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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 1 |
14 stories matching improb
- The Sad Fate of the Umatilla
A survey of the shipwrecked vessel confirms the total loss, with underwriters bracing for the salvage auction.
- The Ghost of a $30,000 Debt
A bitter court battle over a disputed promissory note reveals the messy financial dealings of the deceased.
- The Territorial Governor’s Malice: A False Rumor of Corruption Exposed
In June 1876, the *Puget Sound Dispatch* launches a fierce defense of Washington Territory Governor William H. Wallace against a malicious slander campaign claiming he was embezzling public funds.
- The Great Liquor Heist: A Partner Vanishes with $2,000 of Goods
In a mystery that baffled Seattle's wholesale liquor trade in April 1882, one partner opens the store to find the stock largely gone, while his business associate has fled town without a word.
- The Forgotten Map: When North Idaho Was Seattle’s Neighbor
For years, North Idaho residents pushed to break away from their own state and join Washington Territory, citing geographic reality and political isolation.
- The Eight-Hour Day That Was Amended to Death
A bold proposal to limit public works labor to eight hours faces a grim fate in the Washington State Senate, where 'amendments' have stripped the bill of its power before it can even reach the House.
- The Contract Squabble that Held Seattle Baseball Hostage
In 1891, the Pacific Northwest League’s amateur-professional status was in disarray, and a tug-of-war over star player Abner Powell became a litmus test for Seattle's rising civic pride.
- The Deadly Plumbing of American Hotels
A leading medical journal warns travelers that the sanitary conditions in American and Canadian hotels are putting lives at risk.
- The Bold Bid for Seattle’s Shipyards
An 1889 editorial argues that if San Francisco can successfully build naval warships, Washington Territory—with its vast timber and coal reserves—should be the next center of American maritime power.
- A Cowardly Assault on Third Street
When a sick man defended his son from a neighbor's violence, the local justice system failed to provide justice.
- The Anatomy of a 'Drunk' in 1883
A local observer breaks down the social mechanics of the saloon-crawl, from the first casual invitation to the inevitable collapse on the floor.
- The Confederate Major Who Set Type in Seattle
A German-born printer who saw Fort Sumter bombarded and later joined Seattle's typographical union died at Providence Hospital, taking an improbable Civil War past with him.
- From Vera Cruz to Seattle: The Improbable Life of Levi F. Compton
A Mexican War veteran, gold rusher, bridge builder and Odd Fellows patriarch died at his Spring Street home, leaving a civic record that stretched from Virginia slavery to a Chehalis reform school.
- The Soldier Who Missed: Why Seattle Is Rooting for a Court-Martialed Hero
Sergeant Mason’s attempt to assassinate the man who killed Garfield has turned him from a mutineer into a martyr, sparking petitions and subscriptions across the Pacific Northwest.