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• 1890–1899 ×

1. The County That Forgot Its Southern Neighbors

   Settlers south of the Nisqually say Lewis County has never spent a dollar on their roads or bridges, and now they want to bolt for Pierce County.

   Apr 24, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerLewis CountyCity Hall

2. The Question of Missing County Tax Money

   The Herald calls on the county commissioners to account for over $6,000 in missing tax funds allegedly held back by former county attorneys.

   Jun 1, 1893Aberdeen HeraldMontesano, Grays Harbor CountyCity Hall

3. The Struggle for a New County

   Citizens in the Wenatchee Valley argue that traveling across the Cascades to reach their county seats is an unreasonable burden for local governance.

   Jan 17, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWenatchee, Chelan CountyCity Hall

4. A County Seat Fight With More Petition Signers Than Voters

   Pacific County commissioners agreed to put the county seat up to a vote — then discovered that South Bend and Sealand had turned in 2,373 signatures from a county with barely 1,500 voters.

   Aug 27, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSouth Bend, Pacific CountyCity Hall

5. City and County Spar Over Smallpox Care Costs

   A simmering dispute between the Seattle City Council and King County over who should pay to treat the city's sick and indigent.

   Oct 14, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerCity Hall, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

6. King County Democrats Begged for Mercy on the Lake Washington Canal

   At the 1892 state Democratic convention, Seattle's delegates surrendered their instructions and let Pierce County humiliate them over the canal project—a defeat the Post-Intelligencer vowed voters would remember in November.

   Aug 25, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

7. Snoqualmie Pass Becomes a Free Public Road

   King and Kittitas counties reach a historic agreement to stop toll collection, opening the mountains to the public.

   Oct 28, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerNorth Bend, King CountyFollow the Money

8. A Quack, a $125 Bill, and a Prosecution That Cost the County More Than It Recovered

   A Thurston County letter-writer asks why commissioners and the county attorney spent the public's money to convict an irregular doctor over a small bill — and got nothing back.

   Jan 13, 1892The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall · Snake Oil

9. The Political Deal to Split the State School

   Legislative delegates from Yakima and Spokane counties are reportedly plotting to divide the State School of Science, aiming to force its relocation to Whitman County to satisfy local interests.

   Feb 5, 1891The Yakima HeraldYakima, Yakima CountyCity Hall

10. The County Attorney Wrote His Own Case—and a Commissioner Objected

    Commissioner Peter Autzen accused two colleagues of signing a self-serving statement in a tax-fee dispute, exposing a conflict at the heart of Chehalis County government.

    Jul 27, 1893Aberdeen HeraldMontesano, Grays Harbor CountyCity Hall · Scandal

11. The County Seat Was in the Courtroom

    Defendants in a Snohomish debt suit tried to derail the case by arguing the county seat had moved to Everett—and that the court was therefore sitting in the wrong place.

    Apr 26, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSnohomish, Snohomish CountyCity Hall

12. The Three-Way Split: How Bitter Feuds Carved Eastern Washington

    In January 1891, the state legislature dissolved Lincoln County into three new entities—Grant, Big Bend, and remaining Lincoln—to settle a decades-long battle over county seats that once involved armed men holding courthouse keys.

    Jan 26, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

13. The County Courthouse That Wasn't: King County Sells Its Own Home

    In a bizarre twist of civic bureaucracy in January 1891, King County is forced to auction off the very building housing its courts because the new one isn't finished yet.

    Feb 1, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

14. Who Should Pay for the City's Sick?

    A legal dispute over whether the City of Seattle or King County is responsible for the medical care of the indigent.

    Nov 23, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

15. The Town of Gilman Demands its Share

    When the town of Gilman incorporated, it stopped being under county jurisdiction—but now they want the county to hand over the saloon license fees collected before the split.

    Jul 6, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerIssaquah, King CountyBoom & Bust · City Hall

16. Citizens Challenge County Power

    Residents organize to protest the mismanagement of public roads by county commissioners.

    Jan 7, 1892Aberdeen HeraldPorter, Grays Harbor CountyCity Hall

17. King County Democrats Cry Foul Over a Rigged Delegate Count

    The state Democratic Party cut King County's representation at the convention and handed its delegates to Pierce County — and the Post-Intelligencer was not about to let it pass quietly.

    Aug 23, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

18. Chehalis County Hits the Debt Ceiling

    Facing a constitutional limit on borrowing, county officials call for a public caucus to decide the region's financial future.

    Apr 20, 1893Aberdeen HeraldElma, Montesano, Grays Harbor CountyCity Hall

19. Thurston County Farmers Petition for a Chehalis River Bridge

    Residents south of the Chehalis ask county commissioners for a crossing near Rochester and Gate City, saying they are cut off from Olympia markets for half the year.

    Apr 5, 1892The Olympia TribuneRochester, Thurston CountyBoom & Bust · City Hall

20. The Canal Plank That Nearly Tore Washington’s Democrats Apart

    In Olympia, King County delegates fought Pierce County over whether to endorse the Lake Washington canal. They settled on a vague promise, then spent the night shouting each other down.

    Aug 25, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

21. The Fight Against Unfair Tax Assessments

    Prominent taxpayers petition the State Board of Equalization, claiming Chehalis County is being squeezed for more than its fair share of state taxes.

    Nov 3, 1892Aberdeen HeraldAberdeen, Grays Harbor CountyFollow the Money

22. Pierce County Republicans Keep Censure of Canal Backer McGraw

    A simmering regional feud between Seattle and Tacoma boils over as Pierce County Republicans move to condemn the proposed Lake Washington ship canal.

    Oct 25, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

23. The Fight to Trim King County's Fat

    A committee of concerned Seattle citizens demands transparency and cuts in county government spending during a severe economic downturn.

    Jun 3, 1894The Seattle Post-Intelligencer1st Avenue, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

24. The City and County Spar Over the Poor

    Seattle officials and King County commissioners reach a stalemate over who bears the responsibility for the city's indigent population.

    Sep 19, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

25. County Finances in Shambles

    A scathing report reveals Chehalis County is $105,000 in debt while local officials draw high salaries.

    Sep 27, 1894Aberdeen HeraldMontesano, Grays Harbor CountyCity Hall

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