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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1878 | 1 |
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65 stories matching shelton
- The Battle for Shelton's Mail
Shelton residents find themselves isolated as a local shipping sub-contractor abandons the mail route, leaving the town disconnected from Olympia.
- The Murderer Who Bought His Freedom: Angus McClain Bailed Out in Shelton
After three years of legal maneuvering for the murder of hotel keeper Harry Conner and arson at Shelton’s Grand Hotel, the convicted killer is finally released on $1,000 bail.
- The Man Who Tried to Break Out of Jail (And Failed)
Chester Collins, a convict serving time for assault, was caught trying to escape the Thurston County jail in January. He escaped, fled to Shelton, and immediately got into trouble again—landing him back in the Walla Walla Penitentiary.
- The City of Shelton Takes to the Bay
A new vessel joins the fleet, promising daily trips between Tacoma and the booming town of Shelton.
- The Great Rail Boom Hits Shelton
A multi-million dollar railroad expansion promises to connect Shelton to the Puget Sound and beyond, sparking a frenzy of speculation.
- Two Miles Perched on the Lower Circle of a Rainbow
A Shelton legislator's private letter describing a steamer passage up Hammersley's Inlet becomes the best prose in the paper — a circle of prismatic color, starfish, glaciers and one awestruck captain.
- A Dispute Over a Cleaned Dress Ends in a Brawl
A woman allegedly strikes a dyer with a brass lamp after a heated disagreement over a laundry bill.
- The Price of Mason County's Riches
Detailed 1891 logging records from Shelton reveal a booming timber industry that paid out tens of thousands in wages—but left local communities dependent on outside supplies.
- The Logging Camp Christmas Boom
Thousands of dollars in wages hit the Shelton economy as loggers prepare for a holiday of debt-paying and celebration.
- Butcher Skips Town Leaving Debts Behind
A local butcher flees Shelton, triggering a scramble among creditors for his remaining cattle and assets.
- A Secret Order Comes for the Schoolteachers
In Shelton, the nativist A.P.A. is accused of purging old-line teachers—and an Equal Rights League organizes to fight back in the grove and on the platform.
- Shelton’s Shuttered Bank Promises to Pay Every Depositor in Full
After the sheriff closed the Bank of Shelton, its president bought out the cashier and announced a $20,000 reorganization.
- The Baltimore Oyster House Fire
A suspected arson and double tragedy at a Second Street hotel leaves the community in shock as the accused points a finger at his own wife.
- A Wall of Smoke and Flame Across Puget Sound
Forest fires from Hood Canal to the Nooksack Valley left dozens of families homeless in 1894, while smoke turned steamboat travel blind and daily life in Seattle into a gray haze.
- The Log-Jam Monopoly: Who Controls a Western Washington River?
When Joseph Doyle’s logs were trapped inside a private boom company’s platted stretch of the Skokomish River, he sued—and put the whole question of river monopolies and public waterways on trial in Shelton.
- The Fire Fiend Stalks Washington
After catastrophic blazes in Seattle, Vancouver, Ellensburg, and Spokane, the Mason County Journal sounds the alarm for Shelton to modernize its water system.
- The Bank of Shelton Collapses
Creditors force closure of the Mason County institution following reports of bad management and dwindling public confidence.
- A Logging Train, a Fallen Tree, and Two Deaths in the Dark
On the Washington Southern's first run near Shelton, a tree bridging a sand cut killed a brakeman and a tender man before the engine could stop. The town mourned two young workers.
- A Rail-and-Timber Empire Offers Its Workers a Cut
A new corporation tied to former governor Elisha P. Ferry acquires the Mason County Central railroad and Shelton sawmill, plans a Grays Harbor line, and sets aside $50,000 in stock for employees.
- Domestic Chaos at Mill and Front Streets
A volatile dispute between a couple on the streets of Seattle leads to a public brawl and a day in court.
- Shelton’s Growing Pains and Booming Timber
A census reveals Mason County is shifting toward a higher population class, sparking a rush of candidates vying for new, higher-paying offices.
- The Great Puget Sound Whale Hunt
An unexpected visitor in the waters between Olympia and Shelton leads to a high-pressure pursuit by a local steamer.
- Shelton Rail Company Faces Receivership
Clashing interests and a frozen lumber industry push the local rail line into court-appointed management.
- Vigilante Justice in Shelton
A local dispute over stolen money devolves into a gunpoint standoff on the water near Shelton.
- The Disappearing Jeweler of Shelton
A local partnership ends in a hurried exit, leaving a business partner high and dry and a town searching for a fugitive.
Also about this, in other words
- A Tragic Walk Home in Shelton
A local man died in a dark accident on a railroad bridge.
- The Oyster Bed Tug-of-War
Claimants in Shelton fight for their right to oyster beds, ignoring the warnings of 'boodle' newspapers.
- Shelton’s Crumbling Infrastructure Battle
Citizens are left to 'go to thunder' after the City Board funnels the town's remaining street funds into a bridge project that disproportionately benefits the members themselves.
- A Logging Camp's Fifteen Minutes of Fame
The local press calls out a national magazine's exaggerated depiction of Shelton's timber industry.
- The Town Council's Bridge Feud
A bitter public dispute erupts over a $500 council appropriation for a bridge project on Shelton’s First Street.
- The Grass Isn't Always Greener in Indiana
A young couple leaves Shelton for the Midwest, only to find themselves struggling and desperate to return to Washington.
- The Moses of Tacoma
A Tacoma minister initiates an ambitious, secret plan to assist Black families fleeing the Jim Crow South for the Pacific Northwest.
- The Hop-Harvest Pilgrimage
Indigenous families return to Shelton after their seasonal work in the Puyallup hop fields.