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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1909 | 1 |
18 stories matching humbug
- The Sealing Monopoly Judge Swan Called a ‘Monumental Humbug’
A federal report from Port Townsend shows Puget Sound sealers thriving while a Smithsonian expert blasts the Alaska Commercial Company’s grip on the Pribilof Islands.
- The Human Cost of the Des Moines Boom
A tragic suicide in Tacoma exposes the devastating toll of speculative real estate schemes.
- The Struggle for the Rails: Seattle’s Economic Isolation in 1880
As the Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad is sold to Henry Villard's powerful combine, local editors fear the city's economic future will be shackled to Portland's river monopoly.
- The Wrestling Match That Ended in a Near-Riot
A high-stakes wrestling bout at Turner Hall descended into chaos when the Japanese contestant collapsed, leaving the crowd baying for answers.
- Hardship and Deception at the Cascade Tunnel
Laborers arriving at the Northern Pacific site find empty promises, cold conditions, and a 'regular gouging' by company management.
- John L. Sullivan's Seattle Takeover
When the world’s heavyweight champion brought his traveling theatrical troupe to town, the city went into a frenzy of gawking, impersonations, and mass hysteria.
- The Ghost Town That Wasn't: A Port Townsend Lament
In 1872, the residents of Port Townsend were waiting on a railroad that never arrived, stuck in a cycle of speculation and stagnation.
- The Great Seattle Rebound
A fiery defense of the city’s resilience following the Great Fire, dismantling rumors that the local economy had collapsed.
- The Mayor's Selective Hatchet
A critical look at Mayor Ronald’s inconsistent logic in his attempt to fire board members over the city's tunnel sewer project.
- The Great Tacoma Mardi Gras Swindle
A traveling carnival collapses in Tacoma, leaving residents out of pocket and a planned wedding abandoned in the ruins.
- The Pastor, the Saloon, and the Pulpit Campaign in Newport
Rev. F. R. Margetts calls Rev. William A. Wasson a hired saloon advocate and announces a Sunday rebuttal at the Congregational church ahead of Newport’s September 7, 1909 liquor-license election.
- The Swindler Who Tried to Sell Insurance to a Ghost
A Seattle man attempts to scam his brother in California with a fake insurance policy, only to be outsmarted by a skeptical editor.
- The Decalcomania Confidence Man
A group of Seattle women expose a predatory art instructor who used a 'transfer work' scam to swindle local households.
- The Cream That Wasn't: A Milk War Lands in Seattle
An Illinois condensery mails Seattle a warning that a Washington company is skimming the butter fat out of its milk. The Seattle Times demands a prosecution; the local trade paper calls the charge a stunt — then quietly admits the 'Carnation Cream' label is a lie.
- The Rapid Growth and Growing Pains of Puget Sound
A local correspondent reports on the shipping boom, the rush of Indigenous harvest workers, and the unsettling pace of land speculation.
- The Political Departure from North Yakima
Defeated political candidates poke fun at their own misfortune through a satirical account of leaving town after a failed election cycle.
- Spokane Falls Fires Back at the Boom-Sayers
A Walla Walla society paper printed a traveler's claim that Spokane Falls was a real-estate humbug at its zenith. The Falls' editor answered with population figures, water power, and an invitation to tour the new bridge.
- The Social Climber and the Boarding-House Landlady
When an imposter claiming aristocratic ties tried to swindle a respectable family at a Seattle party, an uninvited cousin from Albany arrived to set the record straight.
Also about this, in other words
- A Breakfast Tragedy at Pacific Avenue
A local woman’s accidental encounter with a cable car turns the intersection into an omelette station.
- A Literal Sagebrush Collision
A local man's unadvertised diving exhibition ends in a heap of sagebrush.
- Isolation and High Water on the Humptulips
Heavy winter rains and falling timber isolate a community, trapping a funeral party and challenging travel across the rugged Grays Harbor backcountry.
- The Great Hop Louse Debate of 1892
A scientific dispute over crop-destroying insects exposes the perils of amateur entomology in the Washington territory.
- The Husking Bee at Learned's Opera House
Port Townsend society gathers for a successful amateur performance to benefit the Seamen's Bethel.
- Humpy the Fisherman Is Shot Dead Over the Right to Cut Hay
A disabled fisherman and a rancher quarreled over who owned a patch of grass near Palmer Lake. It was the third killing caused by a ranch-boundary dispute in a single year.
- The Empathetic Pup of Idol Hill
A local carpenter finds comfort in a loyal companion who mirrors his own physical struggle.
- The Unsung Heroes of the Fidalgo Island Orchard
A local farmer fights back against hunters, arguing that quail are essential allies against cutworms and pests.