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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 7 |
| 1893 | 12 |
| 1894 | 8 |
31 stories
- Firefighters Save Montesano from Total Destruction
A catastrophic fire nearly leveled the town's business district before new water mains were put to the ultimate test.
- The Prosecutor’s Payday Ends
A landmark court ruling forces county attorneys to surrender private legal fees back to the public treasury.
- A Victory for Press Freedom in Aberdeen
A jury vindicates a local editor who faced criminal charges for criticizing public spending.
- The Hypocrisy of Holy Ground: A Baptist Elder Arrested for Renting to a 'Notorious Courtesan'
In a scandal that rocked the small town of Montesano, Washington, in 1879, the arrest of a respected church elder for housing a sex worker exposed the gap between public piety and private reality.
- County Employees Go Without Pay in Montesano
Clerks for Chehalis County officers face a financial crisis as the local government runs out of money and refuses to pay salaries.
- The County Attorney Wrote His Own Case—and a Commissioner Objected
Commissioner Peter Autzen accused two colleagues of signing a self-serving statement in a tax-fee dispute, exposing a conflict at the heart of Chehalis County government.
- In One Hour, Montesano Lost Its Mill and Its Lights
A Saturday-evening spark from a smokestack leveled the Stetson mill — and with it the city's electric light plant, which carried not a cent of insurance.
- The Boom Era's Bitter Hangover
New tax assessments reveal that local property values have cratered to one-fourth of their peak as the Grays Harbor economy struggles to adjust to the end of a speculative bubble.
- The Question of Missing County Tax Money
The Herald calls on the county commissioners to account for over $6,000 in missing tax funds allegedly held back by former county attorneys.
- Judge Irwin Wipes Out $224,000 in County Road Bonds
Chehalis County's entire 1891 road-bond program is ruled illegal for blowing past the constitutional debt limit — and the taxpayers' paper calls it a deliverance.
- The Great Gale of 1890
A powerful storm system tore through Chehalis County, unroofing town blocks and sweeping historic cannery buildings into the Chehalis River.
- Horrific Sawmill Accident Leaves Worker Fighting for His Life
A logger is maimed in a catastrophic carriage accident at the Stetson Manufacturing Company mill in Montesano.
- Tragedy on the Chehalis River
A severe storm claims the life of a pioneer resident.
- County Finances in Shambles
A scathing report reveals Chehalis County is $105,000 in debt while local officials draw high salaries.
- The Scandal at the Washington Hotel
A prominent local man abandons his family to run away with a teenager, triggering a cross-state manhunt.
- Chehalis County Hits the Debt Ceiling
Facing a constitutional limit on borrowing, county officials call for a public caucus to decide the region's financial future.
- The Case of the County's Vanishing Funds
A local editor questions why county attorneys are pocketing tax collections while leaving the county treasury empty-handed.
- The Chehalis County Tax Revolt
Hard-hit by the post-boom recession, property owners organize to challenge local taxes and municipal waste.
- The Temperance Movement Gains Steam in Grays Harbor
Prohibitionists gather in Montesano to organize for the upcoming election, signaling a growing political shift across the county.
- The Political Ring’s Tight Grip on Chehalis County
Aberdeen’s Republican convention devolved into a 'cut and dried' affair as local party bosses utilized proxies and backroom maneuvering to maintain control.
- The Bachelor's Defiant Defense
A long-time squatter proves his sanity after his sister and brother-in-law attempt to seize his property by branding him 'crazy'.
- Building the Foundation of a County
Chehalis County puts a massive $300,000 bond measure to the voters to fund bridges, roads, and infrastructure across Grays Harbor.
- The Ogden Lumber Company’s Paper Trail
A suspected forgery scheme involving Washington lumber interests and Utah banking.
- Telephone Justice for a Livery Thief
A would-be thief who fleeces his benefactor is caught after an early use of long-distance communication stops him on the boat to Westport.
- Grays Harbor Taxpayers Threaten to Stop Paying Up
Delegates from every corner of the county pack a Montesano rink to censure their officials — and weigh whether to simply refuse to pay their taxes.