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88 stories matching impass
- The Mud-Locked Road: Seattle’s 1878 Infrastructure Feud
A bitter war of words erupts in the press over the impassable Snoqualmie road and the 'cheek' of local politicians asking for funding they refused to spend.
- The Mud of the Highlands
Melting snows leave Kennewick rural routes impassable, forcing students to crawl over dangerous flumes to get home.
- The Road to Nowhere: Seattle’s Infrastructure Crisis of 1876
As the city grows, its roads are crumbling into impassable mud, endangering farmers and merchants alike. A local editorial demands immediate action before the 'corduroy' turns to chaos.
- The Sea of Mud on Main Street
Walla Walla's main thoroughfare has been rendered nearly impassable, prompting calls for a permanent street cleaning department.
- The Muddy Road to Progress
In 1877, Seattle's city limits were defined not just by law, but by impassable, knee-deep mire that choked commerce and isolated local farmers.
- Seattle Teamsters Strike Hits an Impasse
Negotiations collapse in the city's ongoing labor dispute as employers pivot to non-union labor.
- The Mud of Commercial Street
Seattle’s main commercial artery was once a treacherous gauntlet of 'semi-fluid mud' and rats, nearly impassable for the city's horse-drawn wagons.
- The Crumbling Sidewalk of James Street
For three weeks, a gaping hole on James Street has left residents navigating a mess, leaving neighbors to wonder if the city has forgotten the street commissioner exists.
- The Unlucky Traveler of Snoqualmie Pass
A man’s attempt to cross the mountains turns into a desperate struggle against the elements.
- A Scathing Call for Civic Pride
The local newspaper editor blasts the City Council for allowing Coulee City to descend into a state of 'innocuous desuetude' marked by neglected sidewalks and wandering livestock.
- A Sea of Slimy Mud
Heavy November rains leave Walla Walla’s streets nearly impassable as the town struggles with a record-breaking deluge.
- Snowbound in the Dosewalips
Isolated by record snowfall, pioneers in a rugged valley face the threat of starvation before a desperate trek to safety.
- Caught Between the Cars: A Laborer Sues the Great Northern
Maimed when a work train left him no escape from a slide, a laborer takes the railroad to court arguing it sacrificed its men's safety.
- Fire and Rent
A judge rules against tenants whose homes burned down, sparking an uproar in the jury box.
- The Mystery of the Dacres Hotel Theft
A young boy confesses to a significant theft at a prominent hotel, but his claims about where the money went leave police and authorities at an impasse.
- The End of the Snoqualmie Toll
After years of litigation, King County settled a dispute with a private wagon road company, finally opening the Snoqualmie Pass route to the public for free.
- The Perils of the Horse Heaven Road
A local motorist recounts the nightmare of driving between Bickleton and Mabton, where a fence rail was required to pry his car from the dust.
- The Grading Debt That Never Was
A judge rules that Seattle property owners don't have to pay for street improvements that the city never actually finished.
- Tragedy at the Spring: A Mother’s Drowning in Cathlamet
A logger returns home after a week of work to find his wife dead in a two-foot deep spring and his three children alone in the snow.
- The High-Stakes Battle to Shut Down Racetrack Gambling
Legislators strip the emergency clause from the anti-racetrack bill, threatening to delay the ban on gambling at the Meadows during the upcoming exposition.
- The Day Seattle’s Streets Became a Minefield
In September 1876, the city’s main commercial artery was so full of potholes and water that officials warned it would become 'deplorable' before winter set in.
- Seattle Laid Out Its Streets for 7,000 People. It Was Already Too Small.
In 1883, Seattle citizens worried that the young city's twenty-foot business streets could not carry the growth already under way, and a movement began to widen them to eighty feet.
- The Tears of the Courtroom
A three-week embezzlement trial in Everett ended in acquittal after an emotional defense moved jurors to tears.
- Democratic Convention Splits Over Ship Canal
A bitter political brawl at the state convention in Olympia ends in a stinging defeat for Seattle’s most ambitious infrastructure dream.
- Tacoma’s City Hall in Chaos
A standoff over missing treasury funds, salary cuts, and a power struggle at the Board of Public Works defines a week of municipal turmoil in Tacoma.