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1. The Sun Dogs of Douglas County

   A rare and haunting atmospheric display over St. Andrews puzzles local observers and scientists alike.

   Feb 26, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSt. Andrews, Douglas CountyStrange But True

2. The Wettest Spring in Memory: Walla Walla’s Deluge and the Rainbow That Spanned Mountains

   While Seattle residents fret over rain cisterns, neighbors to the east endure a historic deluge that has delayed planting and produced a rare midnight rainbow stretching from the Cascades to the Columbia.

   Jun 9, 1876The Daily IntelligencerWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyStrange But True

3. The Great Petticoat Ponzi Scheme

   Kennewick residents lose their dimes to a Minneapolis 'endless chain' mail fraud ring.

   Oct 26, 1916The Kennewick Courier-ReporterKennewick, Benton CountyTrue Crime

4. Two Miles Perched on the Lower Circle of a Rainbow

   A Shelton legislator's private letter describing a steamer passage up Hammersley's Inlet becomes the best prose in the paper — a circle of prismatic color, starfish, glaciers and one awestruck captain.

   Nov 9, 1891The Olympia TribuneHammersley Inlet, Shelton, Mason CountyStrange But True

5. The Great Black Diamond Sewing Bee

   In an era before high-tech entertainment, an industrial mining town turned a humble church fundraiser into a test of domestic skill—and a hilarious, needle-pricking contest for the men.

   Apr 3, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerBlack Diamond, King County

6. Council Spars Over Land for Stubblefield Home

   Walla Walla's city council debates a contentious land donation to secure a charitable legacy amid pressure from rival town Pendleton.

   Nov 19, 1903The Evening StatesmanWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyHousing & Rent · City Hall

7. The Sad Mystery of Alfred Peterson

   A lonely traveler dies in a Seattle hotel room, leaving behind only tax receipts, a scrap of land, and a collection of melancholy poetry.

   Jul 31, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

8. 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

9. Engineers Say Snoqualmie Falls Can Light the Sound

   A New York journal sizes up the 260-foot falls at 18,000 horsepower and predicts a company will soon wire Seattle and Tacoma to the river.

   Apr 7, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSnoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, King CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

10. The Chief’s Last Stand: A Vision of Justice Beyond the Grave

    In a rare and poignant interview, Spotted Tail articulates a theology of retribution where the Great Spirit favors the Native American over the white settler in the afterlife.

    Mar 25, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyExclusion & Resistance

11. 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

12. A Sinking Buggy, a Borrowed Team, and a Reservation About to Open

    In 1892 a newspaperman packed his wife and infant into a rickety buggy to cross the soon-to-open Colville Reservation, fording the Kettle River and leaning on Native families along the way.

    Aug 22, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOsoyoos Lake, Oroville, Okanogan CountyExclusion & Resistance · Strange But True

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