Research the archive
Narrow 27,002 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine2 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1864 | 4 |
| 1865 | 3 |
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1878 | 4 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1889 | 7 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 1 |
| 1893 | 4 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1895 | 6 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1903 | 151 |
| 1904 | 16 |
| 1917 | 2 |
212 stories matching counti
- Railroads Escape Taxes While County Officials Accept Passes
The county commissioners reduced railroad valuations again, forcing taxpayers to cover the state revenue shortfall.
- Smallpox Returns to Walla Walla
City and county officials establish a new health board as cases emerge at the local pest house.
- Walla Walla to Build New County Poor House
After inspecting neighboring Whitman County, local commissioners decide to move from a contract-based system to a county-owned brick facility.
- County Commissioners Hike Taxes Amidst Deficit Fears
Facing a projected deficit in the current expense fund, the county board approves a 16-mill levy to cover rising costs in administration and infrastructure.
- Forced Labor on the County Roads
Walla Walla officials are putting county jail inmates to work on public infrastructure, calling the experiment a success and hoping for more 'business'.
- County Commissioners Push Through Costly Poor House
Walla Walla officials are accused of creating a new county building just to expand their own political machine.
- A Territorial Tug-of-War Over School Funds
A long-standing dispute between the State of Washington and Walla Walla County centers on the proceeds from an illegal 1860s land sale.
- End of the Road for Taxpayer Labor
Walla Walla County replaces the custom of 'working off' road taxes with a new cash-only payment system.
- The County Liquidation
Walla Walla County prepares to auction off 80 acres of public land to settle state debts, forcing the relocation of the city’s pesthouse.
- The Tax Battle Over the Railroad Tracks
Walla Walla County commissioners face a recurring fiscal headache as state regulators override local tax assessments on railway property.
- The Palace for the Poor
Walla Walla County commissioners spar over a controversial, high-cost proposal to replace the county’s humble poor farm with a luxury-equipped facility.
- The Fight Over the Stubblefield Home
Walla Walla's civic leaders spar with the county attorney over the legality of funding a home for orphaned children.
- School Attendance Jumps in Walla Walla County
New truant enforcement efforts have significantly increased student enrollment across the county.
- Police Must Testify Without Extra Pay
Walla Walla police officers face a new reality as the County Attorney rules they cannot collect witness fees for routine court appearances.
- Locking Down the County Jail
Walla Walla’s City Council moves to secure the jail with a high fence to stop well-meaning citizens from helping prisoners escape.
- Spokane County Finds Eastern Investors Hungry for Western Bonds
A local treasurer successfully refinances county debt in Chicago, signaling a shift in how Western infrastructure was financed at the turn of the century.
- County Jail Prisoners Put to Work on Roads
Walla Walla commissioners order inmates to break rock and repair Mill Creek road under chain-gang supervision.
- Walla Walla County's Showcase for the St. Louis World's Fair
Fruit Inspector Morse scours the county for the finest grains, produce, and fruit to put Washington on the map in Missouri.
- The Price of the Iron Horse
Boosterism, county subsidies, and the hidden cost of corporate expansion in Walla Walla.
- Sold at Fifteen, Then Shut Out: A Walla Walla Nurseryman's Daughter Ends Up in the County Poor Farm
Sixty-five, penniless and 'bent and weary,' Alice Hess writes from the Spokane County poor farm asking whether the law can force her wealthy Whitney relatives — a nurseryman, a Big Bend doctor, a sitting legislator — to keep her alive.
- County Funds Blocked for Stubblefield Charity
A legal opinion warns that Walla Walla County cannot donate public tax dollars to a private, non-controlled, multi-state charitable trust.
- County Commission Plans Systematic Road Upgrades
Walla Walla County officials and road supervisors meet to formalize a new, systematic approach to improving rural infrastructure.
- The Long Road to Right-of-Way
After four years of negotiations, Walla Walla County prepares to use eminent domain to build a road through a resistant farmer's land.
- The Road Supervisor Who Stole From the County — and the Wife Who Sued Him in Prison
Orva Thompson, convicted of embezzling county road funds, is served divorce papers behind penitentiary walls by the woman he married eleven months earlier.
- Commissioners Weigh $10,000 for Stubblefield Home
Walla Walla County Commissioners face a showdown over a $10,000 appropriation for a proposed charitable home as taxpayers threaten legal action.