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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 5 |
| 1883 | 18 |
| 1884 | 6 |
| 1885 | 5 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 5 |
40 stories
- The Great Washington Land Grab
A federal investigation reveals how the Northern Pacific Railroad manipulated land office officials to claim 600,000 acres of prime territory in the Walla Walla Valley.
- Land Office Cuts Northern Pacific Claims by One-Third
A government intervention restores a third of Northern Pacific's land claims in Washington to the public domain, sparking a bitter feud between settlers and the railroad.
- The Legal Trap of Marriage
A doctor, paralyzed after a carriage accident, finds that her husband legally owns her right to sue for her own injuries.
- The Silent Arrival of a Manufacturing Giant
Byron Jackson establishes a massive agricultural implement factory in Walla Walla without fanfare, signaling a shift in the region's 'old fogy' business culture.
- Drunken Brawl in Walla Walla
When a rowdy group of cattle herders spent their gold with 'prodigal hand' at local saloons, they turned the street into a chaotic scene that tested the resolve of city officials.
- The Railway Heartbeat of Walla Walla
When a railroad bypasses a growing town for a smaller rival, the economic stakes—and the town's survival—hang in the balance.
- The Doctor Who Saved Oregon
Dr. Marcus Whitman’s heroic 1843 mission to guide wagon trains through the wilderness proved that Americans could settle the Northwest, ultimately shifting the geopolitical fate of the territory.
- The Fight for the Indemnity Belt
How Washington settlers fought to reclaim land from corporate control, breaking the grip of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- The Tragedy of the Main Street Inferno
A catastrophic fire destroys a block of historic Walla Walla, leaving two men dead in the ruins.
- Walla Walla Editor Shoots Brewery Owner
A political leader and newspaper man fires on a local businessman after a dispute over a published critique of the brewery's beer.
- Bloody Jailbreak at Walla Walla
Two prisoners pull off a brutal escape, leaving a sheriff and jailer wounded as a citizens' committee takes up the hunt.
- Diphtheria Closes School in Walla Walla
A local report highlights economic tension and a health crisis in Walla Walla, while a child in Waitsburg narrowly avoids a poisoning tragedy.
- The Unmasking of 'Julius the Fugitive'
A small-town swindler’s life of crime finally catches up with him after a string of scams across the Pacific Northwest.
- The $250 Purse Nobody Could Spend
Walla Walla saloonkeepers pooled money to buy a friendly license ordinance. Then the councilman they thought was theirs voted the wrong way.
- The Doctor Who Swam for His Life: Marcus Whitman’s Forgotten Struggle
A newly published account reveals the physical toll and near-death experiences of the missionary whose name is etched into Pacific Northwest history.
- Bridging the Divide: The Quest to Unite Washington Territory
In 1882, residents and leaders were grappling with the geographic and cultural chasm between the rugged, booming Puget Sound and the burgeoning Eastern Washington region.
- The Political Spoils of a Walla Walla Clerk
After relocating his entire life and family for a government job, a deputy clerk is unceremoniously fired—exposing the bitter, transactional nature of territorial patronage.
- Henry Villard Promises Rail Expansion in the Palouse
Railroad tycoon Henry Villard visits Walla Walla, pledging to bridge the Cascades and extend lines to keep the regional economy moving.
- The Railway King Comes to Walla Walla
Henry Villard, president of the Northern Pacific Railroad, arrives in Walla Walla to a hero’s welcome and demands for new branch lines.
- Walla Walla’s 1884 Sales Pitch: From a Tent Store to a ‘Metropolitan’ City
A reprinted commercial sketch boasts of wheat, railroads, gasworks and thousands of souls — and lets slip the town’s whole origin story, from a tent on Mill Creek to the great fire of 1866.
- The Ghost of the River
A tragic mix-up in identity leaves a drowned man's body buried in a shallow grave until friends intervene.
- The Homestead Scam That Turned Public Land Into a Speculator’s Prize
An 1883 exposé from Walla Walla describes how doctors, lawyers and merchants faked frontier residency to grab government land—and why the law made perjury easy.
- The Walla Walla Rebellion
A small-town municipal election ends in a landslide defeat for incumbent councilmen who dared to enforce an ordinance against public roaming.
- The Fortress at Walla Walla
After two years of labor, the Territory's new penitentiary stands finished—a 15-foot high stone-and-cement stockade built to hold the region’s criminals.
- The Struggle to Build the Territorial Penitentiary
A desperate plea from the prison board for funding to build essential living quarters, highlighting the dire state of the Washington Territorial Penitentiary in 1887.