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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 2 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 2 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1911 | 1 |
17 stories matching eras
- Street Shooting Over a Libel Allegation
A legislative-era street fight in Olympia leaves one man dying after an accusation of arson.
- The Struggle for Inclusion in the Civil War Era
A local letter to the editor challenges the anti-immigrant prejudice of the day, arguing that foreign-born citizens are just as essential to the Republic as native-born ones.
- The Governor-Candidate Who Handed Out His Own Petitions
In a display of political informality that shocked Olympia, a candidate for territorial governor took to the streets to personally solicit signatures, defying the expected decorum of the era.
- Washington Territory’s Constitutional Era Ends
After forty-two days of deliberation in Olympia, the convention to establish a state constitution has adjourned, paving the way for statehood.
- Jim Hill Looks at Olympia and Decides There Isn't Enough Money In It
The Great Northern will bypass the capital on its Seattle–Tacoma–Portland line, leaving the field to the Northern Pacific — a blunt verdict on the city's prospects from the era's great railroad builder.
- 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.
- The Battle for the Council Floor
A legislative standoff in Olympia over petty offices and party control highlights the raw political maneuvering of the late Washington Territory era.
- Isaac Stevens Charts the Course for a New Territory
In his first address to the newly convened Legislative Assembly, Governor Isaac I. Stevens outlines an ambitious vision for Washington Territory, emphasizing infrastructure, land policy, and the need for defense.
- The Senatorial Bribery Scandal Rocking Olympia
A state judge admits to soliciting votes for the Senate through promises of state institution locations, casting a shadow over the political corruption of the 1891 legislative session.
- Direct Trade with Hawaii Arrives
A Hawaiian brig arrives in Olympia, signaling a potential shift from territorial isolation to a direct exchange of island goods for Puget Sound timber.
- The Veto That Put Outside Capital Ahead of Debt Relief
Governor McGraw kills a deficiency-judgment bill, warning it would drive investors away and leave desperate borrowers to “greedy money-seekers.”
- 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 State's First Great 'To-Do' List
Acting Governor Charles E. Laughton’s 1891 address to the legislature provides a rare, wide-angle snapshot of a young Washington State struggling to build its infrastructure, protect its forests, and define its civic identity.
- The Violent Expulsion of a Black Resident from Olympia
A white resident publicly recounts his role in forcing a Black man out of town, illustrating the overt racism prevalent in the territory during the Civil War era.
- The Scandalous Governor Who Never Was
A political fixer with a reputation for bribery and forgery was appointed Governor of Washington Territory, triggering a national outcry that exposed the deep corruption of the era's patronage system.
- The Senatorial Duel: A Tale of Two Cities and One Beltway Seat
As the Washington legislature prepares to convene in 1891, the race for the U.S. Senate descends into a fierce local rivalry between established incumbent Watson C. Squire of Seattle and the ambitious newcomer Judge William H. Calkins of Tacoma.
- Orchardists Want Thurston County to Stop Betting on Town Lots
A new horticultural society forms in Olympia, promising experiments in fruit, flowers and prunes—and a future beyond real-estate speculation.