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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1861 | 7 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1863 | 4 |
| 1871 | 2 |
| 1872 | 5 |
| 1876 | 26 |
| 1877 | 15 |
| 1878 | 13 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 13 |
| 1884 | 9 |
| 1885 | 13 |
| 1886 | 13 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1888 | 16 |
| 1889 | 26 |
| 1890 | 6 |
| 1891 | 33 |
| 1892 | 57 |
| 1893 | 39 |
| 1894 | 42 |
| 1895 | 90 |
| 1898 | 6 |
| 1899 | 12 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1903 | 20 |
| 1904 | 7 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 9 |
| 1909 | 35 |
| 1910 | 4 |
| 1911 | 3 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1914 | 6 |
| 1915 | 5 |
| 1916 | 7 |
| 1917 | 6 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1924 | 2 |
| 1925 | 3 |
| 1929 | 1 |
13 stories matching approv
- The Homestead Shortcut
A local legal notice illuminates the evolving, difficult process of securing land ownership in Washington Territory.
- The Auction Block of 1878: A City’s Property Under the Hammer
While Seattle’s Common Council met to approve small municipal expenses, the sheriff was busy auctioning off downtown blocks to satisfy debt in the growing territory.
- Seattle's 1878 Auction of Property for Unpaid Taxes
When the city of Seattle moved to liquidate the private property of its citizens to cover a year of unpaid taxes.
- The Rails That Built Seattle
Civic leaders convene to expand the Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad, the ambitious line designed to link the growing city to the bounty of the east.
- Seattle’s 1878 Auction of Delinquent Tax Properties
When the city's growth outpaced its residents' pockets, dozens of Seattle properties were put on the auction block to cover delinquent taxes.
- The 1878 Great Seattle Tax Auction
Before the skyline, there was the spreadsheet: A massive public auction of delinquent Seattle properties reveals the names, debts, and land-holdings of the city's pioneer founders.
- The Constitutional Crisis of 1878
Before Washington was a state, Governor Elisha P. Ferry issued a desperate call for a convention to define its future.
- The Great Seattle Land Foreclosure of 1878
A sweeping list of hundreds of local property owners faced with losing their land to the county for unpaid taxes, signaling the precarious nature of early Seattle real estate.
- The Forgotten Quest for Washington Statehood
A rare 1878 proclamation reveals the high-stakes, multi-district election held to draft a constitution that would finally bring Washington into the Union.
- The Call for a State Constitutional Convention
In 1878, Governor Elisha P. Ferry issued an official proclamation calling for a special election to select delegates for a convention to draft a state constitution for Washington.
- The Disgraceful Scrawl of Territorial Law
A scathing editorial from the Weekly Dispatch reveals that the Territorial Legislature's laws were so poorly drafted, blotted, and grammatically mangled that the editor suggests burning them to avoid litigation.
- The Price of Printing: A 19th Century Fight Against 'Cheap John' Contracting
An editorial from the 1873 Seattle Dispatch excoriates the municipal habit of awarding city printing contracts to the lowest bidder, arguing it degrades the press and serves only the interests of 'ward demagogues.'
- Burning Down the House: A Seattle Fire Crisis
Decades before Seattle had a reliable municipal water system, a local editor recounts the tragedy of watching a home burn to the ground for want of a hydrant.