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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 6 |
| 1893 | 7 |
| 1894 | 5 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1907 | 1 |
20 stories matching stringenc
- The Collapse of the Hop Corner
Ezra Meeker breaks a massive market manipulation scheme that threatened to hold Pacific Coast hop farmers hostage.
- The Rent Crisis of 1891: Tacoma Merchants at a Breaking Point
As local business owners faced a contracting economy and 'money stringency,' the Chamber of Commerce debated whether high commercial rents and utility costs were driving them toward insolvency.
- The Railroad That Never Was: How Wall Street Strangled Seattle’s Future
In January 1891, a top Northern Pacific executive visits San Francisco and delivers a devastating blow to the region's economic hopes, citing a 'stringency of money market' that will halt all new railway construction in Washington and Montana.
- Hop Growers Pledge Their 'Word and Honor' to Pay Pickers Less
With the hop market collapsing in the summer of 1894, growers from ten Puget Sound counties met at Puyallup and fixed a single price for picking — 65 to 75 cents a box, down from the dollar they had promised. Ezra Meeker, the valley's biggest grower, said out loud what the resolution implied: the pickers had no seat at the table.
- The Hop Capital's Boom Years
In 1890, Puyallup was a bustling, bank-rich agricultural hub defined by Ezra Meeker’s hop empire and massive infrastructure investments.
- The Price of Coal and Silence
Miners in Gilman push back against a 10% wage cut, exposing the company's restrictive 'company store' policies and economic desperation.
- The Engineer Who Says Olympia Stiffed Him for Sewer Plans
A civil engineer hired to draft Olympia’s sewers says the city accepted his $700 bid, starved him of data, then canceled his contract and paid another man $1,500 for plans he calls a public nuisance.
- The Struggle Over Seattle's Early Park System
City commissioners argue that selling the centrally located City Park could fund a sprawling, water-front recreation area on Lake Washington.
- Seattle's Bid to Steal the Grain Trade From Tacoma
Boosters want $75,000 in stock to build a North Seattle grain elevator and a 600-foot wharf — and snatch the Asian shipping business from Tacoma.
- Miners Stand Firm Against Wage Cuts
Coal miners at Gilman organize against a sudden pay reduction mandated by the company, sparking a potential strike.
- State Offers Grace Period for Struggling Farmers
Facing the severe economic depression of 1893, the State Land Commission announces it will relax collection policies on land contracts to prevent mass foreclosures.
- Don't Tear Down the Mineral Palace
A Seattle booster exhibit built to dazzle Great Northern investors sits empty after the Panic of 1893 — and a reader begs the city not to wreck the one thing that proves Puget Sound is worth their money.
- City Hall Grapples with Unemployment
Mayor Ronald and the Advisory Board debate potential relief for Seattle workers while navigating the legal limits of public funds.
- The Bank-Issued Currency of 1893
Facing a national economic panic, Seattle merchants and bankers agree to honor certified checks as local tender to keep the hop harvest moving.
- The Condemned Murderer Who Ran the Jailhouse Court
Thomas Blanck, awaiting execution for murder, was unanimously elected to preside over the county jail's prisoner-run tribunal—complete with fines, lashes, and a Bible in his cell.
- Herman Chapin's $300,000 Bet on Seattle
Despite a period of financial stringency, a local bank president secures Boston capital to build a massive, iron-and-glass department store complex on Second Avenue.
- A Mount Vernon Mill Folds
A cedar mill succumbs to the dual pressures of economic flooding and a string of creditor lawsuits.
- The Rising Power of the Farmers' Alliance
A political commentary warning the established parties that the Farmers' Alliance and labor organizations have become a political force that can no longer be ignored.
- The Legislature’s Unfinished Business—and the Case for a Special Session
An anonymous Olympia lawmaker told The Tribune that defective appropriation laws, unpaid citizens and stalled state business demanded a special session by December.
- A Massive $200,000 Flouring Mill to Rise in Seattle
A local merchant returning from the East reports that Seattle’s potential is drawing high-stakes capital, with plans for a major industrial mill in the works.