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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1876 | 7 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1891 | 6 |
| 1892 | 4 |
| 1893 | 1 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1903 | 3 |
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33 stories matching riley
- Rainier Is Taller Than the Map: The Barometer Fight Over Washington’s Mountain
A new summit reading revived a two-year-old claim: Olympia’s Dr. Riley had used three government barometers to put Mount Rainier near 15,000 feet—well above the official 14,444.
- A Settler's Plea for Too-e-pi-ti
An old Pierce County resident says a white man, Jim Riley, shot an Indigenous man without cause—and asks voters not to let the case die.
- A Young Mother Died After Being Taken From the People Caring for Her
Caroline Erickson, a Swedish immigrant who had just given birth, was removed to St. Joseph’s hospital against her will and died the next day; the woman who sheltered her blames the charity.
- Sewer Workers Strike for Eight-Hour Day
Laborers on a Twenty-ninth Avenue sewer project successfully force a return to the eight-hour workday against contractor pressure.
- The Ludlow Saloon Shield: How a Mill Worker’s Beating Was Ignored by the Law
In Port Gamble, Washington Territory, a brutal assault on an edgerman was dismissed by a local justice of the peace, leaving the victim powerless against his attacker in a display of judicial indifference.
- The Mayor's Chair Is No Bed of Roses
Olympia's old city officers resign to clear a ballot-printing challenge, the new mayor takes the oath—and both incoming and outgoing officials warn that public service brings more abuse than thanks.
- The Man Who Fought the Law: Riley’s Brawl with Seattle Police
In July 1876, a drunken man named Riley didn't just resist arrest—he dismantled the entire police force. It took bystanders to finally pin him down.
- The Empire Hotel Eviction Suit
A Snohomish hotel owner loses her legal battle after being forcibly removed from her own property.
- The Unlucky Lookalike
A man mistaken for a fugitive because of a shared physical trait files a $5,000 lawsuit for his false imprisonment.
- The Tragic Death of James Riley: A Local Defense Against 'Ill-Treatment' Claims
After a man recently sent from Snohomish to the Territorial Asylum died suddenly in Steilacoom, local papers rushed to defend their community's actions against accusations of negligence.
- A Narrow Escape on Lake Washington
A canoeist finds himself in deep water after a sudden wave capsizes his craft in the center of the lake.
- The $6 Million Secret: How Seattle’s Future Railroads Were Sold to Washington Politicians
A shocking dispatch reveals that the Northern Pacific Railroad and its associated land companies were secretly divided among top U.S. Senators, Grant, and a 'army of lobbyists'—proving that the infrastructure shaping Puget Sound was built on political patronage.
- The Death Rate Was Up. The Health Officer Blamed the Syringe.
In 1891 Olympia's health officer reported an unprecedented mortality spike—and pointed to morphine and cocaine injections, with young women said to be using them 'just for fun.'
- The People’s Ticket: Olympia’s 1891 Caucus Revolt
A printed slate handed out at the door, a mayor booed as 'defeated,' and a second-ward protest meeting: the fight over who would control Olympia's city nominations.
- A Night of Gunfire and Ropes in Sultan
After two men shot up a saloon and robbed laborers, a vigilante crowd nearly took justice into their own hands in this rural mining and rail town.
- The Great Grasshopper Panic: Why Washington Farmers Are Bracing for a Locust Apocalypse
Professor Riley predicts an unprecedented crop of grasshoppers across the Northwest and beyond, urging immediate preparation as eggs hatch in offices from Minnesota to Missouri.
- A Hard Day at the Coal Depot Ends in Paralysis for One of Olympia's Oldest Citizens
A prominent Olympian collapses after a day of heavy work in the rain; doctors prescribe quiet as visitors crowd St. Peter's Hospital.
- A Cow, a Pistol, and a Pitchfork
Two men east of Olympia fought over a single cow—one with a revolver, the other with a pitchfork—and then showed up at the same doctor's office to get patched up.
- A Wild Dash Down Fourth Street
A young, skittish horse sends a local merchant leaping for his life in 1876 Seattle.
- The Day Northport Vanished
A single cigarette discarded in a tailor shop behind a saloon triggers a conflagration that consumes the entire business heart of Northport.
- 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 $70,000 Rebellion: Olympia Refuses to Pay Its Railroad Bill
Northern Pacific missed its promised deadlines, so the citizens who pledged land and cash to bring the line to town decided the contract was void—and headed to court.
- The Riverboat Captain Who Was Everyone’s Personal Errands Boy
Before the age of reliable logistics, the Snohomish riverboat captain was the community’s unofficial delivery service, tasked with everything from baby shoes to engine parts.
- City Hall Janitor Crushed in Elevator Tragedy
A routine morning cleanup ended in a gruesome death for an elderly janitor when an elevator started unexpectedly.
- Tragic Drowning at Strawberry Island
A civil engineer loses his life in the Columbia River despite the desperate, repeated rescue attempts of his colleague.
Also about this, in other words
- Violence at Easton Over a Drink
A railroad worker is shot at a station near Yakima following a refusal to share a drink.
- The Commissioner, the Gambler, and the Shakedown
A bold blackmail attempt at the Russell House ends in a police hunt for a notorious 'steerer' and his accomplice.
- The Candidate Who Defied the Union Label
Colonel Roland H. Hartley takes a combative stance in his gubernatorial bid, refusing to include the union label on his campaign materials.
- Neighborhood Alert After Assault on Teen
A railroad worker was apprehended by police following an alleged assault on a girl in a shed near Jefferson Avenue.
- Domestic Dispute Leads to Assault Warrant
A leader of the Puyallup tribe is sought by police after a violent altercation with his nephew.