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1. The Rockets Turned Around: Tacoma's Fourth of July Went Up in a Sheet of Flame

   A spark touched off the entire $500 pyrotechnic stock at Wright Park, driving rockets and bombs into a crowd of thousands and leaving women and children burned, trampled and briefly lost in the smoke.

   Jul 5, 1904The Tacoma TimesWright Park, Tacoma, Pierce CountyDisasters

2. Fireworks Committee Blamed for Panic at Wright Park

   Careless handling of explosives during Tacoma's Fourth of July celebration left spectators injured and fleeing for their lives.

   Jul 5, 1904The Tacoma TimesWright Park, Tacoma, Pierce CountyDisasters

3. The Worst Storm on the Sound: A Train Wreck, a Drifting Ship, and Dead Wires

   A landslide derails a Northern Pacific freight near Castle Rock, a British ship is blown across Tacoma bay, and the telegraph goes dead from Seattle south.

   Dec 23, 1891The Olympia TribuneCastle Rock, Cowlitz CountyBoom & Bust · Disasters

4. The Desecration of Paradise Valley

   Superintendent Schwagerl sounds the alarm on tourists burning ancient trees for fun and the unchecked slaughter of wildlife in the new mountain reserve.

   Sep 3, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerParadise Valley, Ashford, Pierce CountyFollow the Money

5. Fireworks Panic at Wright Park

   A lack of basic safety measures at Tacoma's Fourth of July celebration nearly leads to a deadly stampede.

   Jul 5, 1904The Tacoma TimesWright Park, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall · Disasters

6. The 'Whisky Trade' at Port Townsend

   A British gunboat captures twelve Indigenous prisoners following violent disorder fueled by the illegal supply of American spirits across the border.

   Apr 10, 1878The Northern StarPort Townsend, Jefferson CountyExclusion & Resistance · Nightlife

7. The Night Seattle Celebrated a Railroad Power Shift

   When Henry Villard returned to the Northern Pacific board in 1886, thousands of Seattle citizens flooded the streets, hopeful that a friend of the city would finally ensure fair play for its local economy.

   Sep 16, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerOccidental Square, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

8. The Night Seattle Painted the Town Red

   After a landslide victory in the 1892 city elections, thousands of jubilant supporters flooded Pioneer Place to celebrate the end of a 'brazen, triple-plated' political ring.

   Mar 10, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPioneer Square, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

9. The Rowdy Election Eve of 1880

   Before the ballots were cast in Seattle’s pioneer-era election, Republicans and Democrats clashed with torchlight processions, partisan jeers, and competing rallies that defined the territorial political climate.

   Nov 2, 1880The Daily IntelligencerOpera House, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

10. The Democracy of Seattle Lights Up Pioneer Place

    Torches, bonfires, and fiery rhetoric define a raucous political rally for Grover Cleveland.

    Jun 26, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPioneer Square, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

11. City Hall Bans the Big Firecrackers

    A heated debate over fireworks and public safety ends in a compromise measured by the inch.

    Jun 18, 1914The Kennewick Courier-ReporterKennewick, Benton CountyCity Hall

12. Election Fever Grips Aberdeen

    Skyrockets and torchlights marked a rowdy political rally on Heron Street as supporters celebrated the national ticket.

    Jun 30, 1892Aberdeen HeraldHeron Street, Aberdeen, Grays Harbor CountyCity Hall

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