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• 1894 ×
• Olympia ×

1. The Sabotage of Black Lake

   A malicious attempt to breach a dike and flood the Olympia countryside by draining a massive volume of water into the Deschutes River was narrowly averted.

   Apr 8, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerBlack Lake, Olympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money · True Crime

2. Timber Syndicates Used Dummy Squatters to Seize Washington’s State Lands

   A state land cruiser describes a systematic scheme: Eastern syndicates paid men to squat on the best timber, commute it cheaply, then move on to the next quarter section—land meant to fund schools and public institutions.

   Sep 8, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money

3. Former Official Accused of Child Abuse

   A criminal complaint against former Secretary of State Allen Weir sparks local debate over the bounds of corporal punishment.

   Jun 19, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

4. Capitol Commission Infighting Leads to Firing

   Governor McGraw removes John McBeavy from the state capitol commission following a volatile dispute over the selection of architectural plans.

   Feb 7, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

5. Civil War Veterans Clash with Custom House Over Flag Display

   Grand Army of the Republic members in Olympia vow to hold federal officials accountable after an alleged failure to fly the American flag on Memorial Day.

   Jun 23, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

6. The Gallows Reprieve: Nordstrom's Federal Appeal

   Convicted of murder and only days from execution, Charles W. Nordstrom wins another stay—this time on a constitutional technicality that could reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

   Aug 23, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyTrue Crime

7. The Ghost of Olympia

   A missing weather official, presumed drowned for months, returns home to find his wife has already collected on his life insurance policy.

   Apr 25, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyTrue Crime

8. A Militia Camp Kickback Scandal Ends in a Fistfight

   Tom Box, the Tacoma concessionaire at Camp McGraw, was reduced to the ranks after admitting he lied about paying for exclusive camp privileges — then he called Gen. Curry a liar and took a punch in O'Brien's office.

   Jul 29, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall · Scandal

9. The Suicide Machine: An Olympia Pioneer's Meticulous Last Act

   A 70-year-old bachelor rigged a gun, a bench and a string in his shed, left a note on a blackboard, and arranged his own death with chilling precision.

   Sep 13, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWest Side, OlympiaStrange But True

10. The Railroad That Tried to Take Its Tracks Off the Tax Rolls

    Northern Pacific receivers tell Thurston County that its right-of-way and stations are federal property—and therefore exempt from local taxes.

    Aug 24, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money

11. The Oyster Bed Loophole

    A Supreme Court ruling on tide lands inadvertently threatens the state's control over valuable oyster beds.

    Apr 24, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money

12. The $3,000 Offer to Salt a Washington Land Claim

    An Olympia land-office hearing turns on a state witness’s account of a bribe to fake a mineral discovery—and an expert’s verdict that the ground was worthless.

    Sep 7, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money · True Crime

13. The Fight Over Washington's Capitol: A Governor, a Professor and a Press War

    As the state's new capitol building is designed, Seattle and Tacoma papers pound the selection commission with charges of favoritism — and Gov. McGraw's defenders fire back.

    Mar 9, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWashington State Capitol, Olympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall · Gone Forever

14. The Governor Wins His Battle for the Capitol Board

    The state supreme court rules that Governor McGraw acted within his legal authority to oust commissioner John McReavy.

    Mar 13, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

15. The Spanking That Became a Fugitive Hunt

    Allen Weir says a child-discipline complaint in Olympia was magnified into a criminal manhunt — and he wants the public to hear his side.

    Jun 20, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyScandal

16. Judge Burke: Washington cannot borrow a dollar to build its capitol

    Answering Populist weeklies that accused the capitol commission of planning to sink the state a million dollars into debt, commissioner Thomas Burke said the law allows exactly one funding source — 132,000 acres of granted land — and no taxes at all.

    Jun 14, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money · City Hall

17. Militia Encampment Under Siege by Rain and Mud

    Washington's National Guard troops endure a damp, difficult training session near Olympia, marked by runaways, a fistfight, and dismal weather.

    Jul 1, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston County

18. The Profit in Prunes

    How a small-scale orchard near Olympia is proving that fruit farming can be a lucrative venture in Western Washington.

    Feb 15, 1894Aberdeen HeraldOlympia, Thurston County

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