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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1860 | 11 |
| 1861 | 57 |
| 1862 | 65 |
| 1863 | 44 |
177 stories
- The Seat of Government Stays Put
The Supreme Court of Washington Territory voids legislative attempts to relocate the capital from Olympia to Vancouver.
- The Shooting of Editor B. F. Kendall
A prominent local figure and former Superintendent of Indian Affairs is gunned down in his office on Main Street.
- 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.
- 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.
- Olympia Rallies for the Union
Citizens of the Second Judicial District gather in Olympia to pass resolutions against secession and the threat of a Pacific Confederacy.
- The Phrenologist's Wedding Scandal
A self-proclaimed doctor and phrenologist attempts to marry a woman without legal authority, leading to a public arrest and a heated courtroom spectacle in Olympia.
- Olympia Official Warns Traders Violating Tribal Trade Laws
Superintendent Calvin H. Hale issues a stern warning that the illicit liquor trade on Indian reservations will be met with force and prosecution.
- Olympia Officials Enforce 1862 Ban on Selling Liquor to Tribes
Superintendent Calvin H. Hale warns that selling alcohol to Native people is a 'grave offence' punishable by law and military enforcement.
- Oregon Cavalry Recruits 100 Volunteers for Three-Year Service
The federal government calls for volunteers to suppress frontier conflict in Washington Territory.
- The Pony Express Ends: Lincoln Wins, But the South Sees War
As the Pony Express delivers the shocking news of Abraham Lincoln’s election to a nervous Sacramento, Olympia residents mark local weddings and watch their market prices hold steady.
- The Capitol Betrayal: Olympia’s Seat of Power Shipped to Vancouver
In a stunning political maneuver, the Territorial Legislature has voted to move the capital from Olympia to Vancouver and the penitentiary to Port Townsend, sparking outrage among local editors who see it as a betrayal of trust.
- The Capital Crisis of 1861
A fiery letter to the editor captures the volatile politics of Washington Territory, as Pierce County residents accused the legislature of a 'corrupt bargain' over the location of the capital.
- The Chaos of Washington's Pre-Civil War Legislature
As the nation teetered on the brink of war, Olympia's Eighth Legislative Session descended into partisan bickering, salary disputes, and frantic attempts to define Washington Territory's loyalty to the Union.
- The Mail Service Sabotage in Olympia
Local merchants and citizens are suffering as a political feud between the Postmaster and steamboat owners paralyzes commerce on the Sound.
- The Shadow of Treason in the Territorial Legislature
Local pro-Union editors call out their colleagues and legislators for harboring sympathy for the Confederacy.
- The Bureaucracy of Abandonment
Olympia’s land office is paralyzed by backlogs, leaving settlers and their titles in legal limbo while officials in Washington, D.C. ignore local pleas for help.
- The Town Takes a Stand Against Domestic Abuse
Forty-three women in Olympia sign a resolution formally denouncing a local man for his history of violence against his wife and children.
- The Brutality of T. W. Glasgow
After Olympia women organized against his domestic violence, a local man attempts a public defense, calling his wife 'deranged' and denying the physical abuse that witnesses reported.
- The Scandal of Surveyor General Henry
Dr. Anson G. Henry fights back against accusations of swindling the government and bribery in a blistering public defense.
- The Fourth of July in Olympia at the Height of the Civil War
A fervent address by Elwood Evans calls for absolute loyalty to the Union as the Territory celebrates the nation’s independence during its 'most tearful trial.'
- The Threat of Slave Labor in Washington
A local writer warns laborers that the introduction of enslaved people into the territory could crash wages and destroy the dignity of free labor.
- The House Rejects Treason Resolution
Tensions reach a boiling point in the territorial legislature as members debate the loyalty of Delegate Isaac I. Stevens during the onset of the Civil War.
- The 'Man of Destiny' Faces a Cold Reception in Olympia
Isaac I. Stevens attempts to rally local Democrats, but finds his political influence waning as the territory grapples with a nation on the brink of civil war.
- A Duel of Words in Olympia
A simmering political feud between an old soldier and a newspaper editor erupts into a public challenge to settle scores in the streets.