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1. A Miner’s Jealous Rage Left a Woman Dead in Roslyn

   Rosa Baltimore surrendered without regret after shooting Sallie Turner; the 1894 press framed the killing around her work and reputation.

   Mar 5, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerRoslyn, Kittitas CountyTrue Crime

2. The Custody Battle Over Mary Laneuville

   A young bride is caught in a legal tug-of-war between her husband, her alleged lover, and the House of the Good Shepherd.

   Sep 3, 1893The Seattle Post-Intelligencer1717 1st Avenue, Seattle, King CountyScandal

3. The Rescue of Mary Morin

   A husband succeeds in reclaiming his wife from the House of the Good Shepherd after her brief elopement.

   Sep 7, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyScandal

4. The Sister Superior Arrested for Concealing Smallpox

   A Snohomish convent leader is captured in Seattle after fleeing authorities who sought her for hiding two sick patients during a smallpox outbreak.

   Mar 19, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerEighth Street, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall · True Crime

5. The Roadhouse in the Woods That Kept Its Women in Debt

   A raid between the coal towns of Wilkeson and Carbonado exposed a liquor-and-gambling dive where miners were fleeced and women said their clothes were held hostage for debts.

   Apr 13, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilkeson, Pierce CountyNightlife

6. 1876 Snohomish Court Targets Indigenous Gatherings and Brothels

   In March 1876, Judge Lewis charged the first Snohomish County District Court grand jury to address public nuisances, including Indigenous gatherings and brothels, while also holding county officials accountable for fee books.

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

7. The Simple Logic of a Territorial Divorce

   A jilted husband pens a candid letter to a Justice of the Peace, asking how to dissolve his marriage and if the court might offer a replacement wife.

   Feb 2, 1878Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyScandal

8. She Chose Her Sister's Grave

   A young woman walks to Lake View Cemetery, asks a laborer to help her find a grave, and then turns a revolver on herself.

   Sep 9, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerLake View Cemetery, Seattle, King CountyScandal

9. A Daughter's Testimony Sends Her Father to Jail

   Paul R. Nelson, a Swedish M.E. church janitor, was convicted of incest after his 14-year-old daughter told a neighbor she was pregnant and named him as responsible.

   Sep 6, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

10. The Short, Lavish Reign of a Newsboy King

    After finding a purse filled with gold and bills on a Seattle street, a young newsboy went on a spending spree that briefly transformed him into the wealthiest, most generous kid in the neighborhood.

    Jan 31, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerJames Street, Seattle, King CountyStrange But True

11. The Swing Chorus: How Seattle’s Elite Turned a Concert into a Tropical Fantasy

    At Frye’s Opera House in 1903, the Harmony Club staged a bizarre and beautiful musical revue featuring twenty-six young women swinging on hammocks and teeter-totters, proving that Seattle society was ready for something new.

    Feb 24, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

12. An Orting Barn Burning Sparks Courtroom Insults

    A defense attorney’s explosive courtroom conduct highlights a bitter family feud behind an arson charge in Orting.

    Mar 16, 1904The Tacoma TimesOrting, Pierce CountyScandal

13. Three Hundred Olympians Pack Columbia Hall to See Who Takes the Cake

    A novelty dance craze two weeks in the gossiping arrives at last: one hundred couples, a flag, a pair of clashing cymbals, and a ten-cent ticket for every march — all to raise money for the YMCA's women's auxiliary.

    Mar 2, 1892The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyNightlife · Strange But True

14. The Great High Line Irrigation Dream

    Engineers are scouring Northern Pacific Railway data to see if a massive canal can bring water to 170,000 acres of arid land near Kennewick.

    Oct 26, 1916The Kennewick Courier-ReporterKennewick, Benton CountyFollow the Money

15. A Night of Dolls, Knives, and Highland Flings

    Olympia’s 'Little Helpers' sewing society hosts a lively children's party at the Unitarian church, complete with fancy dancing and a contest for the oldest, ugliest, and most historic toys.

    Mar 19, 1892The Olympia TribuneUnitarian Church, OlympiaStrange But True

16. The Widow, the Ranch, and the Groom Who Lost His Nerve

    A Woodinville bachelor agrees to marry a persistent widow, takes her $1.50 for the license—then cannot bring himself to ask for one, setting off a new $10,000 breach-of-promise fight.

    Mar 5, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWoodinville, King CountyScandal

17. The Case of the Missing Suitcase

    A boarder takes his landlords to court after his luggage mysteriously disappears from a local lodging house.

    Apr 9, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyHousing & Rent

18. The Circus Comes to Town: Montgomery’s Queen’s New Brings the 'Wonderful Kenebels' to Seattle

    In October 1876, the largest and most brilliant circus company in the West descended upon Seattle, offering a night of acrobatics, animal acts, and high-flying daredevils for just one dollar.

    Oct 18, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyNightlife

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