panic swept the Sound when reports claimed a catastrophic slide at Tacoma had buried buildings and halted rail traffic. The Dispatch reveals the truth: only twenty acres of land moved, knocking over a few Chinese cabins, while the real drama was just steamers running late.
- The Doctor and the Frog
When a woman believed she had swallowed a frog, a Seattle physician orchestrated a surgical hoax to save her peace of mind.
- The Great Manastache Mining Hoax
A town's feverish dreams of gold were shattered when a slick assayer fled with their hopes and their money.
- The Great Seattle Hoax: How a 'Captain' Fooled the Press with a Phantom Ship
A con artist named Captain John Brown sold a wild tale of a treasure-laden voyage to a local newspaper for $10, only for customs officers to discover the vessel didn't exist.
- Seattle's Sewers Were Cracking All Over Town — and the City Engineer Blamed the Dirt
A furious letter writer insists the pipes broke not from 'percussion' but from the very worst kind of trench work — and points the finger straight at the man in charge.
- The Captain Who Caught a Monster: Seattle’s Own Sea Serpent Hoax
Captain Pat J. Boyton of Seattle claims to have captured a 63-foot sea serpent in the Pacific, sending a letter from his ship that has locals buzzing with wonder and skepticism.
- The 'Rich Deed' That Wasn't: Snohomish’s Wild Gold Rush Hoax and the Community’s Reality Check
A sensational tale of a legendary gold mine in Snohomish captivated locals, but the paper quickly pivots to a sobering assessment of the lumber industry's financial struggles and the region's agricultural potential.