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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1903 | 730 |
| 1904 | 60 |
790 stories
- The Fight for Safer Streets
Walla Walla's decaying wooden sidewalks are proving hazardous, prompting a push for modern cement alternatives.
- The Man Who Owns Fifteen Townships Comes to Town
W. H. Babcock, back in Walla Walla after six months in Trinidad, is selling off Douglas County land he bought at 75 cents an acre — now fetching up to $12 — and keeping thousands of acres back for sheep.
- The Water Wars of Walla Walla
City residents demand an end to water sales to rural farmers, claiming agricultural demand drains the city's limited supply.
- City Moves to Solve Long-Standing Water Crisis
Walla Walla's City Council hires a Spokane engineer to secure the city’s future water supply, bypassing local land speculators.
- The Theater vs. The Saloon
A surprising social trend sees Walla Walla residents choosing stage entertainment over the local drinking houses.
- Main Street Gunplay Leads to Jail Time
A night of drinking in Walla Walla ends in arrests and fines for two local men.
- The Short-Timer’s Escape
With only forty days left on his forgery sentence, a trusty prisoner at the state penitentiary slipped away from his garden duties and vanished.
- The Struggle for Walla Walla's Main Street
A local newspaper editor warns that the town's fragmented, 'cut-throat' merchant culture is paving the way for corporate monopolies to destroy local livelihoods.
- Prominent Rancher Ends His Life
Struggling with illness and domestic separation, William H. Foster died by his own hand in a family barn.
- The Walla Walla Carnival of 1903
Thousands flocked to the Stadium for a midsummer spectacle featuring live acts, exotic shows, and the coronation of a carnival queen.
- The Great Walla Walla Prune Crisis
A labor strike on the Puget Sound puts Walla Walla’s entire fruit harvest at risk as packaging supplies vanish.
- The Last of the Pioneer Trees
A landmark locust tree, planted in 1865, is cut down to make room for modern concrete sidewalks in front of the Gem saloon.
- Labor Day Parade Marches Through Walla Walla
Despite a drizzling rain, 350 union members and city officials celebrated the holiday with a parade, speeches, and athletic competition at Singleton’s Grove.
- An Eccentric Pioneer Found Alone and Helpless
After marrying a much younger woman and deeding away his property in a scandal that made local news, a reclusive tailor has been found paralyzed in his home.
- School Board Ignores Call for Fiscal Transparency
Three years of broken promises leave Walla Walla taxpayers in the dark regarding the district's eighty-thousand-dollar annual expenditure.
- The Schools Board’s Secret Accounting
While the County Treasurer follows the law, the School District No. 1 board refuses to show taxpayers where the money goes.
- The Governor Against the Rails
Governor Miles C. Moore denounces the corrupting influence of the railroad lobby in Washington state politics.
- The Council's Expensive Water Report
Walla Walla officials are paying $500 for a new water study despite already possessing a comprehensive 1893 report.
- The Wheat Market Grinds to a Halt
Farmers withhold their harvest as prices sag and rain threatens the crop across Eastern Washington.
- The Price of a Local Home
Walla Walla shifts the financial burden of securing a charitable home to the county commission, sparking a debate over the scope of municipal responsibility.
- The Battle for Walla Walla’s Tap
In 1903, hydraulic engineer Otto Weile presented a landmark report to the city council, arguing that the future of Walla Walla’s growth depended on securing the waters of Mill Creek.
- The Great Band Union Battle
A touring bandleader faces a boycott in Walla Walla for failing to secure union cards for his musicians, sparking a public labor dispute.
- The Great 'Lacum Duckum' Campus Cold War
After Whitman College students staged a 'ducking' of classmates for skipping a reception, a retaliatory social boycott by the women of Reynolds Hall has divided the campus.
- The Price of Philanthropy
Walla Walla taxpayers worry that the proposed Stubblefield home for widows and orphans might become a public burden.
- A Violent Encounter Ends in a Courtroom Technicality
After stabbing a man multiple times, Fagan Scott dodges a serious felony conviction through a judicial error.