Organization

War Department

Named in 15 stories. Back to all names

Mar 21, 1872The Mule-Mounted Howitzer FiascoAn ambitious Army experiment at a Western fort goes hilariously and dangerously wrong when a cannon-strapped mule decides to take matters into his own hooves.Seattle, WA
Mar 3, 1892The Engineers' Plan for Grays HarborA government report details an ambitious $150,000 scheme to redirect the Chehalis River's flow, potentially deciding the fate of competing town sites.Grays Harbor, Aberdeen, WA
May 28, 1892The Lonely Life of a Government WiremanOperating the seventy-six-mile telegraph line to the tip of the Olympic Peninsula was a grueling, low-paying job that pitted the weather bureau against the raw Washington wilderness.Port Angeles, WA
Jan 21, 1895The Night Fort Townsend BurnedA lamp explosion, a magazine full of cartridges, and a town’s fear that the Army would leave.Fort Townsend, Port Townsend, WA
Jan 29, 1895The Army Wanted a Fort on Magnolia BluffA federal board called most Puget Sound defenses obsolete and urged a permanent post overlooking Seattle.Magnolia Bluff, Seattle, WA
May 9, 1899The Dry Dock Dispute: Seattle Fights for Its Maritime FutureWhen the War Department refuses to send warships to Puget Sound for repairs, local leaders accuse Washington D.C. of ignoring Seattle’s strategic value in favor of San Francisco.Seattle, WA
May 11, 1899The Klondike Millionaire Who Proposed to a StrangerBill Liell, president of the Yukon Order of Pioneers and one of Alaska's richest men, survived a train wreck on his honeymoon after a chance letter from his past led him to find love in Virginia.Seattle, WA
Jun 15, 1899The City That Forgot Its Own Port: Seattle’s Fight for Military LogisticsIn 1903, local officials and business leaders railed against the War Department’s decision to route troops bound for the Philippines through San Francisco instead of Puget Sound, arguing that geography and economic destiny were being ignored by distant bureaucrats.Seattle, WA
Jun 15, 1899The War Department’s Secret List: Why Washington Was IgnoredA Montana Senator reveals that federal supply contracts are being diverted from Seattle to San Francisco due to 'unsatisfactory' local facilities and inflated railroad rates.Seattle, WA
Oct 17, 1903The End of Fort Walla WallaGeneral Funston recommends abandoning the Walla Walla garrison, citing it has 'outlived its usefulness.'Fort Walla Walla, Walla Walla, WA
Apr 16, 1909The Man Who Wanted to Redesign the FlagWhile Congress struggled with the logistics of adding new stars to the American flag, a Tacoma resident claimed to have a permanent solution.Tacoma, WA
Apr 23, 1914The Railroads Are Coming for Your River: Milwaukee Road’s Secret Land GrabAgents of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad are quietly buying up ranches along the Columbia below Priest Rapids, signaling a massive hydroelectric and irrigation project that will reshape the region's power grid.Beverly, WA
Apr 26, 1917American Lake Prepares for Wartime EnlistmentThe War Department announces plans for a massive training camp at American Lake to prepare thousands of recruits for the Great War.American Lake, Lakewood, WA
May 25, 1917American Lake Prepared for 25,000 RecruitsWar Department designates Tacoma site as concentration camp for new national army training.American Lake, Lakewood, WA
Dec 20, 1917The War on Rumors: Why Your Knitting Still MattersMilitary officials and the Red Cross pushed back against malicious rumors that soldiers didn't want, or were even discouraged from using, knitted goods from home.Kennewick, WA