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1. The Farmer Who Drowned a Valley

   A drainage project meant to reclaim marshland turns a peaceful river into a recurring disaster zone for downstream farmers.

   Apr 12, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerLoon Lake, Colville, Stevens CountyFollow the Money · Disasters

2. The Canal That Would Reshape Seattle, Held Up by Mud and Paperwork

   In 1895 the government's Lake Washington ship canal was still a paper route, and every submerged lot owner had to sign away damages before a dredge could move.

   Feb 21, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

3. Duck Club Loses Fight Over Calispel Lake Homesteads

   A Spokane land office ruling sided with settlers who argued that marshy ground at the upper end of Calispel Lake could be drained and farmed.

   Nov 18, 1909The Newport Miner (Newport, WA) 1899-CurrentCusickFollow the Money

4. They Climbed Rainier First—and Slept in a Sulphur-Scented Ice Cave

   In 1870, Hazard Stevens and P. B. Van Trump reached Mount Rainier's summit after a brutal 10½-hour climb, then spent a freezing night beside volcanic steam vents.

   Jan 6, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMount Rainier, Pierce CountyStrange But True

5. A Sailor's Last Ride on the Duwamish Bridge

   Alexander McRae came from New York to take charge of a lumber barkentine. Near South Park he tried to board a moving streetcar, fell twenty feet through a bridge, and died before reaching Seattle.

   Jul 23, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King County

6. The Bold Plan to Create an Island City

   Prominent citizens incorporate the Washington Improvement Company to carve a canal linking Lake Washington to Lake Union, promising to reclaim marshland and shift the city's geography.

   Mar 4, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

7. The Canal That Would Raise Salmon Bay—and Fill Its Marshes

   Government engineers promise Seattle property owners that the Lake Washington ship canal will not strand them: excavated earth will fill submerged land and a public street will run alongside the right-of-way.

   Jan 27, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSalmon Bay, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

8. Seattle's Unstable Foundation

   Filling in the city's tide lands and marshy spots creates a precarious base for new buildings.

   Sep 30, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

9. The Walla Walla Water Fiasco

   A city committee braves a 'biting wind' to discover that their expensive new water development is just collecting surface runoff from irrigation ditches.

   Jan 1, 1904The Evening StatesmanWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyCity Hall

10. The Town Where Horses Wore Wooden Shoes

    La Conner grew slowly on a rocky knoll in the Skagit delta, diked its tidal flats, and shipped out hay by the ton—while its horses clumped through spring mud in wooden moccasins.

    Apr 11, 1892The Olympia TribuneLa Conner, Skagit CountyBoom & Bust

11. Riding the Rails to Newcastle: A Journey Through Seattle's Future

    In 1883, a Post-Intelligencer correspondent took the new Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad south from Seattle, dreaming of tide flats turned into wharves and a bustling commercial city.

    Jul 25, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerElliott Bay, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

12. The Awkward Kiss at the Surprise Party

    A 'classic village' social gathering turns into a hilarious misunderstanding when a hostess mistakes the gender of her guests.

    Mar 14, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerColumbia City, Seattle, King CountyNightlife

13. McKinley School's Marshy Misery

    Tacoma’s board of education moves to address debt and site conditions at the unhealthful McKinley School location.

    Aug 23, 1904The Tacoma TimesMcKinley School, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

14. The Promised Land on the La Grande Marsh

    Developers in the late 19th century marketed Snohomish's tide lands and marshy acreage as prime agricultural real estate, promising fertile soil and easy access to market.

    Oct 12, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

15. The Boom Town on the Skagit

    As La Conner transformed into a bustling grain-shipping hub, new docks and storefronts sprouted along the Swinomish Slough to accommodate the region's agricultural explosion.

    Dec 14, 1878The Northern StarLa Conner, Skagit CountyBoom & Bust

16. The Hidden Gold of the Swamps

    While pioneers once clung to the sandy prairies, Seattle's growing interest in 'tule lands'—the rich, reclaimed marshes of the Sound—reveals a new frontier for agricultural wealth.

    Nov 3, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

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