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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 53 |
| 1858 | 2 |
| 1859 | 6 |
| 1860 | 12 |
| 1861 | 60 |
| 1862 | 65 |
| 1863 | 44 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 14 |
| 1876 | 10 |
| 1877 | 12 |
| 1878 | 8 |
| 1879 | 4 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 4 |
| 1883 | 39 |
| 1884 | 12 |
| 1885 | 19 |
| 1886 | 11 |
| 1887 | 9 |
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 58 |
| 1890 | 8 |
| 1891 | 218 |
| 1892 | 194 |
| 1893 | 111 |
| 1894 | 19 |
| 1895 | 112 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 24 |
| 1904 | 6 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 95 |
| 1910 | 7 |
| 1911 | 11 |
| 1912 | 4 |
| 1914 | 11 |
| 1915 | 8 |
| 1916 | 11 |
| 1917 | 3 |
| 1919 | 1 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 13 |
| 1924 | 4 |
| 1925 | 10 |
1,327 stories
- Before Breakfast at the Wilson Tract
The Olympia Light and Power Company sent a crew at dawn to cut a roadbed through Col. Ben Turner's land. He vowed to fence it right back up.
- A Streetcar Cathedral Rises at Chestnut and Fifth
Olympia Light and Power plans a three-story headquarters with repair pits, a supply store and dormitory rooms for single employees — if City Council approves the route it wants.
- Two Iowa Veterans Find Each Other After Thirty Years in an Olympia G.A.R. Hall
At the first meeting of Geo. H. Thomas Post in its new rooms, a visiting commander discovered a fellow Iowa soldier in the audience—and the speechmaking dissolved into a handshake.
- Two Women Who Held Their Own Land for Eighteen Months
Estelle Williamson and Gertrude McCann pass through Ocosta on the way to Olympia to prove up on homestead claims they worked alone — braver, a neighboring paper says, than most men.
- A Senate Report Exposes the National Guard's 'Go-As-You-Please' Spending
A military deficiency report finds the Washington National Guard has escaped civil control and wasted money, including $1,000 for each election of Adjutant General O'Brien.
- Pierce County Tried to Block Olympia's Capitol — Seattle Pushed Back
As Pierce County legislators fought an appropriation for the new capitol at Olympia, Seattle's Chamber of Commerce urged the state to finish the building it had already begun.
- A Dollar and a Half a Day: Olympia's Capitol Strike
Work on Washington's capitol halts as laborers demand $1.50 for an eight-hour day—and bricklayers are left idle when the contractors refuse.
- The Ladies Turn Out First for Olympia's $40,000 School Bonds
The polls open in the Central School building on a bond issue for the city schools, and women are on hand casting ballots from the first hour.
- The $25,000 Question: Where Olympia's New High School Should Stand
A proposed exchange for the Blinn block on Main Street would give the district room for a full-block school—but cost $12,000 to $15,000 more.
- Rapid Transit to Eternity: Olympia's Kerosene Trolley, Minus the Matches
George Marvin Savage's homemade coal-oil motor car is about to carry paying passengers down to the Fourth Street track — if it doesn't explode first. Riders get accident insurance, and their obituary verses have already been written.
- Hand Grenades for Passengers? The Perils of Olympia’s Naphtha Streetcar
An editorial imagines the explosive risks of Mr. Savage’s naphtha-powered streetcar on Main Street, citing a recent launch fire near Aberdeen.
- A Streetcar Franchise on the Line Over Naphtha Power
A citizen charges the Olympia street railway is violating its charter with an unsafe naphtha motor and neglected trackwork at Fifth and Main.
- A Local Bank Closes Its Doors as Its Officers Head to Seattle
The State Bank of Olympia winds down after its president and cashier leave for Seattle, transferring accounts to the First National Bank.
- Seventy Percent of Washington's Schoolbooks Came From One Publisher
A new textbook law forces Olympia to throw out most of the books Washington children use. One agent demanded a private hearing with the state board; the board opened the doors and he walked out.
- Labor’s Legislative Hopes Fade as House Committee Buries Key Bills
A Seattle dispatch reports that Washington’s lumber eight-hour and prevailing-wage bills face defeat, with labor representatives shut out of the committee room.
- The Day the Legislature Tried to Unmake a Marriage
In December 1860, Washington Territorial lawmakers debated a private bill to dissolve the bonds of matrimony between Onon Connolly and Sarah Connolly, restoring her maiden name.
- The Dream of the Flameless Mill
A bold industrial scheme in Olympia to run a lumber mill via the power of the tides—and the quiet, resourceful spirit behind the invention.
- The Governor Who Didn't Know He Was in Charge
Lieutenant-Governor W. Lon Johnson spent his weekend in Seattle completely unaware that he had been Washington’s acting governor for two hours.
- The Olympia Benefit Ball for the Union
Citizens rally to raise funds for sick and disabled soldiers, overcoming rumors and divisive influence.
- A Sidewalk Skirmish in Olympia
A citizen sets the record straight after being misidentified in a newspaper report about a public altercation with a deputy sheriff.
- Lincoln Orders Sale of Washington Public Lands
A sweeping federal proclamation sets the stage for a massive auction of land parcels across the Washington Territory, excluding donation claims and mineral tracts.
- The Governor’s Ultimatum on Indigenous Land
Governor Isaac I. Stevens issues a public warning regarding unauthorized settlement on lands reserved for Indigenous use.
- A Warning to Settlers on the Nisqually Reservation
Federal agents move to enforce strict control over timber and property rights on Indigenous land.
- A High-Stakes Footrace Challenge
Two rivals trade insults and deposit cash wagers for a sprint contest to determine the 'fastest man on the Sound.'
- Fugitive Arrested While Applying for Marriage License
A man wanted for his involvement in an illegal prize fight was captured by the sheriff in the auditor's office on his wedding day.