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Tag: Northern Pacific Railway

Archives spotlight: Notorious Spokane criminal shot dead in 1918 at state penitentiary

Archives spotlight: Notorious Spokane criminal shot dead in 1918 at state penitentiary

Gunshots rang through downtown Spokane in a firefight between Fred “Tiger” Johnson and the police as Johnson attempted to flee across Northern Pacific and Great Northern Railway yards. After he robbed a streetcar, he attempted to avoid arrest but was outgunned by law enforcement. Tiger was shot twice, then booked by the Sheriff’s Office on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, highway robbery, and first-degree assault. This punched Tiger’s (sometimes known as Louis Coynt) ticket to the Walla Walla…

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Historic newspaper spotlight: Northwest Enterprise

Historic newspaper spotlight: Northwest Enterprise

In 1879, Anacortes, Washington was founded and named by railroad surveyor Amos Bowman, who hoped it would become the major terminus for North America’s northwest railroads. Bowman brought in Alfred D. Bowen and Frank M. Walsh from Seattle to establish the Northwest Enterprise [Library of Congress Control Number SN88085204], using its platform to promote the fledgling community and to solidify his city’s metropolitan status. First appearing on March 25, 1882, the politically Independent paper was published as a weekly and…

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