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1. The City’s War on Early Motorists

   Tacoma's Chief of Police launches a crackdown on 'auto speeders' along Pacific Avenue, dragging local business owners and residents into court for driving too fast.

   Apr 27, 1909The Tacoma TimesPacific Avenue, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

2. The Perils of the Horse Heaven Road

   A local motorist recounts the nightmare of driving between Bickleton and Mabton, where a fence rail was required to pry his car from the dust.

   Aug 24, 1916The Kennewick Courier-ReporterMabton, Yakima CountyStrange But True

3. Seattle Seeks to Regulate Motorists After Fatal Crash

   A tragic accident at First and Madison streets triggers a new city proposal to license all automobile drivers.

   Mar 31, 1909The Tacoma TimesSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

4. Near-Collision at the Bowles Crossing

   A dangerous railroad crossing in Kennewick serves as a reminder of the hazards facing motorists and wagons in the early days of automobile traffic.

   Sep 28, 1916The Kennewick Courier-ReporterKennewick, Benton CountyCity Hall

5. Infant Abandoned on Auburn Porch

   An unknown motorist dropped a two-hour-old baby boy on Alfred Collins' doorstep in the middle of the night.

   Apr 7, 1909The Tacoma TimesAuburn, King CountyStrange But True

6. The Horseless Carriage Conflict

   Tacoma motorists face strict new ordinances that force cars to yield to horse-drawn wagons.

   Sep 21, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall · Strange But True

7. Road Hazards: The Battle Over Open Range on Public Highways

   Complaints mount as wandering livestock turn Washington's highways into dangerous obstacles for motorists.

   Sep 12, 1924White Bluffs SpokesmanClarkston, Asotin CountyCity Hall

8. The Horseless Carriage Struggle

   Tacoma motorists revolt against council ordinance forcing them to halt for passing horse-drawn traffic.

   Sep 21, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

9. 2,400 Miles by Horseless Carriage, Arrived Weary but Whole

   W. W. Fordham drove an automobile from Michigan to Spokane — forty or fifty miles a day, one lake crossing, and the first motorist ever to make the northern route.

   Oct 29, 1903The Evening StatesmanSpokane, Spokane CountyStrange But True

10. A Lifeline on the Empty Road

    Facing a fourteen-mile stretch of road with no human habitation, Benton County installs a telephone booth to aid motorists stranded between Hanford and the Yakima River.

    Jul 28, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanHanford, Benton CountyCity Hall · Strange But True

11. Finding Kennewick on the Yellowstone Trail

    A transcontinental automobile pioneer discovers that the city is far more than the 'blacksmith shop' his rivals in Pasco claimed it was.

    Sep 9, 1915The Kennewick Courier-ReporterKennewick, Benton CountyBoom & Bust

12. Kennewick's 1916 Traffic Plan: Yield to Anyone Driving North or South

    A proposed city ordinance gave north-south traffic the right of way at every intersection, prompting a local editor to wonder how anyone was supposed to know which way was north.

    Jul 13, 1916The Kennewick Courier-ReporterKennewick, Benton CountyCity Hall

13. The Perils of the Road: Early Motorists Lament Terrible Conditions

    Vacationing families return to Kennewick with horror stories of busted axles, tire troubles, and roads that are 'the worst on earth.'

    Aug 31, 1916The Kennewick Courier-ReporterKennewick, Benton CountyStrange But True

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