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1. The Bunko Men, the Norwegian Sisters, and the Saloonkeeper's Revenge

   A shell-game gang swindles two Norwegian sisters out of $300 on the Seattle waterfront; Frank Hart is convicted in three minutes, then a saloonkeeper assaults one of his accusers outside court.

   Jun 20, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyNightlife

2. The Shell That Survived the Fire: A Seattle Man’s Close Call with a Civil War Artifact

   An eccentric local resident discovers a live cannonball in his firewood, leading to a terrifying explosion that sends him tumbling down a hillside.

   Apr 19, 1877The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

3. Tacoma Steamship Survives Port Arthur Bombardment

   The American liner Pleiades escapes the opening salvos of the Russo-Japanese War, arriving in Tacoma with a harrowing firsthand account of the chaos.

   Mar 26, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce County

4. The Tiny Republic of Anacortes: Boys, Shells, and Self-Government

   In 1893, a group of Anacortes boys turned beachcombing into a natural-history club with a constitution, dues, and an exhibition that drew the whole town.

   Dec 24, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerAnacortes, Skagit CountyStrange But True

5. The Day Burrard Inlet Rowed Away With Lake Washington

   At the first amateur regatta ever held on Lake Washington, British Columbia crews dominated the junior fours and senior singles while Seattle prepared for its turn on the water.

   Aug 18, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyNightlife

6. The Captain Who Caught a Monster: Seattle’s Own Sea Serpent Hoax

   Captain Pat J. Boyton of Seattle claims to have captured a 63-foot sea serpent in the Pacific, sending a letter from his ship that has locals buzzing with wonder and skepticism.

   Jan 11, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

7. The Professor Who Rowed Himself Into the Lake

   A local athletic instructor's intense workout on Lake Union ends in a watery disaster when his boat literally falls apart.

   Jun 12, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerLake Union, Seattle, King CountyNightlife

8. A Murder Plot on Puget Sound and a Sickbed Betrayal

   A boat captain says two young 'timber buyers' planned to shoot him and rob an Admiralty Head rancher. The same circle of suspects is accused of robbing a sarsaparilla agent while he lay delirious in a Seattle hotel.

   Jul 27, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

9. A Deadly Surprise at North Bend

   A box of dynamite detonators exploded at a local tent, leaving a woman critically injured by metal shrapnel.

   Oct 25, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerNorth Bend, King CountyDisasters

10. The Oyster King’s Blueprint: How Connecticut’s ‘Submarine Landlords’ Could Save Washington’s Economy

    A visiting shellfish commissioner reveals that state-owned oyster beds create wealthier workers and richer treasuries—a radical land reform idea taking root in Aberdeen.

    Dec 18, 1890Aberdeen HeraldAberdeen, Grays Harbor CountyFollow the Money

11. The Mystery of the Egg Within an Egg

    A Richland woman discovers a natural curiosity in her poultry flock: an egg that contained another perfectly formed egg inside.

    Jun 21, 1917The Kennewick Courier-ReporterRichland, Benton CountyStrange But True

12. The Siege of Seattle: A City Born in Fire

    Recalling the 1856 Indian War attack on Seattle, when a handful of settlers held their ground behind a blockhouse against a barrage of fire and shell.

    Jan 2, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyExclusion & Resistance · Gone Forever

13. The Unchecked Power of a Federal Official

    A federal official at the Seattle land office, known for his hot temper and suspicious treatment of settlers, escapes a serious perjury investigation with only a slap on the wrist.

    Aug 4, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerFront Street, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money

14. A Deadly Souvenir of the Battle of Seattle

    Twenty-one years after the 1856 Battle of Seattle, a local man struck a hidden relic in a fir tree that could have turned lethal.

    Jan 12, 1877The Daily IntelligencerSecond Street, Seattle, King CountyStrange But True

15. The Shell Game at Myers Cannery

    Two women are swindled out of $300 by a gang of con artists near the Myers Cannery, leading to a police hunt for the perpetrators of this classic 'gold brick' scam.

    Jun 5, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

16. She Fell Into Puget Sound and Woke to Fishermen at Dawn

    An 18-year-old hotel guest went shell hunting near Smith Cove, slipped between the logs, and spent a rainy night unconscious on the beach before two fishermen found her.

    Jan 15, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSmith Cove, Seattle, King CountyStrange But True

17. The Battle of the Incubator

    A Seattle storefront puts the new technology of mechanical egg hatching to the test against the old ways of the barnyard.

    May 27, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

18. The City Council’s Fireproofing Farce: How Seattle’s ‘Renovations’ Are Destroying Property Values

    An editorial scolds the local government for allowing cheap, temporary repairs to old buildings within fire limits, arguing that these 'shells' are disfiguring the business district and raising insurance rates for everyone.

    Mar 15, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

19. A 1.5-Mile Course Staked Across Lake Washington

    Seattle’s 1894 rowing regatta drew crews from Portland, Vancouver and Victoria—and a leaky new shell that needed white lead before race day.

    Jul 28, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyNightlife

20. Seattle Loses by Half a Length—and Wins the Lake

    In August 1894, Seattle's first amateur regatta drew crowds to the Madison Street shore of Lake Washington for a four-oared thriller against Portland and Burrard Inlet. The home crew lost by less than half a length, but set a course record and gave the young city a new civic stage.

    Aug 19, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust · Nightlife

21. Kennewick’s Infrastructure Bottleneck

    A local commentary argues that without modern dock and freight facilities, the city will fail to leverage its position on the Columbia River.

    Jun 3, 1915The Kennewick Courier-ReporterKennewick, Benton CountyBoom & Bust

22. The Clam Bake Diplomacy of Alki Point

    When Generals Logan and Sherman visited Seattle, the town rolled out the red carpet—and sixteen bushels of Puget Sound clams.

    Aug 27, 1886Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerAlki Point, Seattle, King CountyStrange But True

23. Homemade Cannon Blast on Yesler Avenue

    Two young boys narrowly escape death while attempting to build an improvised firework cannon on the Fourth of July.

    Jul 5, 1894The Seattle Post-Intelligencer1813 Yesler Avenue, Seattle, King CountyDisasters

24. A Socialite's Call to the Mexican Border

    Mrs. Seth Barton French, a veteran of the European war, seeks to establish hospitals on the Mexican border amid rising tensions.

    Aug 31, 1916The Kennewick Courier-ReporterKennewick, Benton CountyStrange But True

25. The Great Finley Hog Hunt

    A routine butchering job turns into a chaotic, nine-shot ordeal that leaves a local hog and a broken axe head in its wake.

    Jan 25, 1917The Kennewick Courier-ReporterFinley, Benton CountyStrange But True

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