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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 2 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1893 | 1 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 4 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
26 stories matching sparkl
- The City Lights and Waterworks Are Complete
North Yakima unveils a $176,000 infrastructure project intended to serve the city of the future.
- A touring tragedian tells Seattle's schoolgirls to put down 'Trilby' and read Shakespeare
Frederick Warde, in town to play Julius Caesar at the Seattle Theater, spends a Friday afternoon lecturing a packed house for the high school library — and is sent off with flowers and a standing ovation from the pupils.
- The Grand Opening of the Occidental Hotel
John Collins opened the Occidental Hotel to thousands with free food and drink; it now accepts guests.
- The Ghost Funeral of Old Tacoma
When the municipal board of the newly consolidated Tacoma decided to spend their final surplus on a booze cruise to Seattle, the 'Queen City' prepared a mock-funeral reception that never materialized.
- Walla Walla's Growing Pains and Water Worries
A civil engineer lays out a blueprint for the city's future water supply, warning that small, aging pipes are a danger to fire safety.
- The End of the Christmas Candle
Electric lighting emerged in 1915 as a revolutionary safety solution to the annual tragedy of candle-lit trees burning down homes.
- The Rose Queen of Tacoma
A grand lawn fete at the Cochran estate features a rose-themed pageant and a battle of the flowers.
- South Tacoma’s Quest for Clean Water
City officials prepare to test new artesian wells, aiming to replace a water supply plagued by 'foul drainage' and contamination.
- Gold Fever on the Skagit: A Prospector's Report
Fresh from the gold fields, miners report that the Skagit region is sparkling with riches, promising to make skeptics take a backseat.
- The Original Miners: How Native Americans Discovered the Metaline's Lead Riches
Long before white prospectors staked claims, Indigenous people mined lead in the Metaline region to make bullets and slugs—and their ancient workings still dot the landscape.
- The Wireless Monopoly Comes to Everett
A newly formed 'wireless trust' backed by Dr. Lee DeForest plans to plant a long-distance station in Everett, aiming to command the airwaves just as the Bell system controlled the phones.
- The Constable Who Walked Off With the Diamond Ring
A $150 raffle at a South Second Street barber shop ended before the drawing could begin when a creditor arrived with a writ of attachment.
- The Aberdeen Rifles' First Grand Gala
A night of 'brass buttons and bright eyes' as the new local armory on Heron Street hosts its inaugural dance.
- The Bid for the Capital: North Yakima’s 1889 Pitch
Before Olympia was cemented as the seat of power, boosters in North Yakima laid out an elaborate, nature-inspired argument for why their valley was the natural heart of the new state.
- The Sudden Boom of McMurray
A newly minted railroad station on Lake McMurray transforms a quiet forest into a bustling industrial hub almost overnight.
- The Bachelor's Ruse: A Victorian Love Game in Seattle
A lonely Seattle bachelor attempts to 'test' his ward’s character through a series of elaborate, scholarly letters, only to find himself the one being studied.
- The Gentleman Wood-Sawyer of Seattle
When a young man’s romantic and financial future hung in the balance, he traded his social standing for an axe to impress a boarding-house landlady’s daughter.
- The Empty Crib at the Corner of Third and Union
A quiet, haunting reflection from 1876 Seattle on the enduring grief of losing a child and the keepsakes that remain.
- The Promised Land of the Big Bend
A traveler in 1888 reports back from the rugged frontier of Douglas County, painting a picture of a burgeoning agricultural hub and a wild, pristine Lake Chelan waiting for its first hotels.
- The Skagit Valley's Endless Harvest
While the rest of the country faced the winter chill of 1891, gardeners in Skagit County were picking fresh blackberries and watching peas bloom in the open air.
- The Dealer in the Gambling Den
In the rowdy timber town of Sedro-Woolley, the local gamblers have found a unique way to keep the peace: replacing the standard rough-hewn card shark with a captivating young woman.
- The Diamond Gaff: How John Considine Cornered Spokane's Variety Theaters
John W. Considine wanted a monopoly on Spokane's variety theaters. So he invented a wealthy Chicago buyer—and tricked a rival into leasing him two theaters at bargain rates.
- Seattle's Amateur Athletes Rally for the Franklin Miners
Mandolins, wrestling, slackwire and buck dancing packed the Seattle Theater to raise relief money for the families of the Franklin mine disaster — pushing the fund toward $2,000.
- A Road, a Railroad and a 10x10 Schoolhouse: Into the Wilds of Clallam County
S. W. Clark returns from the far western corner of the Olympic Peninsula with tales of rich soil, bachelors' cabins, Indian-canoe supply lines and a weekly paper published in the forest.
- The Canal That Would Make Seattle an Island
In 1883, surveyors proposed locks and canals linking Lake Union and Lake Washington to tidewater—so coal could move by water and Seattle could 'practically stand on an island.'