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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 6 |
| 1858 | 4 |
| 1859 | 5 |
| 1860 | 3 |
| 1861 | 9 |
| 1862 | 7 |
| 1863 | 6 |
| 1864 | 3 |
| 1865 | 2 |
| 1871 | 2 |
| 1872 | 17 |
| 1876 | 101 |
| 1877 | 75 |
| 1878 | 56 |
| 1879 | 5 |
| 1880 | 15 |
| 1882 | 16 |
| 1883 | 118 |
| 1884 | 39 |
| 1885 | 97 |
| 1886 | 62 |
| 1887 | 79 |
| 1888 | 51 |
| 1889 | 169 |
| 1890 | 27 |
| 1891 | 130 |
| 1892 | 289 |
| 1893 | 320 |
| 1894 | 305 |
| 1895 | 407 |
| 1897 | 9 |
| 1898 | 24 |
| 1899 | 99 |
| 1900 | 6 |
| 1902 | 4 |
| 1903 | 149 |
| 1904 | 136 |
| 1905 | 6 |
| 1907 | 6 |
| 1908 | 52 |
| 1909 | 190 |
| 1910 | 27 |
| 1911 | 13 |
| 1912 | 6 |
| 1914 | 22 |
| 1915 | 28 |
| 1916 | 48 |
| 1917 | 31 |
| 1918 | 2 |
| 1922 | 2 |
| 1923 | 19 |
| 1924 | 14 |
| 1925 | 7 |
| 1928 | 1 |
3,326 stories matching taken
- The Rockets Turned Around: Tacoma's Fourth of July Went Up in a Sheet of Flame
A spark touched off the entire $500 pyrotechnic stock at Wright Park, driving rockets and bombs into a crowd of thousands and leaving women and children burned, trampled and briefly lost in the smoke.
- The Missing Will That Would Have Given Seattle a Library
Henry Yesler's widow and two doctors are arrested, accused of burning a will that left the pioneer's fortune—and his mansion—to the city.
- The Judge Who Gambled Away His Office: Soderberg’s Dramatic Resignation
After the grand jury returned five indictments for extortion and malfeasance in office, District Attorney Joseph Soderberg walked into court, tendered his resignation, and declared he would repay every illegal fee to the county treasury.
- The Day Two Houses Fell on Their Owners: A Seattle Collapse That Should Have Killed Everyone
W.H. Burrett’s attempt to raise two frame buildings for renovation turned into a nightmare when the structures collapsed onto workmen and families below, leaving only miraculous luck to keep the death toll at zero.
- The Wig and the Wire: How a Tacoma Newspaper Owner Tried to Destroy a Judge
In the sensational Wickersham trial of 1889, prosecutor R.P. Radebaugh’s own past and his alleged conspiracy to frame Judge Wickersham for 'immorality' were laid bare in court.
- Masked Vigilantes Hang a Convicted Murderer in Dayton Jail
James McPherson, convicted of murdering E. H. Cummins at New York Bar, was taken from the Dayton jail by masked men and hanged, despite a governor's reprieve and a new trial order.
- The Gold in Swauk Creek — and the Railroad That Wanted the Ground Under It
Miners in Kittitas County had quietly pulled a fortune in placer gold from Swauk Creek for over a decade. When the Northern Pacific moved to patent the land, they finally went public with the numbers.
- The Fight to Save Nordstrom: Money, Friends, and a Legal Race Against the Noose
Convicted of murder and sentenced to hang, C. Nordstrom finds a network of supporters—including the Swedish consul—raising funds for a last-ditch appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
- The Mint Saloon Loses Its License—and City Hall Braces for Court
The council confirmed a new police commissioner, reappointed officials, revoked the Mint Saloon's license over loud legal objections, and set Pike Street on the road to vitrified brick.
- Snohomish, 1898: A Ferry Claim Becomes a Booster's Dream City
A promotional tour of the inland Puget Sound town traces its founding by I.C. Ferguson, its lumber and fishing wages, and the railroad that turned a river landing into a self-described city of homes.
- The Invisible Killer in Your Milk: Seattle’s Health Officer Warns of Tuberculosis Cows
With consumption rates soaring and no dedicated veterinary inspector on staff, local officials admit the city is dangerously unprepared to stop diseased cattle from entering the food supply.
- The Coal Creek Massacre: A Coroner’s Inquest into the Battle Between Knights of Labor and Mine Owners
In January 1890, Seattle Sheriff Cochrane deployed militia to Newcastle to suppress a miners' strike. When a riot erupted at Coal Creek, one man was killed and ten arrested. The subsequent coroner's inquest revealed a chaotic scene where union men claimed self-defense against armed mine owners, while the sheriff dismissed the Knights of Labor as 'too excitable.'
- The Octopus and the Seal: A Local Captain’s War Against a Washington Monopoly
In 1901, Port Townsend resident James G. Swan published affidavits from experienced hunters to debunk Professor Elliott’s claim that seal pups sink like stones, exposing the Alaska Commercial Company’s stranglehold on federal policy.
- A Midnight Knock, a Hidden Fortune, and a Brutal Beating on Vashon Island
Two men demand an old rancher's money, bind and club him, then ransack his cabin for a cache of cash. Seattle police arrest a suspect—and then the victim's wife.
- Ousted Over an $18.90 Lumber Bill, a Councilman Gets His Seat Back
Ballard's council removed Thomas Winsor without a hearing — right after he accused the city treasurer of pocketing $1,058. A judge ruled the whole thing illegal and threw out his replacement.
- A Tin Box of Gold Hidden in the Rafters
South Seattle police say the hammer that killed a mother and her baby belonged to Henry Cramer — and the money taken from the dead woman's house was stashed in his shed. Now the neighbours are talking about a rope.
- A Family Hunt in the Wilderness
A Missouri doctor travels to Seattle to find his missing uncle, only to uncover a trail of orphaned cousins scattered across the city.
- The City Clamps Down on Variety Theaters
Seattle authorities arrest variety theater owners for allowing singing in venues where alcohol is served.
- The Night a Belltown Real Estate Agent Fought Five Officers and Yelled 'Murder'
J.J. Middleton was taken from his home near Front and Virginia streets in a fit of violent insanity, convinced that a cabal at the post office was plotting to seize his property.
- The Mine That Wasn’t? A Captain Denies a Half-Million-Dollar Gold Swindle
An English capitalist’s suit against Alaska millionaires turned a Port Townsend sailing into a Pacific Coast sensation, with charges of swapped ore, gold-soaked drill cores, and a forceful denial from Capt. James Carroll.
- A South Seattle Murder Case Becomes a Constitutional Test
Henry Craemer’s court-appointed lawyer argued that Washington could not try a capital case on a prosecutor’s information. Judge Humes said it could; Craemer pleaded not guilty and began hunting for an alibi witness lost in the Cascades.
- Canoeing the Queets: Promise and Dispossession on the Olympic Peninsula
An 1892 travelogue celebrates homesteaders in the Queets River valley while arguing that Native hunters should be confined to the reservation.
- The Temperance Raid on Yesler Avenue
While the city struggled to recover from the Great Fire, police cracked down on a saloon operating in defiance of the mayor’s emergency prohibition order.
- A Gavel, a Roar, and a Populist Ticket Born in Chaos
King County's People's Party convention at Turner Hall turned into a shouting, proxy-fighting, faction-splitting marathon—and buried Dr. J. Eugene Jordan and Jack McDonald on the way to nominating a ticket.
- Spokane Telephone Operators Walk Out in Solidarity
Striking operators and linemen demand to return as a unified body, defying company attempts to replace them.
Also about this, in other words
- The Abduction and Drugging of Lody Wirt
A young girl is kidnapped at a local depot and transported to Seattle, sparking a criminal investigation.
- A Street Fight Over a Package of Meat
A man attempted to steal a package of meat off the steps of the Golden Gate building, only to face a vigorous drubbing from his victim.
- A Heartbroken Search for a Stolen Boy
A Seattle man heads to Denver to rescue his adopted son, kidnapped from a Yesler Avenue home.
- The Case of the Altered Ford
A stolen car abandoned near the ferry crossing reveals a trail of tampered serial numbers and missing license plates.
- The Water Took Her: A Canoe Accident at Seattle's Wharf, 1877
A canoe overturns in the dark beside Mechanics' Wharf. The others make it to shore—but the old woman slips away before anyone can save her.
- Betrayal in the Alley
A grocery store owner was severely beaten and robbed by a young man he had previously befriended.
- The Thief Who Stole a Coat Under the Nose of the Law
A bold pickpocket makes the mistake of committing his crime right under the watchful gaze of a city official.
- The Ticket Taker's Midnight Mugging
A L'Allegro Club treasurer was lured from the dance floor into a trap, ending in a gagging and a $55 robbery.