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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 1 |
| 1895 | 2 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1909 | 1 |
| 1915 | 2 |
| 1916 | 2 |
| 1917 | 1 |
18 stories matching junk
- A Recluse's Quiet End
The discovery of an elderly junk collector, dead in his Pike Street cabin, reveals a life of isolation and hidden assets.
- The City Council Tightens Rules on Junk Dealers
A new ordinance aims to curb petty theft by requiring dealers to maintain detailed purchase records and provide 24-hour notice before accepting items.
- The Juvenile 'Junk' Gangs of Seattle
Local business owners report a wave of petty thefts by children as young as ten, raising alarms about the city's future.
- The War for Quality in the Fruit Exchange
After reaching $97,000 in sales, the Fruit Exchange secretary calls out local growers for the 'dishonest' practice of hiding junk fruit at the bottom of crates.
- The Bottle Band of Jackson Street
Three boys were apprehended after a long string of petty thefts, caught in the act of raiding a saloon cellar for empty glass.
- The Paper Blizzard That Ate Washington's Budget
A senate committee blames vague printing laws and verbose officials for a $52,000 deficit—and says thousands of reports are destined for the junk dealer.
- Kennewick's Paper Trail for Second-Hand Goods
New city ordinance demands detailed records of every junk transaction to curb local theft.
- Judge Intervenes to Save Boys from Reform School
A Seattle judge issued a last-minute stay to keep two boys from being sent to the state reformatory, instead using them as witnesses against the man accused of training them in crime.
- The Great Wire War: How Seattle’s Electric Giants Tried to Buy Their Way Out of the Underground
When the City Council threatened to bury power lines underground, Union Electric and Consumers’ Electric screamed ruin. But the real drama wasn't the wires—it was the council dodging a crowd of gamblers and churchgoers demanding saloon closures.
- The Sad Case of Eight-Year-Old Albert
A young boy, orphaned and abandoned by his father, is sentenced to reform school for petty theft.
- The Bottleneck of Yesler Way
A dangerous, debris-filled junction at Yesler, Front, and Commercial streets creates a daily traffic nightmare for Seattle's commerce.
- The Curse of Engine 671
Northern Pacific railroad workers avoid a locomotive they believe is possessed by evil spirits.
- The Copper Wire Bandits
Two ex-linemen were arrested in Tacoma for stealing 5,000 pounds of copper wire from dead poles and selling it.
- The Old Todd Pumping Plant Dismantled
A piece of local history fades as scrap dealers dismantle the engine that once fueled the ambitious, struggling White Bluffs irrigation project.
- The City's Bridge Dilemma
Tacoma faces a choice between costly wood, fading steel, or a permanent concrete future.
- When Populists Ran the Courthouse, County Warrants Fell to 74 Cents
A cost-cutting order from Whatcom's Populist commissioners has clerks and deputies refusing to obey, while the county's paper warrants slide toward junk.
- Seattle's 1895 Police Chief Wanted Fewer 14-Hour Shifts—and More Control Over Opium and Newsboys
The annual report described a force stretched thin by budget cuts and proposed licensing pawnbrokers, druggists, newsboys, and garbage carts.
- The Strawberry Wars: Can Kennewick Growers Cooperate?
An editorial plea for local strawberry growers and marketing agencies to standardize their pack and stabilize pricing before the season collapses.
Also about this, in other words
- The Price of a Fire: Stolen Lubricant
A Wilkerson man is jailed for pilfering railroad grease to heat his home.
- A Costly Penny-Pinching Heist
Local burglars use high-grade explosives to crack an unlocked safe at a lumber company, netting exactly five cents in copper.
- Seattle’s Rotten Garbage Problem
A health official warns that the city's sewage scow is falling apart, proposing a permanent incinerator.
- A Heroic Rescue in Kent
A young boy was saved from being crushed by a heavy engine flywheel when a local woman lifted the massive weight off his chest.
- The Street-Sweeping Crackdown of 1889
Local merchants learn the hard way that the city is no longer tolerating trash on the sidewalk as ordinances go into effect.
- The Unchecked Movement of 'Worthless' Buildings
A local editor slams lax city ordinances after a businessman relocates a derelict building into the heart of Yakima.
- The Boom That Refuses To Bust
While critics predicted the collapse of the Washington boom, the territory points to its literal bedrock—coal, iron, timber, and grain—as proof of its enduring prosperity.
- The Fight Against Tacoma's Rubbish
Health officials and the Pure Food Council declare war on 'old shacks' and vacant-lot dumping ahead of a summer influx of tourists.