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27 stories matching pontius
- The Great Seattle Clothesline Robbery
A local druggist rallies the neighborhood after a daring nighttime heist of freshly washed laundry.
- The Tragedy at the Medicine Bottle: A Seattle Child’s Fatal Mistake
In a heartbreaking incident that has gripped the community, three-year-old Howard Pontius drank from what he thought was a treat, but was actually his mother’s morphine prescription for a cold.
- The New Spirit of Front Street
As Seattle's wholesale economy matures in the 1870s, a new firm moves into the Pontius Building to cut out the San Francisco middleman.
- The Seattle Star's 'Inklings': A Glimpse into 1906 Courtroom Drama and Civic Life
From a bitter divorce trial involving accusations of insanity to the arrest of nineteen men selling whisky to Native Americans, this page captures the gritty, colorful daily life of Seattle in April 1906.
- The Case of the Substituted Diamond Rings
A famous Seattle divorce settlement turns petty and strange when ex-Senator Dyer says his former wife returned the wrong rings—twice.
- The Ghost Ship of Seattle’s Waterfront
A derelict bark ship, once a billboard for local businesses, is buried in sawdust and slabs to become the foundation of a new shoreline.
- The Great Seattle Land Rush of 1886
While the city's population surged, land agents flooded the newspapers with ads promising cheap fortunes in the newly platted additions of Seattle.
- The Fairview Dream: Installment Housing in 1878 Seattle
A real estate advertisement for the 'Fairview Addition' highlights the city's early embrace of the installment plan to help working-class families buy land.
- The Fairview Addition: A 19th-Century Real Estate Pitch
An 1878 advertisement for a 'rich, level' tract of land reveals how early Seattle developers used the installment plan to sell the dream of homeownership.
- Seattle Approves a New School Wing as 500 Children Wait for Desks
The school board chose a 20-room brick plan for Pontius, starting with one wing to relieve crowding at Denny, Homer, Columbia and Central.
- Defending John McGraw
Supporters and neighbors from his early days in Maine rally to the gubernatorial candidate’s defense against allegations of past business failures and disreputable behavior.
- The Price of Ownership: Seattle’s 1888 Delinquent Tax List
A sprawling registry of property owners, from the prominent to the 'Unknown,' failing to pay their dues during Seattle’s rapid expansion.
- The City Council’s Hammock Scandal
Seattle’s city fathers clash over the 'reckless extravagance' of buying thirty-four hammocks for the city jail.
- The Price of a Malicious Prosecution
A Port Townsend banker is ordered to pay heavy damages after a failed criminal case ruins a businessman's reputation.
- The Disappearing Cigarmaker
A Seattle tradesman vanishes after a trip to the butcher, leaving behind a worried family and rumors of financial despair.
- The Building Boom of 1889: Seattle’s Rapid Transformation
A look at the official building permits issued in May 1889, documenting the surge of brick and frame construction that was reshaping the city just weeks before the Great Seattle Fire.
- The Judge Rules on the 'Common Law' Marriage
A King County court recognizes a union without a formal ceremony, sparking debate over the legal definition of marriage.
- The City Council's Tug-of-War Over Curb-Side Commerce
An attempt to ban street peddlers in Seattle sparks a fierce debate over monopoly, public markets, and the rights of local farmers.
- A High-Stakes Legal Battle Over Character and Credit
A bitter defamation suit against a bank and its officers ends in a settlement after years of legal wrangling.
- The Summer Seattle’s New Neighborhoods Ran Dry
Nine residents sign a public letter blaming the city water department for weeks of rationed service—and say the expensive new City Park tank only made things worse.
- Firefighters Trapped Under Collapsing Barn Roof
A dangerous late-night blaze at the stable of E. P. Whittler leaves two firemen severely injured when a windmill crashes through the burning roof.
- The Water Famine on Kenton Hill
Residents get water only about three hours a day while Seattle’s two council houses argue over pumps, sprinkling schedules and fire hose.
- The Last Gathering of Seattle’s Founders
Amos Brown, a pioneer who helped shape the city's early identity, is laid to rest in a ceremony attended by nearly every surviving member of Seattle's first generation.
- The Night Seattle Fought Over Its Streetlights
A special meeting of the Board of Aldermen turns into a tense negotiation with the Union Electric Company over the terms, safeguards and cost of lighting the city.
- The Engineer Who Had the City by the Throat
In a bitter 1909 standoff over Seattle’s waterworks, engineer Benezet Williams accused city officials of squeezing him into submission after they canceled his contract. The advisory board’s final offer left him with little choice but to walk away.