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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1877 | 3 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1894 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
13 stories matching idler
- The Idle Crowd: Seattle's 1877 Moral Panic over 'Street Loafers'
A local editor observes the growing ranks of the unemployed and 'non-descript' men gathering on Seattle corners, questioning how they survive in a bustling, labor-dependent territory.
- The Great Fire of 1889: Resilience in the Ashes
A traveler recounts their journey across the continent to find a city 'wiped out' but miraculously still standing, thriving in tents and determined to rebuild.
- The Rule of Law in the Face of Mob Violence
In 1885, a Seattle judge delivered a scathing rebuke to a grand jury and the public, condemning anti-Chinese conspiracy and defending the right of all laborers—regardless of race or origin—to equal protection under the law.
- The Ghost on the Forest Trail
A lone rider’s remains, discovered near Enumclaw, spark a haunting reflection on the anonymous lives lost in the rush to settle the wild West.
- The Seattle Judge Who Stood Up to 'Professional' Idlers
When a woman shot her abusive husband in 1886, a Seattle judge refused to convict her, explicitly calling out a class of men who lived off the earnings of their wives' shame.
- The Skagit County Sheriff’s 'First Class' Hotel
Newly formed Skagit County lacks a proper jail, forcing the sheriff to board inmates at local hotels at public expense.
- The Theater vs. The Saloon
A surprising social trend sees Walla Walla residents choosing stage entertainment over the local drinking houses.
- Old Yank, the Sequim Inventor Who Rigged His Counter to Sting Thieves
A correspondent visits Professor Watkins of Sequim Prairie, an eccentric mechanic whose inventions ranged from a needle-spring burglar trap to a wooden mowing machine and a windmill made to grind the prairie's wheat.
- The Loudmouth of Pioneer Place
A citizen complains to the Post-Intelligencer about a street orator using obscene language and attacking religions, urging police intervention.
- The Struggle for Self-Culture in Snohomish
An 1877 literary society meeting sparks a fierce editorial debate on the necessity of intellectual labor and the dangers of the 'critic' class.
- The Pioneer Shingle-Packer of Snohomish County
A young woman who made waves in the male-dominated world of shingle mills at Getchell has moved on to a new role as a teacher.
- The Single Tax: A Seattle Paper Takes On Henry George
In 1894 the Post-Intelligencer mounts a full-throated attack on Henry George's land-value tax, warning it would 'rob labor' and hand the ground itself to the rich.
- The Logger’s Dilemma: Why Cheap Labor Is Killing Washington's Future
In a fierce editorial from January 1877, the Puget Sound Dispatch argues that low wages for loggers don't just hurt workers—they stunt the growth of the entire territory, creating a class of 'mental and physical wrecks' instead of future statesmen.