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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 2 |
| 1877 | 4 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 6 |
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| 1909 | 4 |
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| 1917 | 1 |
| 1923 | 2 |
39 stories matching commod
- 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.
- A Third Street House and Lot for Sale
Before Seattle became a city of skyscrapers, a simple plot of land between Seneca and University was a common commodity for sale in the local paper.
- A Railroad Rate Cut Redrew the Northwest's Trade Map
The Northern Pacific's new freight tariff aimed to make Puget Sound the gateway for Eastern Washington and Idaho—shutting out St. Paul and San Francisco.
- The Lumber Blockade: A Plea for Economic Sovereignty
An 1878 editorial argues that Seattle’s timber and the inland prairies are two halves of a whole, choked by a 'grinding monopoly' of railroads and steamship companies.
- Territorial Governor Orders Segregated Schooling
Governor Isaac I. Stevens enforces new restrictions on Indigenous student access to public education in Olympia.
- Northern Pacific Takes Its Rate Fight to Federal Court
The railroad will challenge Washington's sweeping grain-rate cut as unconstitutional, warning the reduction is ruinous and confiscatory.
- The Lakeside Gold Rush
Wealthy Tacomans shift their sights from Gravelly Lake to American Lake as prime real estate becomes a hot commodity.
- The Price of Survival in 1871 Seattle
A rare glimpse into the grocery and labor economy of the Washington Territory through the lens of a local market report.
- The High Cost of Shipping Produce to the Sound
Yakima farmers complain that exorbitant transport rates are leaving them with nothing to show for their labor.
- Shippers Face New Freight Tax
Northwestern fruit growers are bracing for a 15 percent hike in shipping rates that could devastate their margins.
- Sunday Controversy at the Fruit Fair
A local clergyman denounces the management of the Walla Walla fruit fair for permitting the sale of soft drinks and confections on a Sunday.
- Why One Mill Refused the Shingle Trust
A local manufacturer pens a defiant letter against the push for a shingle monopoly, arguing for the free market over artificial price fixing.
- The Lumber Lobby Scores a Panama Canal Win
Pacific coast lumbermen outmaneuvered the Panama Canal Commission to exempt deck-loads from tonnage fees, signaling the power of regional industry over federal regulation.
- The High Cost of Paving Progress
A warning to the city that the frenetic pace of street regrading is pushing homeowners toward financial ruin.
- The Great Railway Freight Revolt
In a 1891 legislative showdown, Washington lawmakers slashed freight rates by 25 percent to combat railroad monopolies, sparking a fierce debate over state versus corporate control.
- The Struggle for Labor's Worth
As telegraphers across the country walk off the job, the local press debates the morality of corporate monopolies versus the rights of the individual laborer.
- The Tariff Struggle Against Steel Monopolies
New government statistics reveal a massive spike in iron and steel imports, challenging the power of domestic trusts to set prices.
- The Health Scares of Seattle’s Founders
A pioneer’s testimonial for a turn-of-the-century 'miracle' tonic reveals the desperation of health and mortality on the 1880s frontier.
- Everett Pushes for a City-Owned Water System
Advocates argue that water is a public necessity, not a commodity for private corporate profit.
- The Fight for Public Water Power
As corporations scramble to monopolize the nation's rivers, the Times argues that the government must intervene before water becomes a private commodity.
- The Price of Survival in 1880s Snohomish
A look at the commodities and labor costs that defined life in the frontier settlement of Snohomish City.
- Athena Needs a Warehouse
A local representative of the O.R.N. railroad argues that Athena is perfectly positioned to become a regional shipping hub, provided local storage can keep up with modern demand.
- The Boomtown That Was: A Glimpse of Seattle in 1876
A survey of the territory paints a portrait of a frontier Seattle defined by the roar of sawmills, the promise of coal, and the ambition to conquer the Cascades.
- The Rising Sentiment Against Chinese Labor in Seattle
An editorial reflection on the arrival of Chinese laborers in Seattle and the prevailing local attitudes regarding their employment.
- The Hop Gold Rush of 1886
As hop prices soar in the Puyallup Valley, Washington Territory farmers find themselves in the midst of a speculative frenzy, echoing the volatility of modern commodity markets.