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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 53 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 6 |
| 1860 | 12 |
| 1861 | 58 |
| 1862 | 65 |
| 1863 | 44 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 14 |
| 1876 | 9 |
| 1877 | 11 |
| 1878 | 7 |
| 1879 | 3 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 35 |
| 1884 | 11 |
| 1885 | 18 |
| 1886 | 10 |
| 1887 | 9 |
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 57 |
| 1890 | 8 |
| 1891 | 212 |
| 1892 | 184 |
| 1893 | 105 |
| 1894 | 17 |
| 1895 | 111 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 23 |
| 1904 | 5 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 94 |
| 1910 | 7 |
| 1911 | 11 |
| 1912 | 4 |
| 1914 | 11 |
| 1915 | 8 |
| 1916 | 11 |
| 1917 | 3 |
| 1919 | 1 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 13 |
| 1924 | 2 |
| 1925 | 10 |
1,280 stories
- The Historic 1889 Fight for Woman Suffrage
When Washington Territory delegates gathered to draft the state constitution, they included a separate ballot measure to secure voting rights for women.
- Territorial Governor Orders Segregated Schooling
Governor Isaac I. Stevens enforces new restrictions on Indigenous student access to public education in Olympia.
- The Town Marshal’s New Power: Who Gets to Live in Olympia?
In March 1860, Olympia’s Board of Trustees passed a controversial ordinance targeting Native residents, requiring them to have special permission from the Marshal to reside on any street or vacant lot.
- The Newspaper Editor and the Political Bruiser
A brutal street assault in Olympia reveals the volatile intersection of frontier politics and an independent press.
- The Women's Suffrage Fight at Washington's Constitutional Convention
Delegates at the 1889 constitutional convention engage in a fierce debate over including women's suffrage, ultimately voting to put the question to the voters instead of enshrining it in the state constitution.
- The Political Smoke of 1891: Backroom Deals and Populist Uprisings
While Washington’s early legislature debated the direct election of senators and railroad regulation, backroom meetings at the Olympia Hotel signaled the enduring influence of corporate power.
- The Price of a Senate Seat: Inside the 1891 Power Struggle in Olympia
As a crucial U.S. Senate election looms, Seattle political figures and state legislators grapple with accusations of bribery, railroad monopolies, and the 'corrupt' influence of money in Washington’s halls of power.
- The Capitol Riots: How a Bribery Scandal Shook Washington’s First Legislature
In the halls of Olympia, Republican lawmakers turned on each other with fists and threats over a U.S. Senate seat, exposing a brazen attempt to buy votes that disgraced the young state.
- The Senator Who Bought His Seat
A Washington State legislator admits to accepting $200 to sway his vote for U.S. Senator, sparking a scandal in Olympia that mirrors modern concerns about political corruption.
- The Man Who Took the Bribe to Expose It
Representative Metcalfe’s daring sting operation against Senatorial corruption has turned him into a hero for reformers and a target for powerful enemies.
- The Tragedy on the Bridge: How a Drunken Arrest Turned Fatal
A routine police arrest at a lodging house in Olympia ends in the shooting death of a gas worker, highlighting a volatile era of street-level policing.
- The Final Voyage of the Wildwood
A steamship captain recounts the harrowing night his vessel burned to the water’s edge while docked at Olympia.
- Democratic Convention Splits Over Ship Canal
A bitter political brawl at the state convention in Olympia ends in a stinging defeat for Seattle’s most ambitious infrastructure dream.
- Republican Deadlock Finally Broken in Olympia
After intense lobbying and political maneuvering, John B. Allen secures the support needed to likely become the next U.S. Senator.
- One Day Late: The Veto That May Hang a Man
A clerk's date stamp, a messenger who cannot recall which day he ran an errand, and a condemned Italian at Tacoma whose last chance at a new appeal may have expired in the paperwork.
- Lobbyist Admits to Bribing Lawmakers
A longtime lobbyist testifies that he received thousands of dollars from the Northern Pacific Railway to kill legislation in the Washington Territorial House.
- A Senate Seat, a Caucus, and a Yakima Ditch Deal
In Olympia, Republicans moved to settle the U.S. Senate contest between Ankeny and Wilson—while opponents circulated a story that Wilson had traded a Congressional favor for stock in a Yakima irrigation scheme.
- ‘Bought for Hard Gold Coin’: The Railroad Bill Dies in Olympia
The Helm railroad bill, passed by the House, was killed in the Senate. Newspapers across Washington condemned the railroad lobby and the senators who voted against lower freight rates.
- The Grange Declares Economic War
Washington state farmers and laborers forge a historic alliance to demand fair trade and challenge the monopoly power of the era.
- Street Shooting Over a Libel Allegation
A legislative-era street fight in Olympia leaves one man dying after an accusation of arson.
- Call for Cavalry Against the Snake Indians
A recruitment drive in Olympia seeks volunteers for the First Regiment of Oregon Cavalry to campaign against Indigenous resistance.
- Washington Territory’s 1854 Native Voting Rights Debate
In 1854, territorial lawmakers debated extending voting rights to Native Americans of mixed ancestry, exposing tensions over citizenship, race, and belonging.
- Territorial Legislature Debates Voting Rights and Prohibition
Early Washington lawmakers grapple with the rights of Indigenous voters, the push for a prohibition law, and the appointment of regional officials.
- The Fight Over Who Can Vote: Half-Breeds and the 1854 Legislature
A heated debate erupts in the Council over whether 'half-breeds' should be granted the elective franchise, revealing deep tensions over literacy, race, and colonial control.
- The Ghost Rumors of Indian Conflict
Territorial officials mobilize as panic spreads across Puget Sound following unsubstantiated reports of violence.