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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
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| 1909 | 1 |
| 1910 | 1 |
8 stories matching laundrymen
- The Exclusionary Pledge of La Conner
A frontier town in the Swinomish Flats organizes a formal, collective boycott against Chinese residents, highlighting the intense racial tensions of the 1870s Pacific Northwest.
- The Laundry Strike of 1910
Striking laundry workers in Everett launch a campaign for higher wages and against the 'laundry trust,' enlisting public support to run their own mobile collection service.
- Laundry Monopoly Targets Chinese Competitors
A newly formed interstate association of laundry owners eyes a coordinated campaign against Chinese-run businesses while resisting union wage demands.
- The 'Cast Iron' Registration of Chinese Residents
New, highly restrictive federal regulations under the Geary Act require Chinese laborers to register with the government, using photographs for 'complete identification.'
- The Silent Advocate for Labor
A deaf mute worker seeks a union shop, shaming non-union men with his commitment to organized labor.
- The Price of Laundry in 1885 Seattle
As anti-Chinese sentiment surged in 1885, a local steam laundry operator touted the business growth of his 'all-white' enterprise as a replacement for Chinese-run labor.
- The Nervous Trunk: How an Inspector's Hunch Caught a Seattle Opium Smuggler
A traveler's strange devotion to his luggage tipped off a customs officer, leading to eighty tins of prepared opium and a suspect who begged to be 'let down easy.'
- The Paperwork of Exclusion: Chinese Residents Ordered to Register
New federal rules land in Seattle requiring every Chinese resident to carry a photographic certificate of residence, sworn affidavits and a detailed physical description — the machinery of the Geary Act takes shape.
Also about this, in other words
- The Anti-Chinese Laundry Campaign
Local newspaper editors in 1888 openly called for the displacement of Chinese laundry workers, framing their exclusion as a 'great need' for the town.
- The Great Laundry War: Why Seattle Needs a 'White Labor' Steam Plant
In 1876, local entrepreneurs argued that Chinese washermen were stealing clothes and that white-owned steam laundries were the only way to save delicate women from catching cold.
- A Dispute Over Laundry and Etiquette
A laundryman and a theatrical man clash in a courtroom, highlighting cultural prejudices of the 1890s.
- The Laundry Con Artists
Two men posing as city water works employees extorted a Chinese laundry owner, sparking a police crackdown on a recurring racket.
- The Steam Laundry That Would Save Your Clothes (And Your Wallet)
In May 1877, Seattle businessman L.D. Frank announced a bold new venture: a steam-powered laundry on Commercial Street that promised to clean clothes faster and cheaper than the traditional Chinese method—while explicitly excluding Chinese workers.
- The Forgotten Men of the New Sewer District
A plea for human decency as laborers endure harsh winter conditions without basic shelter while building the city’s infrastructure.
- The Laundry Business Dispute
A lawsuit reveals the hidden profits of a Chinese laundry operation on Fourth and Main streets.
- The Campaign to Drive Out Chinese Laundry Workers
Tensions boil over in late 19th-century Seattle as the Knights of Labor organize a systematic movement to forcibly remove Chinese laborers from the city's economy.