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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 8 |
| 1858 | 13 |
| 1859 | 15 |
| 1860 | 10 |
| 1861 | 17 |
| 1862 | 15 |
| 1863 | 13 |
| 1864 | 16 |
| 1865 | 3 |
| 1871 | 3 |
| 1872 | 41 |
| 1876 | 243 |
| 1877 | 163 |
| 1878 | 115 |
| 1879 | 6 |
| 1880 | 39 |
| 1882 | 36 |
| 1883 | 238 |
| 1884 | 111 |
| 1885 | 192 |
| 1886 | 90 |
| 1887 | 112 |
| 1888 | 118 |
| 1889 | 314 |
| 1890 | 76 |
| 1891 | 298 |
| 1892 | 725 |
| 1893 | 717 |
| 1894 | 673 |
| 1895 | 653 |
| 1896 | 2 |
| 1897 | 20 |
| 1898 | 76 |
| 1899 | 135 |
| 1900 | 31 |
| 1902 | 19 |
| 1903 | 340 |
| 1904 | 327 |
| 1905 | 24 |
| 1907 | 19 |
| 1908 | 104 |
| 1909 | 420 |
| 1910 | 58 |
| 1911 | 28 |
| 1912 | 10 |
| 1914 | 75 |
| 1915 | 88 |
| 1916 | 166 |
| 1917 | 82 |
| 1918 | 14 |
| 1919 | 2 |
| 1922 | 3 |
| 1923 | 44 |
| 1924 | 27 |
| 1925 | 19 |
| 1928 | 3 |
| 1929 | 2 |
7,211 stories matching last
- Twenty Inches of Snow Bring Seattle to a Standstill
A February 1893 blizzard blocks streetcars, freezes water pipes and threatens a coal famine, forcing schools to close and residents to melt snow for drinking water.
- The Missing Will That Would Have Given Seattle a Library
Henry Yesler's widow and two doctors are arrested, accused of burning a will that left the pioneer's fortune—and his mansion—to the city.
- When the Great Railroad Strike Reached Seattle
In July 1894 the Pullman boycott finally tied up the Lake Shore road in Seattle — local switchmen walked out in sympathy, and the company answered with firings, Winchester-armed deputies and a federal judge.
- Thirty-Seven Miners Died 150 Feet From Safety
An 1894 coroner's jury in Franklin, Washington, heard how a small fire in the Oregon Improvement Company's coal mine became a wall of smoke — and why the men who could have escaped stayed to fight it.
- The Old Man’s Last Stand: A Father’s Flight from Greedy Heirs Ends in a Sheriff’s Chase
P.V. Thorpe, an elderly pioneer fleeing false rape accusations and property theft by his son and son-in-law, was arrested for carrying a revolver in Seattle—only to be vindicated when the truth about his family’s blackmail scheme came to light.
- The Rifle War: Knights of Labor vs. Mine Owners in Newcastle
A bitter feud between rival labor unions in King County erupts into armed conflict, with rifles smuggled from Seattle to support striking miners.
- The Mayor Fires Two Police Commissioners to Keep Blackchapel Shut
In a single day, Mayor Phelps removed two police commissioners, accused them of conspiring to protect a red-light district and oust Chief Rogers, and installed replacements before the House of Delegates could slow him down.
- The Last Chapter at 1344 C Street
After her abusive husband hanged himself in the Tacoma city jail, a Swedish-born woman shot herself—and the policeman who had tried to save her stayed at her bedside until the end.
- A Railroad Manager in Seattle Pities the Men Who Paid to Hear Debs
John M. Egan slips into the Rainier-Grand Hotel to denounce Eugene Debs as a well-fed agitator—and to explain why the railroads are broke.
- The Railroad Land Agent Who Chose Death Over Ruin
Paul Schulze, the Northern Pacific’s former land agent and a promoter of Tacoma streetcars and Yakima irrigation, shot himself as receivers took over his enterprises.
- The Populists Shouted 'Plutocrats'—and Lost the School Vote
Seattle voters ratified funding for school district No. 1's warrant debt by a three-to-one margin, overcoming noisy opposition at the Rialto.
- A Missing Man, a Dead Wife, and a Sewing Machine Full of Money
Joseph Von Lingenau vanished after his wife died in childbirth. His friends fear murder; his neighbors remember a man coming apart.
- Seattle's Fire Chief Vanished Before His Day in Court
A.B. Hunt disappeared after telling friends he was off to Tacoma for trial; the city removed him, named Alexander Allen Jr. chief, and left a mystery that only deepened when his father was summoned to prove his birth.
- A 14-Year-Old Vanishes Between School and the Streetcar
Katie Arper disappeared after classes in Seattle, leaving behind a Tacoma orphanage, a devoted matron, and a young man named Hopkins.
- A Forgery Arrest, a Suicide Attempt, and a Case Spokane Papers Got Wrong
Brad Knapp was arrested in Seattle over school warrants; days earlier his wife had shot herself, and a mistaken identity muddled the story.
- One Punch in a Tacoma Saloon, and Three Days Later a Man Was Dead
A Seattle commercial traveler needled a dog, then a bartender. He walked the streets with a fractured skull for three days before he finally asked for a hospital — and his last coherent claim was that he'd been sandbagged.
- A Banker's Last Note: G. S. Thomas Dies by Poison in a Spokane Hotel
The cashier of Newport's First State Bank was found dead in the Colonial Hotel after months of strain over the bank's suspended payments and last-minute sale.
- A City Accused of Stealing Its Water by Night
A rancher with an injunction, a mayor at the end of his borrowing power, and a reservoir that empties at dusk and fills by dawn: Tacoma's fight over Clover Creek water becomes a standoff between the city and the man who owns the creek.
- The Wharf That Ate Its Workers: Seattle’s First Major Infrastructure Failure
In September 1876, a newly built lumber wharf in Seattle collapsed under the weight of its own laborers, sending Chinese workers and timber plunging into the Duwamish River. The disaster exposed the rotting reality of territorial construction and the precarious lives of immigrant labor.
- The Third and Last Time: A Yesler Avenue Marriage Comes Apart in Public
A grocery clerk's wife, reported to have cleared out with half the household goods, tells a reporter the split was mutual — and that her husband handed her $1.10 as a parting gift after threatening her and slapping their little boy.
- Nineteen Men and a Copper Keel: The Bering Sea Vanishes Off Cape Flattery
A newly built Tacoma sealing schooner is found bottom-up off the Washington coast, with five white and fourteen Native crew aboard. The owners still hope the report is wrong.
- Rabies Outbreak Claims Life of Horse Heaven Rancher
A tragic, overlooked bite from a family dog results in a fatal case of hydrophobia for a local rancher.
- The Postal War: How Snohomish’s Star Exposed Seattle’s Corrupt Postmaster
In June 1877, the editor of the *Snohomish Star* launched a blistering public attack on the Seattle post office, alleging that political cronyism and negligence were deliberately delaying his paper to protect local rivals.
- Sixteen Seattleites Climb Rainier, With Carrier Pigeons and a Night on the Crater
Two members of a Seattle climbing party return from Mount Rainier after the rest push on to the summit, where they plan to camp amid volcanic steam and signal the city with bonfires.
- The Ghost Grain of Walla Walla
City tax records show a $67,000 drop in personal property value as local wheat seems to have vanished from warehouses.
Also about this, in other words
- The Last Stand of Bebe Low: A Saloon Keeper’s Final Plea
In August 1876, Seattle saloon owner Bebe Low publicly demanded his debts be settled before disappearing from the city, leaving behind a cryptic notice and a legacy of vanished frontier commerce.
- The Widow’s Last Ledger
On her deathbed, a thrifty farm wife attempts one final audit of the neighborhood’s debts, only to find her husband’s memory suddenly failing when it comes to money she owes others.
- A Final, Sudden Act
A Tacoma resident died suddenly while in the act of signing his last will and testament, which was noted for its extreme brevity.
- The Last Goodbye: A Seattle Widow’s Final Sermon
Rev. I.W. Read delivers a poignant eulogy for Addie Z. Pross at Market Street Baptist, reflecting on her hopefulness and refusal to gossip in the face of sudden death.
- The Final Spike: Connecting the Cascade Division
A commemorative ceremony at the west portal of the Stampede Pass tunnel marks a massive milestone for Northern Pacific Railway expansion.
- The Final Deadline
A foreman for the Times, devoted to his craft until his final breath, dies after a sudden illness.
- The Last Word from the Dispatch: A Veteran Editor’s Farewell and a New Era Begins
In October 1876, the *Puget Sound Dispatch* underwent a significant leadership change. The outgoing editor, Bebia Brown, penned a reflective valedictory on his five-year tenure, while incoming editor Thomas B. Merry outlined his vision for Seattle’s future, pledging support for statehood and local industry.
- The Last Spike for the Great Northern
Without fanfare, the transcontinental link is finished in the Cascades, promising a new era for Seattle.