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58 stories matching transient
- The Transient Merchant Problem
A group of clothing peddlers skips town, leaving local brick-and-mortar merchants to foot the tax bill.
- Tacoma Election Officials Brace for Voter Fraud
With the municipal election approaching, Tacoma officials scramble to investigate 'manufactured' voters and illegal registrations by transients.
- The Tear-Off Ballot Stub and the $25 Fine for Not Voting
Two 1893 bills proposed a perforated anti-fraud ballot and compulsory voting with transient polling places, hoping to end vote buying in Washington.
- Ghosts in the Voting Booth: Election Fraud Suspected in Tacoma
Registration rolls are found to be packed with names of men who don't exist and addresses that aren't there, raising alarms of election rigging.
- A Deadly Campfire Dispute
A traveler is brutally murdered after refusing to share his fire with a group of transients, highlighting the volatility of the frontier trail.
- The Rising Tide of Transient Labor
A federal report highlights the growing reliance on Mexican migrant workers in the American West and the social shifts it triggers.
- The Town That Almost Reached a Thousand
In 1876, Seattle's growing pains were measured by the ballot box, as the bustling port struggled to tally its transient maritime population.
- The Kiona Store Heist
Local merchants report a break-in at the Kelso-Hughes shop, where thieves made off with merchandise under the cover of darkness.
- The Price of a Saloon Brawl
A local man is fined for striking a peer after an argument, sparking local commentary on the behavior of transient laborers in town.
- The Hungry Season in Richland
As berry pickers flood the valley, residents struggle to balance their charity with the reality of petty theft.
- Richland's Spasmodic Boom
Construction of new drainage ditches and an influx of workers brings a wave of prosperity—and busy dinner tables—to Richland.
- The Boodle Battle: Political Corruption and Vagrancy in Tacoma
As local politicians fight for control of city offices, Tacoma's Populists take aim at 'boodlers' and the importation of vagrants to influence local elections.
- The Hidden Passenger in the Boxcar
A railroad worker discovers a surprisingly cozy, well-stocked 'home' inside a freight car, sparking questions about the hidden lives of transients traveling across the continent.
- A Costly Night in the Variety District
A visitor to Seattle finds his night out ending in theft and a trip to court after a spree in the city's rough-and-tumble nightlife.
- The Price of a Bed and Board
A legal dispute over unpaid bills reveals the precarious nature of transient life in early Snohomish.
- The Hidden Hoard of Seattle's Pioneer Square
A rare coin discovery in 1888 offers a glimpse into the transient, globalized pockets of Seattle's earliest residents.
- The Vagrancy Question in Ritzville
Business owners and locals grow increasingly hostile toward transients passing through on the railroad.
- The Invisible Citizens of North Yakima
A local editor complains that federal census rules are failing to count the transient, hardworking men who keep the city growing.
- The Barber, the Boarder, and the Bad Meat
A Rosalia boarding house proprietor sues for $6,000 after a poet lampoons his culinary standards in the local paper.
- The Strange Robbery on Coppin’s Hill
A local saloon owner claims he was robbed by footpads, but his suspicious story leads police to consider a city-wide crackdown on transients.
- City Leaders Demand Immediate Postal Relief
Seattle's Chamber of Commerce warns that the city's growth has completely overwhelmed the local post office.
- City and County Spar Over Smallpox Care Costs
A simmering dispute between the Seattle City Council and King County over who should pay to treat the city's sick and indigent.
- A Tent City Emerges in Seattle
A desperate housing shortage and the high cost of living have forced hundreds of residents into tent encampments.
- The Ghostly Tenements of Early Seattle
Before the city’s rapid transformation, Seattle’s housing market was a landscape of cramped, 'little rooms upstairs' and boarding house advertisements catering to the transient laborer.
- The Klondike Hangover: When Thousands of Prospectors Got Stuck in Seattle
Fresh off the gold fields, prospectors and tourists have flooded Seattle’s hotels and lodging houses, leading to a seasonal 'nuisance' of revelry and joblessness in the city center.