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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 |
33 stories matching approv
- New Washington State Law Grants Farmworkers Liens on Crops
Legislature passes protective measure ensuring laborers and landlords can secure payment against seasonal harvests.
- Aberdeen’s New Water System Takes Shape
City council approves major expenditure to secure water rights and bond financing for local infrastructure.
- Building the Foundation of a County
Chehalis County puts a massive $300,000 bond measure to the voters to fund bridges, roads, and infrastructure across Grays Harbor.
- Seattle’s 'Black Hole of Calcutta' Condemned
A scathing health department report labels the city jail a public danger, citing extreme overcrowding and poor ventilation.
- Tacoma Votes to Expand City Infrastructure
Citizens approve a massive bond issue to fund a new City Hall and retire outstanding warrants.
- Aberdeen’s $65,000 Waterworks Gamble
City fathers approve a bond election for a municipal water system—but only registered voters get a say.
- The Great Annexation Fight: Seattle's Borders Expand as Ballard Demands Independence
As the City Council votes to absorb surrounding territories into Seattle's corporate limits, a fierce debate erupts over taxation, representation, and the future of the growing town of Ballard.
- Federal Land Claims Struck Down in Seattle
Secretary Noble rejects a group of homestead applications in the Seattle district, potentially halting a syndicate's attempt to hoard thousands of acres.
- The Governor's Telegram: How the Militia Was Called Out to the King County Coal Fields
Colonel J. C. Haines lays out the paper trail behind the 1891 deployment of National Guard troops to the coal towns of Gilman and Franklin — and the labor war that nearly became a dawn battle.
- Moving the University: A Fight Over Land and Legacy
Legislators and local boosters draft a plan to relocate the University of Washington and untangle decades of messy land titles.
- A Silver Chest for the Political Boss
Prominent Republicans gather at the Rainier Club to honor John H. McGraw with a lavish testimonial of solid silver for his role in the senatorial contest.
- The Governor, the Corporations, and the Session He Wouldn't Call
A leaked cabinet meeting shows Governor Ferry weighing an extra legislative session against the wrath of corporations—and his own officials split over whether the state can wait.
- City Council Descends into Brawling and Insults
A legislative meeting turns into a spectacle of name-calling and physical threats, forcing the mayor to call in the city marshal to maintain order.
- The Dance-Hall Dandy: A Thief Undone by His Own Vanity
A railroad laborer steals a valise of clothes, then wears his finest stolen outfit to a dance hall—where a sharp-eyed policeman spots him.
- The 15-Cent Street Signs That Became a Graft Scandal
A councilman nicknamed 'Boss' hands out a street-sign contract on his own authority, and the town asks why it is buying throwaway tin markers instead of signs that last — at the people's expense.
- The Snohomish Power Grab
After failing to post his bond in time, a newly elected county auditor forced his way into the office to claim his seat.
- The Seattle School Board's Fight for Independence
In 1891, Superintendent Frank D. Barnard sought to sever Seattle’s school examinations from county oversight, a move that echoes modern debates over local versus state control in education.
- The Iron War for Seattle
How the city’s early pioneers fought a cutthroat land-monopoly struggle to ensure Seattle would not be sidelined by the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- The Great Tide Land Grab
A legal battle over the ownership of Seattle's waterfront reaches a fever pitch as investors stake claims on mud-flats using federal 'Valentine scrip.'
- The Knights of Labor’s Bold Bet: Criminalizing the 'Blacklist'
Seattle’s labor leaders draft a radical bill to make it a felony for employers to force workers out of unions.
- Seattle’s $15 Million Gamble: Voters Decide the City’s Fate on Jan. 26
Two historic special elections converge on a single day in January 1891: one to annex vast tracts of land including Salmon Bay, and another to authorize massive bond issues for infrastructure and debt relief.
- A City on the Brink: Olympia’s 1891 Debt Crisis and the Fight Over Jobs
Facing a constitutional debt limit, Olympia’s city council considers firing the deputy clerk, assistant city attorney, and city engineer—while a motion to revoke the street railway franchise fails by a tie.
- The Late-Night Fight That Killed Washington's First University Building
A governor's-office showdown between the state auditor and the university building commission halted construction, left laborers unpaid, and pushed Olympia toward a special legislative session.
- Eight Hundred Armed Men, Two Dead: The Coal War the Guard Rode All Night to Stop
In the summer of 1891 the Green River coal towns of Franklin and Gilman armed themselves into rival companies. When the shooting started, a deputy sheriff wired Seattle for troops — and the colonel marched before he had orders.
- Olympia's Volunteer Firefighters Warn the City: We Are One Blaze Away From Disaster
In 1891, the city's three fire companies pushed to reorganize as a single department, citing a 25-year-old hand engine, unfurnished sleeping quarters, and waterfront shacks that could turn a small fire into a catastrophe.