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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1864 | 31 |
| 1865 | 10 |
41 stories
- The Great Migration Westward
A massive influx of settlers is pouring into the region, with reports suggesting over 100,000 immigrants passed Fort Laramie this season alone, many destined for the valleys of the Pacific Northwest.
- Boundary Line Disrupts Cottonwood Creek Education
A newly surveyed border places a school district in Oregon, effectively cutting it off from Washington school funds.
- Midnight Gunfight at the Warehouse
A watchman defends a local business in a late-night shootout with burglars.
- A Plea for Better Schoolhouses
Walla Walla’s school superintendent warns that log-cabin schools are a poor substitute for real investment in public education.
- Infant Abandoned at Sisters of Charity Academy
A newborn child discovered on the steps of a local school is sent to an orphanage in Vancouver.
- The Masonic Ball Breaks the Social Ice
Walla Walla’s high-society gathering abandons the stiff formality of the coast for a rare night of genuine local connection.
- A Botanical Surprise in Colville Valley
A local entrepreneur discovers that tobacco can thrive in the limestone soils of the far North, challenging previous assumptions about regional agriculture.
- A Daring Prison Break Nearly Becomes a Tragedy
A Walla Walla prisoner’s attempt to squeeze through a barred window leaves him trapped and nearly hanging by his own neck.
- The Walla Walla Jailbreak That Surprised Nobody
Two inmates sawed their way out of their cells, but one prisoner decided he was done with jailbreaks and went back to sleep in a stable.
- The Patriotic Drunkard
A Walla Walla local argues that his drinking habit is a noble contribution to the war effort.
- Locking Down the County Jail
Walla Walla’s City Council moves to secure the jail with a high fence to stop well-meaning citizens from helping prisoners escape.
- The Bigamist of the Boise Mines
A woman leaves her second husband to run away with her first when he returns from the mines with a pocket full of gold.
- The Stool Dispute of Eighth Street
A brief, charming standoff between two children in a Walla Walla front yard captured by local gossip.
- Introducing a New Species to the Walla Walla Valley
Local farmer George F. Thomas is importing game birds from the Willamette Valley to enrich the landscape for future generations.
- The House Rules of a Frontier Newspaper
An 1864 editor lays down the law for visitors to his office, covering everything from chewing tobacco to the frequent singing of 'John Brown.'
- The Self-Appointed 'Old Man' of Walla Walla
A traveler reflects on the shifting nature of American honors and finds that his grand titles have evaporated in the frontier town of Walla Walla.