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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 2 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
17 stories matching placid
- The Passive Citizen: Why Tacoma’s Streets Stagnate
A biting critique of civic apathy toward the power and land grabs of the Tacoma Railway & Power Company.
- The Struggle Over Mount Rainier
A traveler in 1885 recounts a journey from Portland to Seattle, noting the locals' intense and 'desperate' campaign to rename the iconic peak dominating the Tacoma skyline.
- The Uncharted Drift of the Little Lorenson
A schooner, untethered by high winds, nearly wreaks havoc in the Seattle harbor after snapping its lines near the waterfront.
- The Great Austrian Hunt: A Sunday Afternoon Panic in Kennewick
When rumors spread that a Mexican revolutionary was hoisting the Huerta flag on Second Street, Chief of Police Cope and his deputies launched a dramatic chase. The 'insurgent' turned out to be an innocent Austrian worker looking for directions.
- The Great Nooksack Flood
Heavy rains and melting snows have devastated the Nooksack Valley, leaving farmers homeless and destroying livestock.
- A Warm Welcome in Tacoma for the GAR
Seattle veterans set sail for Tacoma to greet the Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic as he tours the Pacific Coast.
- The Iron Horse Comes to Tacoma
Thousands gather at the waterfront in 1887 to witness the arrival of the first direct Northern Pacific train from the East, marking a new era of connectivity for the Pacific Northwest.
- Kennewick’s Police Paychecks Come Up $15 Short
A budget cut with no ordinance behind it left the city marshal and patrolman refusing their January warrants—and the council scrambling to steady the boat.
- The Clam Bake That Defined a City
When a visiting delegation of Midwesterners arrived in 1886, Seattle citizens didn't just host them—they illuminated the hills and threw a massive communal feast on the Sound.
- Holiday Revels and the 'Bronze Fountain' at Port Gamble
A glimpse into a settler's New Year’s social circle in 1877, featuring ambitious landscaping, amateur theater, and a bustling mill town economy.
- The Perilous Bathing of the Seattle Snake-House
A keeper's routine bath for his serpents turns into a life-or-death struggle when a 14-foot boa constrictor decides to coil around his leg.
- The Nancy Came to Town on a Sled—and Ended Up Keel-Up in the Riverbank
Newport's finest new motor launch was meant to link the town with Metaline. Then the unloading crew lost control on an icy grade and sent $300 worth of brass, oak, and electric lights over the bank.
- The Struggle to Launch Seattle’s Shipbuilding Future
A century and a half ago, Seattle’s local editors argued that the city’s vast timber resources should have made it a global marine power, but capital and labor were held back by East Coast monopolies.
- When Seattle's Taps Ran Dry, One Citizen Took the City to Task
A resident of the city's eastern heights petitions the Seattle City Council over empty pipes, fire risk, and water bills—with sarcasm aimed at every authority from City Hall to the White House.
- The River That Swallowed a Steamboat: A Brave Attempt to Reach Snohomish Falls
Twenty-five passengers and tons of freight battled the treacherous Snoqualmie River on the steamer *Columbia*, only to be stopped by a massive landslide just miles from their destination.
- The Secretary of the Navy Rides a Streetcar and Sees Seattle's Future
Secretary of the Navy Herbert spends a rainy Sabbath touring the proposed Lake Washington ship canal, is dazzled by the view from Broadway, and declares the waterway not only certain but a naval refuge in wartime.
- Seattle’s Temple of Learning Rises Between Two Lakes
In 1895, contractors raced to finish a $200,000 campus between Union and Washington lakes—complete with copper finials, a gymnasium and a hillside observatory—before the September opening.