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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 4 |
| 1877 | 5 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 3 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1889 | 5 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 2 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 5 |
| 1895 | 5 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 2 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1909 | 3 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1917 | 1 |
53 stories matching unoccupi
- Abandoned North Seattle Home Destroyed by Fire
An unoccupied house in the city's north side was reduced to ash in the early hours of Monday morning.
- The North Coast Railway Sets Sights on Yakima Valley
Robert E. Strahorn announces a new system of steam railways designed to dominate unoccupied territory and connect remote coal and agricultural districts to North Yakima.
- The Failed Insurance Fire
A tenant narrowly escapes a fire set by an arsonist owner who couldn't collect insurance on an empty house.
- Fire Destroys Oroville Laundry and Livery Stable
A late-night blaze claims a steam laundry and an unoccupied livery stable in Oroville’s 'old town' after a suspected electrical short.
- The Land Grab That Stalled at Metaline
A speculator tried to claim the Metaline townsite by scrip, but found the ground already occupied. The fight moved to the surrounding land—and residents began pushing for a government townsite instead.
- Teamsters vs. The Law on Mill Street
A group of teamsters clashes with local authorities over a new parking ordinance.
- The Price of Progress: Arson in the Shadow of the Opera House
When an old commercial building was moved to make way for Seattle's new Opera House, a firebug turned the vacated structure into a torch.
- The High Price of Speculation
Real estate owners in 1872 Olympia are holding vacant lots hostage, refusing to sell or lease, effectively strangling the city's economic growth.
- Suspicion Falls on Youths After Ballard Arson
A vacant building owned by Fred E. Sander was destroyed by fire in Ballard; two local boys seen fleeing the scene are now suspects.
- Legislative Debate Over Land Rights for Discharged Soldiers
Olympia lawmakers clash over proposed land grants for discharged soldiers, fearing corporate land speculation.
- Railroad Donates Unused Land to Feed the Unemployed
Facing economic hardship, local families receive temporary plots to turn vacant railroad land into gardens.
- The Battle Over Seattle’s Tide Lands
A federal decision in 1889 confirms that tide lands in Washington Territory are federal property, opening the door for 'Valentine scrip' land grabs.
- Judge Hanford's Concrete Landmark Lost to Fire
A vacant ranch house near the town of Hanford, built of concrete and valued at $5,000, is reduced to ruins by a suspected electrical fire.
- The Russian Thistle Invasion
Okanogan County declares war on an invasive weed threatening local agriculture.
- The Electric Line Opens a New Frontier
A newly inaugurated transit line promises to transform the wilderness along Lake Washington into the city’s next affluent suburb.
- Washington’s Hidden Bounty: The Oat Capital of 1889
Newly released federal statistics highlight the massive agricultural potential of Washington Territory, crowning it as the nation's premier producer of oats.
- Seattle's Public Ball Grounds Ruined by Grading
Young athletes find their field, cleared and maintained at their own expense, rendered useless by city infrastructure work.
- Firefighters battle blaze in the ruins of the old McMaster mill
A fire sparked by a passing engine ignited the long-abandoned McMaster's mill wharf, forcing firefighters to wade through shallow mud flats to save the structure.
- The Absurd Scheme to Build a Railway to the Top of Mount Rainier
When a coal mine failed, desperate land speculators proposed a preposterous tourist railroad to the summit of the mountain to boost property values.
- The Mysterious Government Inspector
A Tacoma man claimed a high-level federal appointment in the Department of the Interior, shaking down friends for cash before federal officials exposed the scheme as a total fabrication.
- The Horse Tamer Who Captivated Seattle
Professor O. R. Gleason's horse-taming exhibition at the Armory becomes a city-wide sensation, drawing crowds and high-stakes wagers.
- The Seattle Fire That Almost Burned the Town
An incendiary blaze at the old Coffee and Elbow Saloon nearly consumed downtown Seattle in a narrow escape that left hundreds of men standing by with buckets.
- The Black Pall Over Washington’s Future
A proposed decade-long extension for the Northern Pacific Railroad threatens to monopolize the territory's vast timber and mineral wealth while stifling independent settlement.
- The Myth of the Promised Land: 1885
A reader challenges the city's booster press, exposing the gap between industrial promises and the reality of a struggling population.
- The Desperate Plea of a Starving Squatter
A man living in an abandoned log house on the Puyallup reservation describes the violent standoff that led to his arrest and the shooting of a local sheriff.