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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 3 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1895 | 6 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 3 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1917 | 1 |
29 stories matching miscellan
- The Gambler’s Gamble: How a Frenchman’s ‘Little Bit’ Sparked a Seattle Riot
In the early days of Seattle, a dispute over a small sum of money at a boarding house escalated into a violent brawl involving three gamblers and a local resident, highlighting the volatile nature of frontier justice.
- The Tacoma Gold Rush That Was Salted With Quicksilver
A mining journal exposes how placer claims on Tacoma school land turned a public trust into a speculative jackpot—complete with imported gold, alleged bribery, and a land office that kept saying yes.
- The Fiery End of the Steamer Gem
Tragedy strikes on Puget Sound as the pioneer steamer burns and sinks, claiming five lives.
- The House Turns on Its Insurance Commissioner
The Washington House votes unanimously to impeach Insurance Commissioner James H. Schively, opening a Senate trial that could remove him—and prolong the special session.
- The Seattle Grocer Who Died Chasing Central American Trade
J. E. Chilberg clawed back from a fire, a failed corporation and a panic to build a Puget Sound steamship trade with Guatemala — then went down with the foundering Colima on the voyage that was supposed to secure it.
- The Suffragist in the Hall: How One Woman’s Plea Shook Washington’s Constitutional Convention
In the sweltering heat of 1878, a delegation from Seattle petitioned the territorial convention for women's voting rights. Mrs. Dunaway was invited to speak, delivering an eloquent appeal that momentarily softened the hearts of the 'sage' delegates before the vote closed.
- A Legislative Committee Finds the University of Washington Packed, Broke, and Worth Building
After touring the cramped old campus and the rising new grounds between Lake Union and Lake Washington, a joint legislative committee urges bonds, more books, a smaller board of regents, and a dry zone around the university.
- Midnight Fire at the Northern Hotel
A fire breaks out in the kitchen of the Northern Hotel, sending guests fleeing into the halls in their nightclothes.
- The Fire Department’s Tardy Response
In an era of rapid expansion and hilly terrain, Seattle's fire service struggles to keep pace, leaving neighborhoods dangerously vulnerable.
- The 1878 Fight to Ban Corporate Land Hoarding
As Washington prepares for statehood, delegates debate a radical proposal to break up concentrated land ownership and prevent corporate monopolies.
- The Unawakened Giant: Why Washington Territory Is the Next California
A sweeping editorial in the *Diligent Intelligencer* argues that railroads are about to unlock the 'inland basin' of Eastern Washington, transforming it from a feared desert into an agricultural empire rivaling the Golden State.
- The Elderberry Wine Defense: How a Contested Election Collapsed in Laughter
Populists dropped their challenge to Commissioner Nickerson, but testimony in the sheriff and coroner contests turned up sailors voting under protest and a lunch bag of elderberry wine at a Franklin polling place.
- Queen Anne parents ask where the $25,000 school levy went
A delegation from the Queen Anne district told the school board it had both the money and the legal duty to build a schoolhouse on the hill. The board conceded the need, blamed the county treasurer's books, and referred the whole thing to committee.
- Clearing the Streets of 'Washington Street Aristocrats'
Local police launch a crackdown on the city's 'vagrants,' forcing them to either work or leave town.
- Eight Days, $7 Million in Requests, and a Labor Agenda Left to Die
Washington's 1909 legislature entered its final week with appropriations far outrunning revenue, more than 30 liquor bills pending, and nearly every labor measure quietly sidetracked.
- The Fee Fight at the Courthouse
A legal battle over court costs reaches the superior court as the Clerk faces a mandate to lower his prices.
- The Midnight Schoolhouse Heist
A persistent, one-legged burglar left a trail of cane marks and cork-foot prints across the Kennewick High School, making off with hundreds of pencils and pens.
- 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.
- Wealthy Country Club Ransacked at American Lake
Thieves made off with $300 worth of fine apparel and food, leaving the Country club management baffled.
- Seattle’s School Board Said No to $153
Contractors crowded the board meeting, but a fight over $4,000 versus $4,153 left a school addition unbuilt—and a Lake Union petition for 107 children pending.
- The Silver-Lead Company Bets on Metaline
Ore assays, new concentrators, and a bunkhouse point to a mining camp shaking off its slow start—and Newport money is buying in.
- The Preacher Who Punched a Sinner: A Camp Meeting Brawl in Oakdale
In September 1876, a reverend at an Oakdale camp meeting lost his temper and physically assaulted a boisterous young man, leading to an arrest that highlights the volatile intersection of religion and frontier justice.
- The Soapy Scandal of South Seattle
A federal revenue collector busts a clandestine distillery masquerading as a soap-making business.
- The Price of Early Seattle: A 60x120 Lot for Sale
Before the skyscrapers and the tech giants, a simple real estate listing in the 1876 press reveals the humble origins of land ownership in a budding Seattle.
- Seattle's Library on the Brink: Fines Fall, Debt Rises
The city's finance committee and library commission meet to confront a growing debt caused by declining fine revenue, as circulation soars and the institution struggles to stay open.
Also about this, in other words
- The Internal Feud at a Ballard Lumber Mill
A sawmill partnership in Ballard faces a forced liquidation as the company president sues his partner for mismanagement and mounting debts.
- The Price of a Party
A restaurant owner sues for payment after a lavish, booze-soaked banquet for the Pasco Land Company.