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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 2 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 24 |
| 1877 | 23 |
| 1878 | 8 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 11 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 20 |
| 1886 | 8 |
| 1887 | 6 |
| 1888 | 11 |
| 1889 | 25 |
| 1890 | 7 |
| 1891 | 29 |
| 1892 | 63 |
| 1893 | 40 |
| 1894 | 56 |
| 1895 | 61 |
| 1897 | 4 |
| 1898 | 16 |
| 1899 | 41 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 55 |
| 1904 | 19 |
| 1905 | 5 |
| 1907 | 3 |
| 1908 | 21 |
| 1909 | 42 |
| 1910 | 10 |
| 1911 | 4 |
| 1914 | 14 |
| 1915 | 5 |
| 1916 | 16 |
| 1917 | 9 |
| 1918 | 2 |
| 1919 | 2 |
| 1923 | 7 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1925 | 1 |
| 1928 | 1 |
685 stories matching wash
- The Auctioneer’s Audacity: A Watch and a Pen for Gold
Three local men face fraud charges after allegedly selling worthless gold-washed trinkets to unsuspecting buyers under the guise of a legitimate auction.
- The Palace of Ink and Pine
A satirical look at a new, supposedly 'palatial' three-story printing office in Seattle, which turns out to be just one story above a Chinese wash-house.
- The Great Laundry War: Why Seattle Needs a 'White Labor' Steam Plant
In 1876, local entrepreneurs argued that Chinese washermen were stealing clothes and that white-owned steam laundries were the only way to save delicate women from catching cold.
- The Great Seattle Clothesline Robbery
A local druggist rallies the neighborhood after a daring nighttime heist of freshly washed laundry.
- The Unruly Puyallup River Threatens the Northern Pacific Bridge
Contractors scramble to hold the line as melting mountain snows turn the river into a destructive force against railway infrastructure.
- A Heartbreaking Accident on the Back Porch
A three-year-old child drowns in a wash-tub while the mother is momentarily away from the kitchen.
- The Neighborhood Vigilance of 1886
When a Chinese-run laundry was established in a Seattle neighborhood, residents didn't petition the city—they took matters into their own hands.
- The Great Walla Walla Freshet of 1876
After unseasonable rains decimated the region's infrastructure, locals wondered if a waterspout had carved a path of destruction through the mountains.
- Cloudburst Wrecks Railroad Tracks in the Pilchuck Valley
A cloudburst washed out 100 yards of Lake Shore track at Machias and flooded the Pilchuck Valley.
- The Unraveling of Lee Wa Poo
A Chinese man’s descent into mental distress in Renton ends in his arrest and public pathologization.
- Wash Tubs and Tin Cans: A Hover Serenade
When a group of friends arrived to serenade newlyweds in Horse Heaven, they realized they had forgotten their instruments.
- A Laundryman's Return to a Hostile City
A Chinese resident attempts to collect back pay after being expelled from Seattle.
- The Wire Comes to Aberdeen
A town finally speaks to the outside world, instantly shortening the distance between the harbor and the rest of the globe.
- The Gold Fever Strikes Steilacoom
A local citizen hits a pocket of gold, sparking a frantic rush among town residents.
- City Council Targets 'Disorderly' Tenements
A new ordinance aims to clear out homes deemed a public nuisance based on the 'customs and habits' of residents.
- The Political 'Linen-Washing' of 1892
In a frantic bid for the labor vote in Tacoma, mayoral candidate Alexander Parker is forced to scrub his reputation of sympathy for the city's persecuted Chinese community.
- Mystery Body Washes Ashore
A body found near a local cracker factory sparks a coroner's investigation into an unidentified drowning.
- The Laundries of Lenora Street
A cat-and-mouse game between Seattle authorities and Chinese migrants navigating the exclusionary landscape of 1892.
- The Territorial Standoff on the Clothesline
A suburban Seattle squabble over laundry, reputation, and the prying eyes of the neighborhood in 1878.
- The Unwritten Law of Ballard
A Chinese laundryman is chased from the suburb by a mob enforcing a local, extra-legal ban on residents of Chinese descent.
- The Unending Drain at Columbia Street
A classic city mistake in 1886: an improperly built drain leads to a massive, costly wash-out that requires days of manual labor to repair.
- Taming the Snohomish River
After six years of washed-out roads and frantic land acquisition, Snohomish County finally takes a permanent stand against the river's erosion.
- The Washer Invention at the Snohomish Fair
A local demonstration of a new, lightweight washing machine promises to revolutionize labor for households across the Puget Sound country.
- Chasing Gold in the Yakima River
A group of enterprising prospectors has constructed a specialized barge to extract gold from the sands of the Yakima River.
- The Skokomish River's Fury
A rapid rise and fall of water levels damages county roads and sweeps away mining camp infrastructure in Mason County.
Also about this, in other words
- The Laundry Day Mix-up
A young immigrant from Wisconsin makes a frantic dash through Second Street in a desperate attempt to retrieve a $100 bill sewn into his undershirt.
- The Stench of the Exchange
A Snohomish newspaper takes aim at an upstream sanitation disaster, warning that the town’s growth is outpacing its infrastructure.
- Seven Inches in Ten Days: The Flood That Broke Puget Sound
A warm Chinook melted mountain snow into relentless rain, washing out the Northern Pacific, wrecking the Naphtha launch works, and isolating towns from Tacoma to Seattle.
- The Typhoid Warning from Salem
Walla Walla is warned against the dangers of Mill Creek water after an epidemic in Salem, Oregon, exposes the failures of filtration.
- The Steam Laundry That Would Save Your Clothes (And Your Wallet)
In May 1877, Seattle businessman L.D. Frank announced a bold new venture: a steam-powered laundry on Commercial Street that promised to clean clothes faster and cheaper than the traditional Chinese method—while explicitly excluding Chinese workers.
- The Whitewashing of Snohomish: A Town’s Cosmetic Makeover
In a display of civic vanity and political maneuvering, local officials have undertaken an elaborate 'whitewashing' of the town, leaving residents to wonder if the fresh coat of paint hides more than just grime.
- Harnessing the River's Pulse
A new Seattle-based company plans to revolutionize Eastern Washington agriculture using 'current motors' that turn river waves into irrigation power.
- The Skagit River Snag-Clearer's Defense
After volunteers broke their backs clearing river jams, a community organizer had to fight off accusations of embezzlement.