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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
- She Asked the Court for Her Maiden Name Back
Alma C. Van Epps filed for divorce and alimony in Olympia, alleging assault and cruelty and asking the court to restore her name and divide the property.
- A Judge Too Reversed: Senate Blocks Allyn's Regent Seat
The state Senate refuses to confirm Judge Frank Allyn of Tacoma as university regent, citing incompetence, extravagance and a remarkable reversal record.
- Puyallup's Bid to Steal the State Capitol From Olympia
A Pierce County representative introduced a bill to repeal the $500,000 capitol-building appropriation and cancel the Olympia basement contract—reportedly to keep Puyallup's own hopes alive.
- The Elective Franchise Bill Fails—With Indians Explicitly Barred
A proposed constitutional amendment in Olympia would have fixed voting rules for male citizens while writing 'Indians not taxed' out of the franchise; it died on the floor.
- The Governor Vetoes Debt Relief, and the Paper Cheers
A bill meant to soften deficiency judgments after foreclosure is killed — on the theory that frightened capital would simply stop lending, hurting the very debtors it was meant to save.
- Who Pays When the City's Warrants Go Bad?
A judge says Olympia cannot be forced to cover special improvement warrants with general taxes, leaving the loss to fall on the people holding the paper.
- A Power Grab in Olympia: Electric Companies Win the Right to Condemn Land
A bill allowing electric power companies to seize private property for transmission lines squeaked through the Washington House on a reconsideration vote in 1895.
- Sheriff Rescues Abducted Child in Mud Bay Custody Dispute
A father steals his child; a sheriff's late-night ride ends in recovery and a court date.
- Benefit Concert to Build Schoolhouse for Sherman Valley Settlers
Olympia's musical talent rallies to fund a school for rural children in Sherman Valley.
- The Stone Capitol Olympia Was Promised
Architect Ernest Flagg says the foundation is finished and bids are about to go out for a fireproof statehouse—one built to last, if the legislature will pay for it.
- A Chinese Mission School Opens in an Old Olympia Schoolhouse
Eleven Chinese men attended the first meeting of a Presbyterian Sunday-school mission on Fifth Street, where, according to the Church News, several quickly learned the alphabet.
- The High Price of Speculation
Real estate owners in 1872 Olympia are holding vacant lots hostage, refusing to sell or lease, effectively strangling the city's economic growth.
- The Caterpillar Ordinance: Olympia’s War on Woodland Pests
In a rare display of municipal power in 1871, the Olympia City Council passed an ordinance giving residents one week to burn infested trees or face fines and forced destruction by the Marshall.
- The 'Witty' Baritone of Olympia
A skeptical newspaper editorial skewers a local social columnist for romanticizing a drunken political gathering at the state capital.
- The Jailhouse Drinker of Tenino
A clever prisoner manages to steal a gallon of whiskey while locked in a closet by using a funnel and his own fingers.
- The Chain-Gang’s Shovel Symphony
In the heart of Olympia, a group of convicts turned Pacific Avenue into their personal construction site, wielding pickaxes and shovels with obstinate pride.
- The Legislature Votes Itself a Territorial Rifle
In a moment of classic political opportunism, the Council passes a measure granting every member a firearm at public expense.
- The Standard’s Call to Arms
An editorial lays out a definitive Unionist platform on the eve of civil war, arguing that the Republic must be preserved at any cost.
- The Town That 'Resorted to Flat-Boats'
A skeptical writer from Walla Walla mocked Olympia’s tide-swept landscape, prompting a sharp, defensive retort from the local editor.
- The Great Bed-Sheet Debate
Legislators in Olympia waste the public's time by bickering over the legal length of hotel linens.
- The Art of Professional Loafing
A satirical exchange in the Olympia Democratic about the 'Loafer Club' and the perils of career advice in the frontier.
- The Ghost Fleet of the Pacific
Senator William Gwin rails against the government's refusal to fund military presence in the Pacific, leaving the coast vulnerable to 'filibusters' and privateers.
- The Temperance Movement Comes to the Territory
A new petition arrives in Olympia calling for the total prohibition of liquor sales in the Washington Territory.
- The Cynical Toll of Local Politics
A satirical diary of a man who wins a nomination for public office, only to be ruined by the exorbitant financial and social demands of his supporters.
- Designing the Washington Territory Seal
An early proposal for the official seal that featured a log cabin, a settler’s wagon, and the Chinook jargon word 'Alki'.