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1. The Globe-Trotter, the Elks, and the $5,000 Wager

   A Boston telegram called Paul Jones a fake. Seattle's own reporting found a Harvard man circling the world on a wager — and turning a paper suit into a sellout lecture.

   Jan 23, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyLocal Legends

2. The Birth of Washington State: 1889 Constitution Draft

   A rare look at the foundational text that set the rules for labor, public education, and state governance upon Washington’s entry into the Union.

   Aug 23, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerState Capitol, Olympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

3. The Birth of Washington's Constitutional Rights

   A historic publication of the 1889 Washington State Constitution, establishing the foundational rights and governance that define the state's civic character.

   Sep 5, 1889The Yakima HeraldOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

4. The Irish Question in 1887 Seattle

   A fervent mass meeting at Frye’s Opera House saw Seattle residents packing the rafters to protest British 'coercion' of Ireland, drawing parallels to American liberty.

   Apr 10, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King County

5. When Seattle's Taps Ran Dry, One Citizen Took the City to Task

   A resident of the city's eastern heights petitions the Seattle City Council over empty pipes, fire risk, and water bills—with sarcasm aimed at every authority from City Hall to the White House.

   Jul 14, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

6. The Forgotten Radicalism of 1880s Seattle

   When an influential Washington territorial politician argued that land monopolies were a threat to labor and that women's suffrage was the only path to a fair society.

   Jul 23, 1886Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

7. The Uninvited Territorial Appointment

   Citizens of Washington Territory rail against meddlesome outsiders and the President’s power to appoint their governor.

   Jan 29, 1884Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

8. The Great Kennewick Snake Hunt

   A quiet, sultry Tuesday afternoon takes a turn when the local editor comes face-to-face with a five-foot intruder on a downtown sidewalk.

   Jun 28, 1917The Kennewick Courier-ReporterKennewick, Benton CountyLocal Legends

9. The Old Soldiers Wept as Seattle's Schoolchildren Sang

   Memorial Day 1895 found Grand Army veterans in Seattle classrooms, trading Antietam memories for recitations of 'Barbara Frietchie'—then preparing a parade to the Seattle Theater and View Cemetery.

   May 30, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King County

10. There's "Dough" in Every Street Contract: A Preacher Takes On City Hall

    Rev. Napoleon Hoagland reads the nation's municipal record aloud — reeking streets, a million-dollar franchise given away, councilmen who elsewhere would count themselves lucky to stay out of prison — and asks why democratic America breeds more thieves than the Tsar's Europe.

    Dec 15, 1891The Olympia TribuneTacoma Hall, TacomaFollow the Money · City Hall

11. Seattle's Chinese New Year: Fireworks, Debt Settling, and a Tartar Emperor

    Local Chinese merchants celebrate the new year with fireworks and a week of festivities, while manager Woo Gen voices his opposition to the ruling Tartar dynasty.

    Jan 25, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

12. The Pioneer Who Couldn't Stay Put

    Captain Charles Hopkins, a veteran of the Mexican War and early Seattle businessman, dies at his home on Terry Avenue. His life was a series of moves from San Francisco to Milwaukee to Portland, yet he remained one of the Northwest's most recognizable figures.

    Mar 15, 1899The Seattle StarSeattle, King County

13. A Wartime Thanksgiving in 1862

    Governor William Pickering issues a formal proclamation calling for territorial prayer and unity amidst the 'monstrous conspiracy' of the Civil War.

    Nov 8, 1862Washington StandardOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

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