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1. The Last Embrace on the Precipice

   A Shoshone hunter discovers the remains of a man and a grizzly bear locked in a final, lethal tangle in the Washington wilderness.

   Jan 5, 1886Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

2. The Waterfall That Broke the Poets: Snoqualmie’s Majestic Leap

   A special correspondent describes the Snoqualmie Falls not as a mere tourist stop, but as a 'noble and striking natural wonder' that defies language, offering a glimpse into the rugged beauty of Washington Territory in 1888.

   May 20, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSnoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, King CountyStrange But True

3. A Perilous Descent Down Cowychee Hill

   When a team of horses spooked on a steep grade, a local farmer had to make a split-second decision to save his family.

   Jan 7, 1892The Yakima HeraldYakima, Yakima CountyDisasters

4. Narrow Escape on Gabel Mountain

   Three young boys go hiking, resulting in a terrifying 30-foot tumble down a ledge for one local youth.

   Feb 16, 1917White Bluffs SpokesmanWhite Bluffs, Benton County

5. The Perilous First Ascent of Mount Meany

   Three daring climbers have successfully reached the summit of the notoriously rugged peak in the Olympic Mountains after facing life-threatening conditions.

   Jan 12, 1909The Tacoma TimesOlympic Mountains, Jefferson CountyStrange But True

6. The Myth of the Unclimbable Mountain

   Defying widespread reports that Mount Rainier had been rendered impassable by avalanches, two men successfully summit the peak to set the record straight.

   Jul 29, 1903The Evening StatesmanMount Rainier, Pierce CountyStrange But True

7. The Ghost of Snoqualmie Falls

   Engineers and trainmen report sightings of a spectral Klickitat woman searching for her lost lover in the mists of the falls.

   Mar 3, 1892The Yakima HeraldSnoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, King CountyTrue Crime

8. The Battle for Seattle's Soul

   On the eve of a contentious city election in 1886, two rival political factions clashed at the Opera House, setting the stage for a fight over the future of labor, law, and the anti-Chinese riots.

   Jul 11, 1886Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

9. The Deadly Sidewalks of Old Seattle

   A local minister’s tumble into a 'horrible pit' sparks public outrage over the city’s treacherous, poorly lit, and uneven walkways.

   Oct 23, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

10. The Boomtown at the Edge of the Clouds

    A report from the rugged mining district of Index, Washington, where prospectors and investors are carving a new industrial future out of the Skykomish River valley.

    Aug 21, 1899The Seattle StarSkykomish River, Index, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

11. The Klondike Millionaire Who Proposed to a Stranger

    Bill Liell, president of the Yukon Order of Pioneers and one of Alaska's richest men, survived a train wreck on his honeymoon after a chance letter from his past led him to find love in Virginia.

    May 11, 1899The Seattle StarSeattle, King CountyScandal

12. The Populist Editor Who Saw Anarchy and Came Home to the Democrats

    After a political murder and a season of lawlessness, F. F. Lischke renames his Sprague paper and renounces the People’s Party.

    Aug 11, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

13. The Boomtown Hype of 1888

    A real estate advertisement masquerading as news paints a picture of a city on the precipice of industrial greatness, promising that Seattle will soon become the 'Queen City of the Pacific.'

    Jul 22, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPuget Sound, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

14. Ten Days Over Cascade Pass—and No Wagon Road

    A member of Mayor Curtis's 1894 party recounts the camps, storms and lost pack animals on the route from Marblemount to Winthrop.

    Mar 10, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMarblemount, Skagit CountyBoom & Bust

15. The Night They Slept in Rainier's Ice Caves

    A Seattle climbing party returns from Mount Rainier after a storm-bound night in the summit ice caves—and Tacoma greets them like a circus.

    Jul 25, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMount Rainier, Pierce CountyStrange But True

16. The Great Cascade: A Pilgrimage to the Roar of Snoqualmie Falls

    In July 1877, three travelers walked the rugged trail from Snohomish to Fall City, documenting the lush farms, the hospitality of settlers, and the awe-inspiring power of the falls—a testament to the beauty and isolation of early Washington Territory.

    Jul 21, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

17. A Pigeon Flew 100 Miles to Report From Mount Rainier

    A carrier pigeon from the Starlee-Meeker expedition delivers dispatches, tall trees, trout, and one very sleepy doctor.

    Mar 26, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPuyallup, Pierce CountyStrange But True

18. They Climbed Rainier First—and Slept in a Sulphur-Scented Ice Cave

    In 1870, Hazard Stevens and P. B. Van Trump reached Mount Rainier's summit after a brutal 10½-hour climb, then spent a freezing night beside volcanic steam vents.

    Jan 6, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMount Rainier, Pierce CountyStrange But True

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