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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1876 | 7 |
| 1877 | 6 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 9 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 5 |
| 1892 | 10 |
| 1893 | 5 |
| 1894 | 8 |
| 1895 | 7 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 5 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1916 | 1 |
| 1918 | 1 |
86 stories matching precipit
- Sidewalk Perils: A Nightly Hazard in Early Seattle
A pedestrian’s nasty fall into an open eight-foot pit sparks a public call for the city to fix dangerous, unmaintained infrastructure.
- The Alchemy of the Sands
Prospectors on the coast claim to have found a secret chemical process to extract gold from black sand near Ocosta.
- A Dry Spell Finally Ends for Walla Walla Farmers
A much-needed rainfall brings relief to local agriculture after a month of concerning precipitation deficits.
- The Salmon Strike That Moved an Industry: How Columbia River Fishermen’s Union Priced Themselves Out of Business
In February 1898, a Chicago buyer predicted that the fishermen's demand for higher wages would force salmon canneries to abandon the Columbia River for Alaska—a prediction that came true within a decade.
- The Railway Gold Rush: When Every Line Wanted a Piece of Seattle
In 1890, Seattle was the ultimate prize for three competing transcontinental railroads, leading to a tangled mess of franchise wars, tide flat terminal deals, and high-stakes corporate maneuvering.
- Bridge Collapse Kills Seven Great Northern Railroad Workers
A temporary construction span on the Wenatchee River failed under the weight of a heavy train, plunging workers sixty feet into the water.
- The Pig That Almost Started a War
Before Seattle became a metropolis, Puget Sound was a wild frontier of rugged homesteaders, vigilante justice, and international border disputes sparked by a single, ill-fated swine.
- The Floor Gives Way: Panic and Death at Seattle’s Morris Opera House
A grand opening night turns into a nightmare when the second-story floor of the newly converted theater collapses into the stables below, killing several and injuring dozens in one of the city's earliest major disasters.
- The Day the Bridge Fell: A Tramp’s Fatal Ride and a Railroad’s Collapse
A westbound freight train on the Northern Pacific line was derailed when a stowaway fell under a car, triggering a chain reaction that plunged nine cars into Hangman's Creek. One man died; the rest were spared.
- Masters and Pilots Revolt Against Port Inspector
A powerful local maritime union files formal charges against U.S. Inspector W. J. Bryant, alleging systemic corruption, bullying, and insurance kickbacks.
- Fireworks Panic at Wright Park
A lack of basic safety measures at Tacoma's Fourth of July celebration nearly leads to a deadly stampede.
- The Siege at the Newcastle Coal Mines
A violent confrontation breaks out as 200 strikers clash with non-union men at a Seattle-area coal mine, leaving the community on edge.
- Steilacoom Empties Its Garrison for a Near-War on San Juan Island
On Aug. 9, 1859, soldiers and two brass cannon left Steilacoom aboard the steamer Julia to reinforce Capt. Pickett’s tiny command, as the U.S. and Britain edged toward war over a boundary and a pig.
- The Stone That Crushed: A Fatal Day at Seattle’s City Hall
Two men are killed and another left for dead when a scaffold collapses during the construction of the new municipal building, exposing the deadly risks of civic ambition in 1877.
- The Great Gambling Raid That Never Was
A power struggle between Seattle's Mayor and his Police Chief leads to a failed raid, secret deals, and a very public scandal.
- The Fight Over the Hawaiian Islands
As Washington politicians and chambers of commerce clamor for annexation, locals weigh in on the imperial ambitions of the United States.
- The 'Dummy' Notes That Toppled a Bank
A financial scandal in Whatcom County exposes a web of fake assets and political maneuvering between rival cities.
- The Sheriff Who Arrested the Election Judges
At the opening of a Republican primary in Seattle’s First Ward, Sheriff Woolery had the judges jailed and then tried to pull police off the polls. A judge’s restraining order stopped him—barely.
- 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.
- City Hall Showdown: Council and Reformers Clash Over Charter Revision
A heated joint meeting of the city council and civic organizations debates whether to call a special election for a new city charter, with accusations of bullying and claims of wasted taxpayer money.
- The Wharf That Ate Its Workers: Seattle’s First Major Infrastructure Failure
In September 1876, a newly built lumber wharf in Seattle collapsed under the weight of its own laborers, sending Chinese workers and timber plunging into the Duwamish River. The disaster exposed the rotting reality of territorial construction and the precarious lives of immigrant labor.
- The Olympia Hotel Riot
A political caucus to nominate a U.S. Senator erupts into a shouting match and physical brawl as factions clash over the candidate list.
- The Deadly Pressure on Puget Sound Steamboat Captains
Shipbuilder John K. Barr argues that owners and agents, not sea conditions, are the real culprits behind marine disasters.
- A 1.5-Million-Acre Taking: The Colville Reservation Was About to Be Thrown Open
Federal officials and land agents anticipated a rush of white homesteaders into the southern half of the Colville Indian Reservation, framing Indigenous land as 'closed' and state growth as its natural destiny.
- Drought Grips the Yakima Valley
A mild, snowless winter leaves ranchers facing a disastrous crop failure and calls for immediate expansion of irrigation canals.
Also about this, in other words
- A $50,000 Concentrator Heads Down the Pend d'Oreille
Machinery for a 200-ton ore concentrator is bound for Metaline, shipped through Newport and floated downriver on a homemade lumber raft.
- The Green Pool of Puyallup
A health-hazard stagnant pond in the center of town sparks a call for action.
- The War on Milk Adulteration
An editorial demanding harsh punishment for milk vendors using formaldehyde as a 'preservative' to prevent spoilage.
- Worker Killed in Tacoma Gravel Pit Slide
A young laborer was buried beneath a wall of sand at a North End worksite.
- The Concentrator That Never Pounded
A $20,000 mining mill stood ready to turn mountains of lead ore into profit, but a $250 judgment, a $16,000 mortgage and a boardroom feud left Metaline waiting for a boom that never came.
- The Meteor That Set a Lagoon Boiling
A blazing object fell from the sky over Chimacum, terrified Jefferson County farmers who thought the world was ending, and left a lagoon bubbling hot enough to cook eggs hours later.
- The Fight for the Nitrate Plant
Federal engineers scour Priest Rapids, scouting a location for a massive $20 million government facility.
- A Premature Blast Tore Apart 'Lead' Long's Face Near Metaline
A miner known across the district was badly hurt at the Wake Up Jim prospect when a blast went off early, and details were slow to reach Newport.