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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1876 | 14 |
| 1877 | 3 |
| 1878 | 5 |
| 1880 | 3 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 4 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 5 |
| 1886 | 5 |
| 1887 | 3 |
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 14 |
| 1890 | 4 |
| 1891 | 13 |
| 1892 | 18 |
| 1893 | 17 |
| 1894 | 19 |
| 1895 | 6 |
| 1899 | 2 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 6 |
| 1904 | 5 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1909 | 9 |
| 1910 | 2 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1916 | 3 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1919 | 1 |
| 1923 | 1 |
180 stories matching solid
- The Hard Pan Tax Dispute
A small-town legal battle in Anacortes reveals how railroad companies and local governments clashed over the definition of 'rock' to dodge municipal assessments.
- The Tacoma Strike, Undone and Redone in a Single Day
Northern Pacific tries to declare victory, but firemen, switchmen and engineers vote to stay out—while Debs wires that the fight is still solid.
- The Brutal Survey of Cedar River
Engineers and directors trek through 20 miles of 'impenetrable thickets' to survey a potential rail expansion for the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad.
- The Wharf That Ate Its Workers: Seattle’s First Major Infrastructure Failure
In September 1876, a newly built lumber wharf in Seattle collapsed under the weight of its own laborers, sending Chinese workers and timber plunging into the Duwamish River. The disaster exposed the rotting reality of territorial construction and the precarious lives of immigrant labor.
- Moving Mountains for the Monte Cristo Railroad
Contractors use dynamite to carve a path for the new Everett and Monte Cristo railroad, blowing away a solid granite promontory.
- Spokane Delegation Breaks for John B. Allen
A legislative stalemate over the election of John B. Allen reveals fractures in the Spokane delegation and a bitter feud between political factions.
- The Fight Against 'Canned Water'
Everett labor organizers inspect local grocers to expose deceptive packaging and short-weighting in the canned fruit industry.
- A Silver Chest for the Political Boss
Prominent Republicans gather at the Rainier Club to honor John H. McGraw with a lavish testimonial of solid silver for his role in the senatorial contest.
- The End of the Frontier Boom
An 1886 dispatch from the San Francisco Chronicle assesses the cooling of Washington Territory's economy, marking the transition from feverish speculation to steady growth.
- The Carpenter's Secret Compartment
A crafty smuggler’s hollowed-out tool chest, designed to look like the property of a humble working man, fails to outsmart Seattle Customs inspectors.
- The River That Walked
When the Columbia River froze solid, Hanford residents bypassed the ferry and walked across the ice to their ranches.
- A Senator Breaks Ranks, and Seattle Howls
Senator Rutter abandons John B. Allen for George Turner, turning the 1893 U.S. Senate deadlock into a test of party loyalty and constituent fury.
- A Veteran Railroader Reflects on Seattle’s Industrial Growth
After a year as Lake Shore superintendent, I. A. Nadeau retires from the position, looking back on the era when the city’s rail freight grew from a single car of hardware to a hub of transcontinental commerce.
- The Mystery of the Solid Rock Fish
Workers drilling a deep well near Ruston were shocked to find a live, pale fish emerge from 140 feet below the surface.
- The Tall Tale of the Olympic Mountain Silver Mine
A notorious character in Los Angeles claims a skeleton, a secret diary, and a map have led him to a mountain of solid silver near Lake Cushman.
- The Mysterious Frog of the Quarry
A stone-cutter in a local lime-rock quarry discovers a live, albino frog inside a solid rock, sparking a brief, curious stir in town.
- The Boomtown Myth of 1889
As Seattle entered the year of the Great Fire, the local press touted a narrative of unstoppable, 'solid' growth that masked the fragility of an exploding city.
- The Day Ellensburg Burned
A devastating fire leaves 12 city blocks in ruins, highlighting the catastrophic failure of the local water system.
- Bridge Collapse Inquiry Mired in Secrecy
A tenth victim has died following a bridge collapse on the Great Northern line, as company officials actively obstruct the inquest.
- Seattle Rebuilds After the 1889 Great Fire
A catastrophic blaze levels the city’s business district, triggering a massive relief effort and ushering in new urban planning.
- The Night They Burned the Bridges: Sprague Makes Its Stand
A mob stones the returning militia, torch-wielding strikers destroy trestles on both sides of town, and a governor wires back orders to 'use all force at your command' to disperse the rioters.
- The Day Seabeck Burned
When the Washington Mill Company caught fire in 1886, a small mill town was leveled in just two hours, leaving over 100 men without work and a local entrepreneur's life's work in ashes.
- Founding the University of Washington
In 1861, commissioners reported on the hard-won construction of the territory's first university, built from scratch with donated land and volunteer labor.
- The Siege of Seattle: When the City Huddled Behind Timber Walls
A newly unearthed account from pioneer A.A. Denny details the terrifying winter of 1856, when settlers built fortified blockhouses at key intersections and waited for an Indian attack that never came.
- The Vigilantes' Ghost: Seattle's Dark Secret in Two Maple Trees
A poem published in the *Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer* reveals the city’s foundational myth: that its current 'peaceable' order was bought with the blood of six men hanged by a secret committee when the law failed to act.