On July 21, 1873, in Seattle, a funeral is held for Chun Wa (1841?-1873). The deceased was a partner with Chun Ching Hock (1844-1927) in the Wa Chong Company, a general-merchandise store. The store is...
On August 9, 1873, Thomas Prosch (1850-1915) begins publishing Tacoma's first newspaper, the Pacific Tribune. Prosch has moved the newspaper from Olympia to Tacoma immediately following the Northern P...
On October 19, 1873, at about 4 o'clock p.m. "clouds of smoke were seen pouring from the highest peak of Mount Rainer [sic]." People continue observing the outpouring of smoke until clouds obscure the...
On October 31, 1873, the Washington Territorial Legislature creates San Juan County, separating the San Juan Islands from Whatcom County on the mainland, of which they have been part since the long-st...
On December 31, 1873, coal gas is used for the first time to light Seattle streets, homes, and businesses. Charles E. Burrows was awarded the franchise on June 6, 1873, and built a coal gas plant...
In the early 1870s, Seattle retail businesses are open from 5 or 6 a.m. until 9 or 10 p.m., 365 days a year, including Christmas and Thanksgiving.
During January 1874, a "colored" (African American) student attends the winter session of the University of Washington. Some white parents complain to the Board of Regents for allowing "colored" child...
On January 5, 1874, scheduled service on the Pacific Division of Northern Pacific Railroad (NP) begins between New Tacoma and Kalama. New Tacoma is located in Pierce County in the southern part of the...
On February 23, 1874 at 8 p.m., the citizens of Seattle put on a Masquerade Ball at the Pavilion, with an attendance of about 300 including about 50 couples in costume and some 200 spectators. "'The a...
On March 6, 1874, Joe Nuanna (1856-1874) is hanged at Port Townsend for the brutal murders of Harry (ca. 1839-1873) and Selena (ca. 1850-1873) Dwyer, young homesteaders on San Juan Island. When the vi...
On Friday, May 1, 1874, the citizens of Seattle travel by boat, foot, and horse to the mouth of the Duwamish River to start work on Seattle's second railroad, the Seattle & Walla Walla. Nearly eve...
On Sunday, May 17, 1874, Isaac D. Van Horn (1834-1910) calls a meeting in a tent in the City of Walla Walla to organize the First Walla Walla Seventh-day Adventist Church. By the early 1870s, a group...
The opening of a post office is an important marker of the beginning of a community. On June 24, 1874, the D'wamish Post Office opens. Henry H. Miller is appointed postmaster. On June 11, 1897, the...
On July 3 and 4, 1874, Snohomish County residents gather at Lowell (now part of Everett) to celebrate Independence Day. The steamer Zephyr brings guests to a grand ball and dinner, hosted by Eugene D....
On July 13, 1874, voters elect Republican Henry Yesler (1810-1892) as mayor of the City of Seattle.
In 1875, Camelia Urso gives Seattle a concert using a Stradivarius violin.
In 1875, a diphtheria epidemic kills many people in Seattle.
By 1875, coal supersedes lumber as King County's main industry. Black Diamond, Renton, and Issaquah are beoming significant coalmining regions.
In 1875, Henry Yesler (1810-1892) sells to James M. Colman a quarter of a city lot on the southeast corner of Commercial Street and Mill Street (renamed 1st Avenue S and Yesler Way) for $8,000. Yesler...
On January 8, 1875, George Washington (1817-1905) and his wife Mary Jane file the plat that establishes the town of Centerville, soon to be renamed Centralia, in Lewis County in Southwest Washington. ...
On January 5, 1875, the weather in Puget Sound turns cold under a north wind and the cold persists for weeks. The temperature drops to three degrees F the next day in Tacoma and to minus two degrees i...
On March 15, 1875, the Fanny Morgan Phelps Company performs Seattle's first Shakespeare play, "The Taming of the Shrew," at Yesler's Hall. Yesler's Hall is located at the southeast corner of Front Str...
On July 19, 1875, a store located in the center of the business district of Seattle catches fire. Fortunately people at the scene haul the coal, oil, and gun powder stored in the building out of harm'...
On July 20, 1875, Ellensburg founder John Alden Shoudy (1842-1901) files an 80-acre plat comprising the town of Ellensburgh in his name and the name of his wife Mary Ellen Stuart Shoudy (1856-1921).