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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 3 |
| 1893 | 1 |
| 1894 | 1 |
| 1895 | 3 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1909 | 1 |
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19 stories matching unprotect
- The Tinderbox City: How Unprotected Seattle Lived in Fear of Fire
While the downtown core grew rapidly, many residential districts remained dangerously isolated from fire protection, leaving property owners in a literal state of vulnerability.
- The Scandal at the Springfield Hotel
A young woman’s stay at a local hotel comes to a chaotic end when three separate men arrive to claim her as their own.
- Fire Company Disbands, Leaving Town Unprotected
The Rescoe Engine Co. folds in Port Townsend, sparking local fears about fire safety and a desperate hope for a new steam engine.
- The Big Freeze Hits the Valley
An unexpected Arctic snap brings zero-degree temperatures to the Columbia Valley, threatening local crops and breaking November records.
- The 'Bear of Third Street' Prank
A group of rowdy boys in 1880s Seattle found a cruel way to terrorize women walking home alone at night.
- Policy Change Leaves Fire Response Manned by a Skeleton Crew
A fire on Eighth Street leaves a woman injured and sparks an investigation into why the police patrol wagon failed to respond, revealing the consequences of city austerity.
- Winter Blooms on Orcas Island
A mid-winter letter from a settler describes the unexpected beauty of a January garden and the quiet expansion of island life in 1878.
- University Student Killed in Mountaineering Accident
A tragic fall on Mt. Kaletan claims the life of a prominent young climber and Boy Scout leader.
- The Unprotected Sound
An editorial on the vulnerability of Puget Sound's defenses against foreign intervention.
- The Brutal Legacy of Seattle's Vigilante Justice
A citizen letter from 1894 reflects on the city's dark history of mob violence and the perceived failure of the legal system to address crime.
- The Mutiny on the Bark Hesper Comes Back to a Seattle Courtroom
Two mariners who spent fourteen months confined on Alcatraz are brought to Seattle to testify in the retrial of a sailor accused of murdering an officer and plotting to turn a ship pirate.
- A Sunday Sermon Against Walla Walla's Saloons
Reverend Holman B. Turner calls out the city's unchecked vice, demanding law enforcement on the north side of Main Street.
- The Peril of Volunteer Firefighters in 1889 Seattle
As the city rapidly expands, the fire chief warns that an unpaid, disorganized volunteer force leaves Seattle’s growing wooden skyline at the mercy of every spark.
- The Queen City’s Growing Pains
In an 1888 address, Seattle’s mayor reflects on the city's meteoric population growth, the struggle to replace wooden 'make-shift' infrastructure with modern brick, and the urgent need to expand the fire department to cover the city's steep, expanding hillsides.
- Street Robberies Rise in Under-Patrolled Everett
A string of Saturday night muggings in the residential districts has residents on edge, sparking calls to restore police staffing levels.
- Seattle's Fire Drill Revealed a City Almost Defenseless Against Flames
A routine test of the fire department exposed feeble water pressure and sent two firemen to bed with serious injuries.
- A Spyglass in the Cascades: How a Ten-Man Tacoma Posse Foiled a Northern Pacific Train Robbery
An informer, three weeks of hiding in the mountains, and a masked gang waiting on the tracks near Cle Elum — the trap was set for Friday night and it worked.
- Fire Limits, Flying Switches and a Fifty-Year Franchise: One Evening at Newport's City Hall
In a single session the council moved to outlaw frame buildings downtown, chased street grades on three avenues, turned back a second telephone exchange, and heard that trains were nearly killing people at the Fourth Street crossing — three times in one day.
- The Shipworm Eating Seattle’s Waterfront
Wharf owners were spending a fortune fighting a saltwater pest. The fix: fill the tide flats, cut freshwater waterways, and make the harbor safe for pilings—and insurance.