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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
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| 1860 | 2 |
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| 1872 | 4 |
| 1876 | 8 |
| 1877 | 15 |
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| 1895 | 50 |
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314 stories matching proof
- The 1891 Building Laws That Shaped Seattle
A deep dive into the rigid safety mandates—from fire-proof walls to mandatory fire escapes—that dictated the construction of Seattle’s early downtown.
- The Unbreakable Vaults of 1885 Seattle
A state-of-the-art fortress of steel and brick arrives in Seattle, promising security for the valuables of a booming frontier town.
- The Struggle for a Fire-Proof Seattle
In 1876, a local editor warns that Seattle’s reliance on wood-frame architecture is a dangerous gamble for a growing city.
- The Concrete Escape: A Forger’s Dramatic Jailbreak in Montesano
A. M. Gowan digs his way out of a 'burglar-proof' concrete jail using nails and a saw, leaving authorities along the coast on high alert.
- The Great Seattle Rebuild: Rethinking Fire Safety After the Ashes
In the wake of the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, experts and local leaders scramble to replace wooden tinderboxes with new, fireproof standards and modern building codes.
- The Unladylike Ballot
When women marched to the polls in Pasco, it sparked a local scandal that challenged traditional notions of 'respectability' and gender roles.
- Land Office Scandal in Woolley
A United States court commissioner stands accused of defrauding settlers by withholding land fees and failing to file legal documents.
- The Struggle for a Snohomish Homestead
A legal notice reveals the bureaucratic hurdles pioneers faced to prove their claim to the Snohomish river valley.
- Fire Shuts Down Hadlock Mill
A boiler room fire on a gravel foundation halts production at the Washington Mill Company, idling 100 men.
- Engineering Tacoma's Waterfront
Tacoma will build a $20,000 bridge to its new filled waterfront, where teredo worms eat untreated pilings.
- The Looming Transition: Homesteaders Face Bureaucratic Limbo
As Washington prepares for statehood, federal land officers warn settlers that their pending homestead proofs may become legally invalid overnight.
- City Council Charges Corruption in Fire Department
A motion is introduced to investigate grave accusations made against the Mayor and Council concerning the illegal passage of a fire department ordinance.
- The Mystery of the Vanished Donation Claim
Thurston County officials try to purchase a poor farm, only to discover the original land claim may never have been finalized.
- The Rising Brick Skyline of Early Seattle
As Schwabacher Brothers prepares a massive new brick warehouse on Commercial Street, the city celebrates its shift from wooden frame town to a permanent commercial hub.
- The 'Deep, Dark, Damnable Conspiracy' Against Women’s Votes
In 1887, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer mocked the 'absurd' suspicion that the Territorial Supreme Court, the President, and local newspapers were conspiring to disenfranchise women through judicial appointments.
- Olympia's Close Call with Fire
A dangerous blaze at the Secretary of the Territory's office sparks calls for safer building practices.
- A Saloon Brawl on South Third: No Knives, No Proof
A cutting scrape at the Golden State hotel leaves authorities puzzled: was it a knife or just a fight? The charge is reduced to simple assault.
- A Grandmother's Bonds: Walla Walla Man Finds a $75,000 Inheritance After 20 Years
E. L. Smalley learns he is one of five heirs to $75,000 in government bonds and 80 acres near Quincy, Illinois—an estate that has waited two decades in chancery court for missing family to be found.
- A Tailor's Desperate Act of Poverty
After faking his own death to spare his family the hardship of life in Seattle, a struggling tailor makes a series of harrowing, failed attempts to end his life.
- The Grand Jury Probes the 'Restricted District'
Tacoma investigators hunt for proof of who really profits from the city's red-light district properties.
- Bureaucratic Blow to Kaniksu Homesteaders
A sudden reversal in federal policy by Secretary of the Interior R.A. Ballinger threatens the residency claims of forty settlers in the Kaniksu National Forest.
- The Bold Plan to Pave the Northwest
Promoters of the Evergreen Highway are pushing for an all-weather, cross-state route designed to connect the Inland Empire to the coast.
- The Widow’s Pension Legal Trap
A woman finds her pension rights threatened by the complex, shifting definitions of marriage under 19th-century law.
- Minors Gain Right to Own Land in Port Angeles
Federal ruling confirms that young people can hold title to government land, ending a ten-week legal standoff.
- The Great Seattle Fire of 1889: Surviving the Flames
While the city turned to ash, local business owners turned to their safes to see what remained of their livelihood.