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337 stories matching madison
- The Real Estate Battle for the Heights
Before the neighborhood was fully formed, the Renton Addition was marketed as the 'Fifth Avenue of Seattle,' sparking a feverish battle for transit and development on the city's highest crest.
- The Cable Car That Dodged a Runaway Electric—and the Lawsuit That Followed
A Madison Street cable car narrowly avoided a speeding Third Street electric car in 1893; passenger E. K. Marvin won $1,000 after a second trial over his sprained ankle.
- The Boss’s Iron Rule at Port Madison
At the isolated timber colony of Port Madison, the mill owner maintains total control over his workers' lives—and is preparing to banish any employee who dares frequent a new saloon.
- The Madison Street Land Rush of 1889
As Seattle boomed, developers marketed Madison Street as the 'Fifth Avenue of the West,' promising a paradise for the wealthy while ignoring the reality of the city's rugged, unmapped hills.
- The Ghost Map of 1889: Seattle's Lost Electoral Boundaries
When the city commissioners abruptly sliced Seattle into eight voting precincts, they left thousands of residents in the dark about where—or if—they could vote.
- The Steamship That Got Lost in Plain Sight
A maritime mystery in the Puget Sound ends when a confused mate mistakes the entrance to Port Madison, leading to a grounding and a desperate, multi-vessel search.
- Seattle Loses by Half a Length—and Wins the Lake
In August 1894, Seattle's first amateur regatta drew crowds to the Madison Street shore of Lake Washington for a four-oared thriller against Portland and Burrard Inlet. The home crew lost by less than half a length, but set a course record and gave the young city a new civic stage.
- A Custody Dispute Leads to Arrest
A domestic conflict over child custody results in a dramatic arrest at Port Madison and a legal battle in Seattle.
- The Eight-Hour Day Battle at the Port Madison Mill
After the mill workers in Port Madison held a meeting to demand the eight-hour day, they successfully pressured management into alignment with the major mills in Tacoma and Seattle.
- The South Sea Islanders at Madison Park
A massive crowd descends on Lake Washington for a spectacle of exoticized performance and aquatic skill.
- The Madison Street Assessment Battle
A property owner challenges the legality of street improvement assessments in Seattle, setting the stage for litigation.
- The Madison Street Blockade
A critical city thoroughfare is left in ruins after competing companies battle over franchise rights, leaving the public to pay the price.
- Streetcar Injury in the Madison Valley
A four-year-old boy files a $25,000 lawsuit after being mangled by a cable car near the Madison Street powerhouse.
- Streetcar Chaos on Madison
An electric car crashes into a cable car at Second and Madison, causing a machinery backup that carried the crippled vehicle blocks away.
- Demolishing the Big Rock of Madison Street
A massive geologic landmark that served as both a street guide and a lovers' meeting spot is being reduced to gravel to clear the path for urban development.
- A Leap from the Window at 1718 Madison
Assistant city electrician E.C. Buckley barely escaped a brutal assault after his landlord, driven by baseless jealousy, armed himself and hunted him down.
- The Battle for Madison Street
A dormant railway company suddenly awakens to block a new transit line, sparking a fierce clash at City Hall.
- The Plot to Lock Up a Witness: How Greed Tried to Silence a Pioneer
William De Shaw, a respected Seattle merchant and witness to a will worth millions in British Columbia, was nearly committed to an insane asylum by land speculators who wanted his testimony silenced.
- The Plague at the Doorstep: Seattle’s Battle Against Smallpox in 1877
As smallpox ravages Port Orchard and Salmon Bay, the city's Health Officer takes drastic quarantine measures against Indigenous communities, highlighting the fragile public health infrastructure of early Seattle.
- The Day Seattle Shut Down: Sailors, Longshoremen and the First Labor Day
Banks, courts and public offices closed for the first time in the city's history, 2,500 people packed Pioneer Place for a 36-minute tug-of-war, and a labor orator told the crowd that good wages are the engine of everyone's prosperity.
- The Rivalry That Gripped the Pacific Northwest
Seattle and Portland prepare for a high-stakes football clash at Madison Park to determine the regional championship.
- The Sunset of the Port Madison Mill Empire
A Seattle bank moves to seize the vast assets of W.P. Sayward as allegations of fraud shadow the collapse of a regional timber titan.
- The Abandoned Crew of the Bark Northwest
Thirteen mariners petition the federal court in Seattle for their unpaid wages after a grueling voyage from San Francisco to Port Madison.
- Fatal Brawl in Port Madison
A domestic dispute involving a mill worker and a lighted lamp ends in a deadly fire.
- The Disappearing Contractor of Madison Street
A Seattle infrastructure project hits a snag when the lead contractor vanishes with thousands of dollars in city funds, leaving his bondsmen to face the bill.
Also about this, in other words
- The Sidewalk That Wasn't There
Madison Street pedestrians face a five-foot drop into darkness as structural supports vanish, leaving only a 'shaky' plank over the void.
- The Seattle Athletic Club Claims Madison Park
Local baseball clubs strike a deal for a new home field, with plans for tracks and modern amenities.
- The Tragedy at the Log House
A murder-suicide on Madison Street leaves a wealthy widow and her spurned partner dead, exposing a complex web of jealousy and property disputes.
- Madison Street Gets a Cable Line
A new franchise is granted to build a cable railway from Front Street to Lake Washington.
- A Neighborhood Blaze
A house burns down on Madison street while the owners are at church, revealing systemic failures in emergency response time.
- The Pacific Coast’s First Chivalric Tournament
Seattle society adopts the traditions of the antebellum South with a grand equestrian event at Madison Park.
- The City’s First Big Job: Who Will Build Madison Street?
Seattle Mayor Thomas D. Sealth issues a call for contractors to pave the city's most important new artery, signaling a shift from dirt trails to urban infrastructure.
- A Soggy Fourth of July at the Ballpark
Rain and firecrackers dampen the spirits at a lackluster match between the Maroons and Bellingham Bay.