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1. The Family Feud in the Poor House

   A daughter claims her father sold her into marriage for $250, but he insists her poverty is of her own making.

   Dec 4, 1903The Evening StatesmanSpokane, Spokane CountyScandal

2. A Terrifying Bike Encounter

   A Thurston County man narrowly escapes a black bear attack while cycling on a rural road near Little Rock.

   Jul 9, 1903The Evening StatesmanLittle Rock, Skamania CountyStrange But True

3. The Fight to Keep Cheney Normal School Open

   Students petition Governor McGraw to honor their contract with the state after the institution faces closure due to budget cuts.

   Mar 22, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerCheney, Spokane CountyCity Hall

4. The Cougar Who Saved a Cyclist’s Life

   A Tacoma engineer recounts his miraculous escape after a mountain lion knocked him upright on his bicycle during a terrifying encounter.

   Apr 15, 1899The Seattle StarTacoma, Pierce CountyStrange But True

5. The Mourning Imposter

   A restaurant owner in the Atkins Block learns a hard lesson about generosity after being duped by a street beggar's elaborate tale of grief.

   Jul 30, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerColumbia Street, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

6. Forty-Three Old Soldiers at Orting — and the Olympia Women Furnishing Their Rooms

   The state soldiers' home that legislators once laughed at now shelters 43 Civil War veterans, and cities across Washington are racing to outfit their quarters — Olympia's Relief Corps is fitting up an 'Olympia room.'

   Dec 11, 1891The Olympia TribuneWashington Soldiers Home, Orting, OrtingCity Hall

7. They Burned Letters to the Dead on Ayer's Hill

   Olympia's Chinese community gathered at a hillside cemetery in 1891 to honor eight departed countrymen with roast pork, red candles, wine and paper messages sent into the next world.

   Oct 12, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyGone Forever · Strange But True

8. The Road Less Traveled: Seattle’s Shameful Contrast with Victoria’s Fine Highways

   In 1876, the local press lambasted King County’s broken road system, praising British Columbia’s turnpikes as a model for Seattle’s own stagnant development.

   Sep 6, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

9. The Women of Olympia Furnish a Home Away from Home for Old Soldiers

   The Geo. H. Thomas Woman’s Relief Corps outfits a cozy room at the Soldiers’ Home in Orting, down to a rug made from sixteen raccoon skins.

   Dec 18, 1891The Olympia TribuneWashington Soldiers’ Home, OrtingStrange But True

10. A Vassar of the West: Pullman Builds a Home for College Women

    In 1895, Washington Agricultural College regents approved a granite-and-brick women’s dormitory with parlors, a recreation hall and suites modeled on Eastern colleges.

    Jun 2, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerStevens Hall, Washington State University, PullmanHousing & Rent

11. Seattle Says 'Hello' to Spokane, and the Whole Northwest Listens

    Seven hundred and ninety miles of hard-drawn copper connect Puget Sound to the Inland Empire, and the mayors of the two cities mark the occasion by orating about destiny, empire and a population of two million.

    Oct 17, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

12. Seattle’s Post-Panic Pep Talk: Canals, Steel and Paved Streets

    On New Year’s Day 1895, Seattle’s mayor and aldermen promised economy, railroad terminals and a Lake Washington canal—and insisted the Panic of 1893 was finally fading.

    Jan 2, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerUnion Street, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

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