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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 7 |
| 1877 | 6 |
| 1878 | 4 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 5 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1886 | 2 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 5 |
| 1889 | 9 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 6 |
| 1892 | 12 |
| 1893 | 8 |
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| 1924 | 1 |
136 stories matching luck
- The 'Luck Powder' Swindle
A Seattle man is arrested for selling worthless 'luck powders' to women via mail order—and then suggesting they be used as laundry detergent.
- The Miracle of the 'Traction Luck'
After the Great Seattle Fire, one man’s singular misfortune becomes a bizarre local legend of resilience.
- A Boy’s Run of Unbelievable Bad Luck
After suffering a hog bite that cost him a finger, a young boy is accidentally shot by a friend while target practicing.
- The Great Northern's Bad-Luck Stop: Freight Wreck at Elk
A through eastbound freight slammed into the caboose of a local train at Elk, smashing six cars and tying up traffic for hours—just the latest wreck at a town with a reputation.
- The Haunted Theater of Seattle: A Superstition of 1876
A group of locals at the Occidental Hotel exchange tales of theater lore, specifically the peculiar story of a spider that allegedly predicted the success of a New York stage house for ten consecutive seasons.
- Vigilant Operator Foils Train Robbery
A night operator at the Northern Pacific depot stops three armed train robbers in their tracks after a daring heist on a moving freight train.
- The Unlucky Hotel at Wallula
In the burgeoning town of Wallula, a grand hotel venture is failing despite immense investment, leaving a trail of broken spirits in its wake.
- The Consul’s Advice: How to Sell to China
Consul General John Goodnow advises Tacoma merchants that success in the Orient depends on cultural sensitivity and precise adherence to local conventions.
- The Haunted Steamer: A Maritime Labor Standoff
When the steamer Premier broke a propeller blade, her superstitious crew blamed a 'hoodoo' fireman—sparking a strike and an emergency standoff on the Puget Sound.
- A Jinxed Steamer Sold at Auction: The Henry Bailey's Bad Luck on the Skagit
After repeated sinkings in the Skagit River and a crew's libel suit, the steamer Henry Bailey went on the auction block at Seattle's Yesler dock—fetching a fraction of its original cost.
- The City Judge Outlaws the 'Good Luck' Machines
A Seattle municipal court ruling draws a firm line between gambling and trade, declaring machines that pay out in 'trade checks' to be illegal.
- A Town Without a Pipe
A weekend fire in Oroville exposes the critical lack of a municipal water system, sparking frustration from residents and observers.
- The Hard Luck of the Northern Mines
When the Snohomish River ran too shallow for navigation, hopeful miners found themselves stranded, forced to trade their picks for cobbler's benches.
- The Unlucky Suicide
A farmhand attempts to take his own life twice, only to find himself frustrated by his own survival and a change of heart.
- Hunger and Desperation Lead to Jail Time
A young man confesses to a street robbery, citing his own poverty as the driving force behind the crime.
- The Horseshoe Curse: A 1880 Seattle Fable of Fortune
In the pages of the Seattle Intelligencer, a cautionary rhyme warns that even the smallest superstitions can wreak havoc on a settler’s homestead.
- The Unladylike Triumph of a Determined Angler
A fishing trip turns into a chaotic, close-quarters wrestling match when a persistent angler finally secures her catch in an unconventional way.
- The Arcade Saloon Melee
A morning brawl involving the 'John Bull Combination' spills out of the Arcade Saloon and into the street.
- A Near-Fatal Wagon Accident in Richland
A local farmer narrowly survives being run over by his own wagon after falling beneath his team of horses.
- Silence Was Golden: How Two Japanese Laborers Escaped Deportation
A smuggler's luck and a well-timed memory lapse freed two Japanese laborers held in a Washington county jail—a small episode in the era's fierce battles over immigration.
- The Curtain Falls on the Olympic
A Tacoma theater is left in the dark after the manager fails to pay a utility bill, marking the end of a disastrous business experiment.
- Lost for Days, 'Scotty' Crawls Out of the Metaline Woods
A young hunter loses his way near Sullivan Lake and survives on luck, hunters, and sheer endurance—shoes worn through and fingernails down to the quick.
- City Limits Expansion Puts Roadhouse Out of Luck
Annexation of Hunts Prairie forces the county to strip a liquor license from a popular roadhouse.
- The Sheriff's Bad Week
Prosser's Sheriff C.E. Duffy had a string of bad luck involving a broken axle, a horse-drawn rescue, and a smashed finger.
- The Mayor Takes an Unplanned Swim
Mayor Byron Phelps learned the hard way that log-rolling is best left to professionals after a fishing trip to Maple Valley went awry.
Also about this, in other words
- The Unlucky Bachelor of Seattle
A cautionary tale from the 1880s about the perils of marriage and the high-speed heartbreak of being a widower in a hurry.