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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 6 |
| 1876 | 19 |
| 1877 | 16 |
| 1878 | 7 |
| 1880 | 8 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 12 |
| 1884 | 7 |
| 1885 | 13 |
| 1886 | 11 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1888 | 8 |
| 1889 | 21 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 8 |
| 1892 | 24 |
| 1893 | 42 |
| 1894 | 31 |
| 1895 | 27 |
| 1899 | 12 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 4 |
| 1904 | 2 |
| 1928 | 3 |
| 1929 | 1 |
293 stories matching often
- The Price of a Day's Pay: Seattle’s 1887 Labor Brokers
A deep dive into the predatory practices of late 19th-century employment agencies that thrived on the desperation of transient laborers.
- The Brutal Reality of the 'Sailor's Home' in 1886
A local reporter exposes the predatory labor practices and 'blood money' schemes targeting sailors in Seattle's waterfront boarding houses.
- The Ghost Papers of the Frontier
A deep dive into the volatile, high-stakes, and often short-lived history of early Washington journalism—where printing presses were subsidized by political parties and fires frequently wiped out the record.
- The Underground Path to Puget Sound
A look at the porous maritime border between Victoria and Washington Territory, where the business of smuggling Chinese laborers flourished despite federal exclusion laws.
- Black Diamonds in the Backwoods
A look back at the chaotic, accidental, and often cutthroat early days of coal mining in the Washington Territory.
- The Commissioner Said There Was Work. The Unemployed Asked What It Paid.
Labor Commissioner Lamb reported no takers even for guaranteed hop work at Yakima—and conceded that pay for harvests, railroads and ditch digging was often low and uncertain.
- Senator Van Wyck Challenges Northern Pacific Railroad Land Speculation
Senator Van Wyck challenges the Northern Pacific Railroad’s grip on public land, exposing a pattern of corporate greed and tax evasion that spanned the Territories.
- Diver Paralyzed After Deep-Sea Shift
A professional diver working to clear the Seattle harbor is left paralyzed from the shoulders down after repeated descents.
- The Perils of the Seattle Waterfront
While Seattle’s industrial boom demanded constant labor, workers were often left with crushed limbs and little recourse.
- The Freight Bottleneck on the Waterfront
Local merchants clash with the Pacific Coast Steamship Company over the delayed delivery of perishable goods.
- The Price of Apathy in the 1876 Seattle Election
A pre-election plea from the Daily Intelligencer warns that if 'responsible' business owners don't turn out to vote, the city will pay a heavy cost in taxes and mismanagement.
- The House of Refuge: A Sanctuary for Seattle’s 'Homeless' Women
In an era when single women often faced destitution or vice, the local Women's Christian Temperance Union launches a new initiative to provide respectable housing at moderate rates.
- The Mysterious Grapefruit’s Debut in Seattle
Before the grapefruit was a breakfast staple, local merchants were mystified by the 'shaddock,' a strange, fickle fruit that could leave an unsuspecting eater with a sour face.
- The Million-Dollar Divorce: How a Seattle Man’s Secret Fortune Changed a Woman’s Fate
In 1899, the divorce of Cordell McKee and his first wife didn't just end a marriage—it triggered a legal battle over $100,000 that exposed the hidden wealth of one of Seattle's most prominent businessmen.
- The Chinese Girl Barred From the Y.W.C.A. Pool
In a 1926 essay, a Chinese writer catalogues American prejudice—segregated Y.M.C.A.s, a church donor’s daughter turned away from a swimming pool, and lecturers who twist China to fit their biases.
- The Shadowy Business of Land 'Jumpers'
A look at the corruption and speculation surrounding homestead land claims in Washington Territory, where the rules of pre-emption favored the well-connected over the actual settler.
- The Tragedy of the False Gold Rush
An editorial on the human cost of feverish speculation and the empty promises of distant mining 'Eldorados.'
- The Girls Who Walked Out: Seattle’s Hidden Labor War
While the city boasts of its booming manufacturing sector and 'local industry,' a quiet but significant portion of its workforce—women in garment factories—are fighting for survival wages, revealing the stark gender divide in Seattle's economic boom.
- The Milk-Drinking Controversy
A late 19th-century public health debate in Seattle challenges traditional wisdom on how, and how often, to feed the city's infants.
- The Inner Life of a Dining Room Waiter
A frank, cynical look at the power dynamics between restaurant staff and customers in early Seattle.
- The Juvenile 'Junk' Gangs of Seattle
Local business owners report a wave of petty thefts by children as young as ten, raising alarms about the city's future.
- The Silent Epidemic: Diphtheria in 1880 Seattle
A harrowing, vivid account of the early stages of diphtheria, a 'perplexing theme' of illness that terrorized families and baffled medical practitioners in the Washington Territory.
- An Editor's Brutal Critique of Bad Poetry
A local poet brings his manuscript to the P-I office, only to have his work butchered by an editor with a cynical, practical sense of humor.
- Ballard Mill Workers Win Wage Fight
After an attempt to cut pay, Ballard shingle mill workers successfully pressured owners to maintain the old wage scale.
- The 'Sawdust Swamp': A Public Health Warning for Seattle
A century and a half ago, the Intelligencer warned that Seattle's lack of proper drainage was not just a civic embarrassment, but a lethal threat to the growing population.