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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 62 |
| 1858 | 29 |
| 1859 | 52 |
| 1860 | 27 |
| 1861 | 101 |
| 1862 | 87 |
| 1863 | 69 |
| 1864 | 32 |
| 1865 | 11 |
| 1871 | 11 |
| 1872 | 140 |
| 1876 | 812 |
| 1877 | 678 |
| 1878 | 526 |
| 1879 | 64 |
| 1880 | 180 |
| 1882 | 130 |
| 1883 | 911 |
| 1884 | 499 |
| 1885 | 838 |
| 1886 | 492 |
| 1887 | 484 |
| 1888 | 440 |
| 1889 | 1,324 |
| 1890 | 287 |
| 1891 | 1,115 |
| 1892 | 2,855 |
| 1893 | 2,829 |
| 1894 | 2,116 |
| 1895 | 1,830 |
| 1896 | 2 |
| 1897 | 62 |
| 1898 | 196 |
| 1899 | 446 |
| 1900 | 114 |
| 1902 | 34 |
| 1903 | 1,332 |
| 1904 | 1,126 |
| 1905 | 124 |
| 1907 | 53 |
| 1908 | 351 |
| 1909 | 1,545 |
| 1910 | 413 |
| 1911 | 160 |
| 1912 | 73 |
| 1914 | 261 |
| 1915 | 300 |
| 1916 | 545 |
| 1917 | 332 |
| 1918 | 45 |
| 1919 | 5 |
| 1920 | 1 |
| 1922 | 18 |
| 1923 | 185 |
| 1924 | 151 |
| 1925 | 64 |
| 1928 | 14 |
| 1929 | 19 |
2,116 stories
- The Mayor, the Commissioners and a City Hall Truce
Seattle's police board waits for Mayor Phelps to make his next move after a judge sides with Commissioners Cheasty and Niggle.
- Aberdeen Keeps the Lights On, Three Months at a Time
When the electric company threatened to shut down the plant, citizens and city officials scraped together a temporary guarantee to keep Aberdeen lit.
- Grays Harbor Taxpayers Threaten to Stop Paying Up
Delegates from every corner of the county pack a Montesano rink to censure their officials — and weigh whether to simply refuse to pay their taxes.
- Wishkah River Owners Take Harbor-Line Fight to Olympia
Local property owners and city leadership travel to Olympia to challenge the state land commission over restrictive harbor line regulations.
- The Collapse of a 'Rotten' Bank
A post-mortem of a defunct banking institution reveals a web of insider lending, conflicts of interest, and empty promises that devastated local depositors.
- Railroads Hike Lumber Freight Rates
Local lumber mills face an uncertain future as major rail lines announce a sharp increase in freight rates for shipments to the Midwest.
- The Seven Wise Men and the Municipal League
Local politics are in flux as the city's power brokers and the Democratic party vie for control ahead of the municipal elections.
- The Fallout of the Columbia National Bank Collapse
Legal wrangling continues as the receiver for the failed Whatcom institution defends his actions against allegations of mismanagement.
- The School Board's Investigation of Teacher Martina Johnston
A teacher at Denny School faced charges of 'gross vulgarity' brought by the American Protective Association, but her colleagues and former students overwhelmingly defended her character.
- The Great Columbia Salmon Run Was Dying — and Oregon and Washington Couldn't Agree Who Should Save It
In 1894 a Portland memorial to Congress warned that the Chinook were vanishing: a $31.5 million trade, thousands of jobs, and a two-state turf war over who got to regulate the river.
- Tacoma Takes the Railroad Strike Into Federal Court
A grand jury indicts a former Northern Pacific wiper for beating strike-breakers, while a judge weighs whether union leader Charles A. Barnes's words were contempt or free speech.
- Snohomish's Standard Mill Goes Up in Flames
A boiler-side fire consumes the Loggie Bros. mill and its lumber, threatening a town payroll already strained by strike.
- The Day the University of Washington Decided It Needed a Law School
Regents endorsed a law department, began the search for a dean, and ordered gymnasium plans capped at $15,000—all in one afternoon.
- A Convicted Killer Gets a Second Trial on a Legal Technicality
James Murphy, convicted of shooting Philip Dawe across the counter of a Seattle saloon, won a new trial and was being brought back to face the charge again.
- A Small Sum, a Large Victory: Washington Gets Behind the Lake Washington Canal
Congress sets aside $25,000 for the canal — a modest figure that Seattle reads as the federal government finally saying yes to a waterway Oregon spent years fighting.
- A Murder Near Auburn, Two Suspects Freed, and a Sheriff Still Waiting for Someone to Talk
Zenga Maseda was killed near Auburn. Two Japanese men were arrested, then released for lack of evidence, while deputies kept hunting the murderer.
- The Whispered Land Grab in Whitman County's School Lands
A state land official reports that valuable school lands were leased for 'trifling sums' through a secret arrangement involving county commissioners, a Colfax lawyer and a banker—but stops short of naming names.
- The Merchants' National Bank Trial
Four former officers of a failed Tacoma bank went on trial for false entries and misapplied funds, with prominent lawyers and a careful judge shaping the case.
- He Splinted His Own Broken Leg, Then Rode Five Hours for Help
Joe Hooker's horse kicked him in the Simcoe Mountains. Alone in the backcountry, he set his own leg and rode to a farmhouse.
- Aberdeen Builds Its Own Railroad to Escape the Steamboats
Fed up with ferry transfers and scow shipments, Aberdeen's citizens offer to grade and lay track for free if the Northern Pacific will just run a train — and the company says yes.
- The Year Queen Anne Kicked Until Its Fire Insurance Rates Fell
After a year of organized pressure, residents won 25 to 50 percent cuts—because an engine house finally persuaded insurers the hill was worth protecting.
- Seattle’s Ex-Treasurer Owes Nearly $6,000—and His Bondsmen Are on the Hook
A judge found Isaac Parker’s books $5,535 short, with interest pushing the judgment near $6,000. Parker’s sureties vow to appeal, while the city tries to collect from the men who guaranteed his office.
- Tacoma's Richest Taxpayer Warns the Boodlers Are Eating the City
W. H. Fife, the city's largest taxpayer, says boodle government is eating his property alive—and warns Tacoma will fall behind Seattle if the machine is not driven out.
- Northern Pacific Slashes Freight Rates in a Coast-to-Coast War
Seattle shippers get word that commodity rates from Chicago and the river cities will drop to match the Southern Pacific’s Sunset route.
- Bondholders Move to Foreclose on Seattle's Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad
Reorganization committee member says nearly all $8.4 million in bonds are deposited; predicts traffic will grow when business revives.