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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 14 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 8 |
| 1860 | 7 |
| 1861 | 15 |
| 1862 | 20 |
| 1863 | 8 |
| 1864 | 3 |
| 1865 | 2 |
| 1871 | 2 |
| 1872 | 21 |
| 1876 | 56 |
| 1877 | 62 |
| 1878 | 40 |
| 1879 | 6 |
| 1880 | 15 |
| 1882 | 10 |
| 1883 | 78 |
| 1884 | 51 |
| 1885 | 87 |
| 1886 | 51 |
| 1887 | 52 |
| 1888 | 36 |
| 1889 | 116 |
| 1890 | 23 |
| 1891 | 107 |
| 1892 | 203 |
| 1893 | 257 |
| 1894 | 270 |
| 1895 | 250 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 10 |
| 1899 | 39 |
| 1900 | 10 |
| 1903 | 102 |
| 1904 | 63 |
| 1905 | 10 |
| 1907 | 5 |
| 1908 | 21 |
| 1909 | 93 |
| 1910 | 18 |
| 1911 | 17 |
| 1912 | 8 |
| 1914 | 18 |
| 1915 | 17 |
| 1916 | 35 |
| 1917 | 22 |
| 1918 | 2 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 11 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1925 | 4 |
| 1929 | 2 |
2,381 stories matching act
- The Great Legal Squabble of 1871
A simmering territorial dispute over the 'Big Wigs'—the lawyers and judges—debating exactly when a law becomes a law.
- Labor Unions Demand Action on Border Enforcement in 1886
An exchange of letters between the Seattle Knights of Labor and the Collector of Customs highlights early local anxieties over immigration policy.
- 1878 Timber Land Act Opens 160-Acre Sales
A new federal law promises to open up public forests in Washington Territory to private ownership, setting the stage for decades of industrial exploitation.
- The Fight for the Agricultural College
Colfax officials accuse the state government of fraud and collusion in the selection of the site for the new Agricultural College.
- The Whitman College Students' Circus
A grand student-led performance in Armory Hall brings trained elephants, trapeze artists, and a merry band of clowns to Walla Walla.
- The Fight Over Washington’s Missing School Sections
A Port Townsend case over “lieu lands” reaches a federal courtroom—and the title to hundreds of thousands of acres of school land.
- The Rural Credits Law: A New Era for Farmers
A detailed breakdown of the 1916 Federal Farm Loan Act, designed to help regional farmers secure affordable credit for land and equipment.
- The Seattle Legal Crisis of 1887
When an error in the law's title threatened to invalidate every court order in the territory, the Seattle Bar Association gathered to decide if the wheels of justice had ground to a halt.
- The Struggle for Industrial Safety
C.R. Case explains the new Washington Workman’s Compensation Act, meant to end the era of predatory insurance companies.
- Marriage at the Center of an Exclusion Crisis
A Seattle couple's travel plans are halted by the Chinese Restriction Act, sparking a legal struggle for their right to move freely.
- A Final, Sudden Act
A Tacoma resident died suddenly while in the act of signing his last will and testament, which was noted for its extreme brevity.
- The Unjust Burden of the Geary Act
Chinese laborers in the United States face an expensive and discriminatory federal mandate to register for residency or risk immediate deportation.
- The Struggle for Seattle's Police Chief
A power struggle erupts between the city's gambling interests and a Chief of Police who refuses to play their game.
- The Knights of Labor Demand Action on the Border
A fiery 1885 exchange reveals deep tension between Seattle's labor unions and federal officials over the lax enforcement of Chinese immigration restrictions.
- The Great Incorporation Panic of 1878
When a legal technicality threatened to render Seattle’s entire municipal government illegitimate, a frantic scramble to re-incorporate revealed the fragile foundations of early frontier law.
- Defiance of the Chinese Exclusion Act
Local Chinese leaders organize to resist a federal registration mandate, warning of a potential 'wholesale deportation.'
- The Six-Hour Coup
A corrupt acting mayor attempts to replace the police chief to open the city to gamblers, only to be overruled upon the mayor’s return.
- The Battle for the Beer Ballot
With prohibition looming, Washington voters prepare to weigh in on the 'Beer Consumers' Act' while other radical initiatives fall flat.
- Seattle’s Acting Mayor Ousted in Mystery Resignation
Dr. Sweeney resigns after a sudden, suspicious removal by the board of aldermen, sparking rumors of gambling influence.
- A New Chief for the Seattle Fire Department
Captain W. H. Clark steps in as acting chief amidst political maneuvering and department instability.
- The Makah Sealers’ Schooner Controversy
A bureaucratic fight over whether tribal sealers can legally use schooners as refuge during dangerous Bering Sea storms.
- The Question of Missing County Tax Money
The Herald calls on the county commissioners to account for over $6,000 in missing tax funds allegedly held back by former county attorneys.
- City Leaders Arrested for Licensing Flop
Seattle's Acting Mayor and Water Superintendent find themselves on the wrong side of their own municipal ordinances.
- The Midnight Coup at City Hall
A bloodless revolution unfolds as the board of aldermen attempts to oust Acting Mayor Sweeney over a dispute regarding legalized gambling.
- The First Legal Code of Washington Territory
A sweeping 1854 legislative act codified the rules of the frontier, from the punishment of corrupt jailers to the regulation of 'notorious barrators' and illegal gambling.