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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 2 |
| 1877 | 1 |
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39 stories matching legend
- "That Ticket Has Blood on It": The Night Seattle Was Haunted by a Cursed Bill
A mysterious $5 bill with a death threat scribbled on the back sparked a city-wide panic and a frantic search for two young women who vanished into the night.
- The Hidden Interior of the Olympics
An expedition traverses the rugged mountain interior, mapping glacial ranges and dispelling legends of a 'giant race' within the Peninsula.
- The City Bids Farewell to Its Founding Father
Thousands of mourners, from pioneers to laborers, gathered at the Yesler mansion to honor the man who built Seattle’s first mill and served as its patron.
- The First Wedding in Seattle, Celebrated Forty-Two Years Later
David and Louisa Denny gather four generations of pioneers at their Temperance Street home, where relics of the 1850s—and the certificate from Seattle’s first marriage—turn an anniversary into a founding story.
- The Prizefighter’s Penance: John L. Sullivan in Seattle
After his high-profile prizefight in the Pacific Northwest, boxing legend John L. Sullivan faces a harsh judicial reality in a Seattle courtroom.
- The Yale Football Legend Who Tamed a Frontier Town
When lawlessness gripped the construction camp of Skykomish, a former Yale athlete used his brute strength and leadership to face down a local gang leader.
- When the Heavyweight Champion Knocked Out a Seattle Logger
Before he was a legend, John L. Sullivan brought his traveling boxing exhibition to Seattle, where a boastful local logger paid a bloody price for the chance to fight the 'greatest pugilist in the world.'
- The City Rises Against a Heavyweight Bully
When boxing legend John L. Sullivan publicly spewed racist venom in 1892, Seattle’s Afro-American League turned his own brutal rhetoric against him, demanding dignity from the local press.
- The Tax Trap: How a Federal Order Threatened Seattle’s Revenue
In 1876, a bureaucratic directive from Washington D.C. threatened to drain King County of its maritime tax base by forcing all vessels to 'hail' from Port Townsend, sparking fears of financial ruin for local developers.
- The Miracle of the 'Traction Luck'
After the Great Seattle Fire, one man’s singular misfortune becomes a bizarre local legend of resilience.
- The 'Damn the Old Soldiers' Scandal of 1886
A political rumor, a fiery public denial, and the high-stakes battle for the soul of Washington Territory.
- The Tight-Fisted Legend of Snohomish
John Burns, a legendary pioneer of Snohomish, lives in a humble shack while owning half the town’s main street.
- The Transformation of Seattle's 'Pencils'
A beloved local street vendor and Civil War veteran receives a surprise wardrobe upgrade from a local merchant, sparking a reflection on Seattle's unique local legends.
- The Great Ellensburg Map Scandal
A bitter, humorous local feud between North Yakima and Ellensburg reveals the lengths to which frontier boosters went to lure railroads and settlers with 'imaginary' geography.
- An Ancient Secret Emerges from the Wishkah River
While gardening on the banks of the Wishkah, a local couple unearthed a human skull and a mysterious stone tool, reigniting local legends about the 'Stinking Waters.'
- The Haunted Bones of the Wishkah
A local discovery of 'giant' skeletons stirs rumors of an ancient, accursed race in the Aberdeen river valley.
- Russell Conwell Urges Tacoma to Find Its Own 'Acres of Diamonds'
The famous orator visits the First Christian Church to challenge Tacoma residents to recognize the latent wealth and potential in their own backyard.
- The Tragic End of Seattle's Favorite Streetcar Dog
For years, a dog named 'Shep' commuted on the city's streetcars like a local legend, until a fatal accident cut his run short.
- The Day a Cannon Changed History at the Cascades
Before he was a Civil War legend, Philip Sheridan fended off a regional uprising with a single, deafening shot.
- Chasing the Phantom Falls: A Lost Expedition to the Cedar River
In 1885, two explorers ventured deep into the rugged wilderness above Cedar River to document the elusive, towering waterfalls known only to local legend.
- Trapped by the Tide on the Road to Queets
In 1892, poet Herbert Bashford joined a camping party for a walk up Washington’s wild Olympic coast—and found the rising tide more dangerous than any highwayman.
- How Our Towns Got Their Names
A historian chronicles the origins of Grays Harbor cities, uncovering the rivalries and local legends behind our map.
- The Final Fight of a Local Sporting Legend
Once a celebrated middleweight who drew crowds, Patsy Carroll died in poverty at a Seattle mission, remembered by the city’s sporting fraternity.
- The $5,000 Wager That Sent a Man Around the World With Nothing
Paul Jones reaches Seattle with $300 left to earn, a paper suit on his back, and a Boston bet that has already carried him through Japan and the Suez Canal.
- The Tragic Busking of Mr. Schengler
Inspired by a legend of a famous opera star, a local man attempts to sing his way to fame on the streets of Seattle—with a painful result.