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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1876 | 15 |
| 1877 | 7 |
| 1878 | 7 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 4 |
| 1883 | 9 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 5 |
| 1889 | 12 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 14 |
| 1892 | 6 |
| 1893 | 4 |
| 1894 | 18 |
| 1895 | 8 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 9 |
| 1902 | 3 |
| 1903 | 7 |
| 1904 | 7 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 6 |
| 1910 | 3 |
| 1911 | 3 |
| 1914 | 2 |
| 1915 | 2 |
| 1916 | 2 |
| 1917 | 2 |
| 1918 | 2 |
172 stories matching wasn
- The Finley Fair's Pie-Eating Showdown
A local pie-eating contest goes off the rails when a contestant tries to drink his pie like beer.
- The Sidewalk That Wasn't There
Madison Street pedestrians face a five-foot drop into darkness as structural supports vanish, leaving only a 'shaky' plank over the void.
- The Bond Election That Wasn't Legal
Olympia's council pushed the city into debt and ordered a vote before checking whether it had the authority to do so — then spent public money to learn it hadn't. The Tribune, having warned them, savours the mess.
- The Water That Wasn't There: Seattle's First Major Infrastructure Crisis
As the city prepares for its first major expansion, the Seattle Water Company announces a total shutdown of supply to upper levels, leaving residents and businesses in the dark.
- Forced Expulsion of Japanese Workers
Citizens in Darrington organize to forcibly remove immigrant laborers from town.
- The Missing Rancher Who Wasn't Murdered
A sensational report of a brutal crime vanishes when the 'victim' walks into a downtown barber shop for a shave.
- The Brutal Efficiency of the Newsboy's Union
When the newsboys couldn't keep order during their meeting on Yesler Wharf, the president and his officers resorted to canes to restore discipline.
- An Unusual Early Warning Saves a Ranch Barn
When a midnight fire threatened a local ranch, it wasn't a smoke alarm, but the persistent cries of farm animals that alerted the sleeping family.
- The Land That Wasn't: A Seattle Man’s Bid for Federal Territory
While Congress debates silver pools and election bills in Washington D.C., a local resident named Wilson files an application for public land in the vast, unorganized territory of Washington.
- The Bridge That Wasn't: A Legal Battle Over Aberdeen’s Lifeline
In December 1890, a judge struck down the county commissioners' plan for the Heron Street bridge over the Wishkah River, forcing a redesign that would finally connect the east side of town.
- The Wandering Grifter’s Free Pass
A man accused of passing bogus checks across Oregon and Washington walked free after local authorities decided the cost of prosecution wasn't worth the effort.
- The Stolen Baby of Tacoma
A grieving woman confesses to kidnaping an infant, claiming she needed a child to save her marriage.
- The Price of Apathy in the School Board Election
A surprise victory for J. A. Johnson over Rod Sprague reveals that local civic engagement hangs on the turnout of supporters.
- Richland’s Harvest Jubilee Smashes Expectations
A banner year for the local agricultural festival draws record crowds from Kennewick and Pasco.
- The Trust That Wasn't: Seattle's Local Insurance Giant Puts Out a Fire (and a Note of Thanks)
While national headlines buzz with anti-trust legislation in St. Louis, a local grocery store owner in Seattle offers a rare moment of civic gratitude to the Farmers' Insurance Company for promptly covering the losses of a recent Jackson Street fire.
- The Financial Cost of the Temperance Fight
A state supreme court ruling creates a $42,000 budget deficit for Everett, leaving the city to grapple with the economic fallout of its prohibitionist policies.
- The Presidential Impersonator of Snohomish
A local man causes a stir on Main Street, staging a political reception from the porch of the Snohomish Exchange before his performance is cut short by a mud puddle.
- The Map That Wasn’t Evidence May Reopen a State Boundary Fight
Washington’s special attorney says the Supreme Court relied on a colored map never introduced in the Oregon-Washington boundary case.
- The Case of the Misdirected Ten-Dollar Bill
A young man finds himself in legal jeopardy after allegedly claiming mail that wasn't his, sparking a federal investigation.
- The Neighborhood Sewing Circle as Status Symbol
In 19th-century Snohomish, owning a Singer sewing machine wasn't just about utility—it was a public declaration of civic standing and domestic modernity.
- The Man Who Wasn't Mad: A Civil War Veteran’s Battle for Sanity
James A. Balch, a tall, soldierly old man in a faded uniform, was held at the King County Insane Asylum for five years despite being lucid. His family fought him through habeas corpus, and today, the superintendent admitted he had recovered his reason.
- A Whitworth Student's Despair
After reading 'trashy' novels, a 16-year-old student attempts suicide twice in one day.
- The Desert That Wasn't: A Lesson in Eastern Bias
When visiting journalists labeled the Columbia Basin a 'desolation,' a local farmer proved them wrong with a bounty of fruit and grain.
- The Mine That Wasn't: A Spokane Man's $5,000 Hole in the Ground
C. P. O'Brien swears he was sold a fourth interest in the O.K. mine for $5,000 — a claim that turns out to have no ore, no ledge, and no existence at all. Clerks, businessmen and a woman stenographer say they were fleeced too.
- The $25,000 House That Wasn't: Seattle’s First Sewer Bidding War
As the city prepares to build its modern sewer system, contractors are already fighting over the lucrative contracts, revealing how quickly public infrastructure deals become private fortunes.