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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 2 |
| 1859 | 3 |
| 1860 | 2 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1863 | 3 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1872 | 7 |
| 1876 | 19 |
| 1877 | 8 |
| 1878 | 7 |
| 1879 | 2 |
| 1880 | 3 |
| 1882 | 4 |
| 1883 | 18 |
| 1884 | 8 |
| 1885 | 11 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 10 |
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 20 |
| 1891 | 32 |
| 1892 | 66 |
| 1893 | 49 |
| 1894 | 54 |
| 1895 | 97 |
| 1898 | 3 |
| 1899 | 14 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 32 |
| 1904 | 16 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 8 |
| 1909 | 29 |
| 1910 | 9 |
| 1914 | 11 |
| 1915 | 7 |
| 1916 | 12 |
| 1917 | 6 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 11 |
| 1925 | 4 |
| 1929 | 1 |
610 stories matching appropri
- Seattle's Farm Paper Says No to Paying for Portland's World's Fair
As The Oregonian promised a $100,000 state appropriation for the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial, a Seattle agricultural journal argued the money would be better spent on roads and irrigation — and doubted the crowds would ever show up.
- The Senator Who Built a Dry Dock: Washington’s First Federal Win
Senator Henry Mason Allen secures $100,000 for a naval facility at Port Orchard, marking one of the first major federal infrastructure wins for the young state.
- The Uncharted Frontier
Without federal funding for land surveys, homesteaders in Washington State are left in legal limbo, unable to secure titles to the ground they farm.
- State-Funded Irrigation Settlement Wins Legislative Backing
After overcoming Senate opposition, state land settlement project secures $50,000 in funding as settlers express guarded optimism about the program's future.
- The Tax Revolt of 1923
Legislators in Olympia face a political firestorm as they struggle to cut state spending while voters demand 'hands off' the schools and roads.
- Taxation Without Infrastructure: The Skagit River Fight of 1880
While Washington Territory sent tax dollars to Washington D.C., federal officials offered little in return, forcing local residents to build their own river infrastructure.
- The U.S. Government Pushes for Tribal Land Relinquishment
Federal legislators secure funding for moving California tribes and pushing the Nez Perce off their reservation in Washington Territory.
- The 'Million Dollar' Legislature
A scathing critique of Washington's early state legislative sessions highlights the 'million-dollar' waste and the reputation for incompetence plaguing the new state government.
- Congress Cuts Seattle’s Canal Fund to $25,000
The House backs a reduced river-and-harbor appropriation for the proposed Lake Washington canal, leaving the project to wait on the Senate.
- The General and the Missing Military Money
A Senate committee says Washington's adjutant general ran the militia like a personal fiefdom, blew through his appropriation and left the state with a military deficiency.
- The Skagit River Navigation Feud
Seattle editors slam federal engineers and local delegates for failing to properly fund or understand the realities of river navigation.
- The Road Money That Went to Colville
Ten thousand dollars was appropriated for the Newport–Orient state road. Six thousand of it vanished into 'preliminaries,' and the actual construction ended up in the county seat instead of at either end of the road.
- The Struggle for the Swinomish Slough
While Washington Territory languished without federal infrastructure support, local steamboat operators were left to navigate a dangerous, shifting channel entirely on their own dime.
- Oregon's Lobbyists Descend on Olympia for the Lewis and Clark Fair
Washington legislators balk at donating $200,000 to Portland's 1905 exposition, as Senator J. P. Sharp calls it an indiscriminate giveaway of public funds.
- Land Speculation or Lifeline? The Fight Over Seattle’s Lake Washington Canal
Senator Squire battles Southern committee members and rumors of a land grab to keep Seattle’s canal in the federal river and harbor bill.
- Newport's Road Race for the Calispel Valley Trade
As rival towns lobbied for a $30,000 state road, Newport banked on a new railroad and steamboats to secure the rich valley's business.
- The Presidential Ambitions of Governor Laughton
Critics allege that a $50,000 geological survey appropriation is being used to fund a political vanity project.
- The Federal Push for Puget Sound Navigation
Engineers lobby for federal funds to clear the Nooksack River and build lighthouses across the Washington coast.
- Calling for More Lifesavers on the Pacific Coast
After several shipwrecks at the Columbia River bar, a report argues that the Twelfth District is dangerously under-equipped and neglected by Congress.
- The Legislature’s Endgame: Normal Schools Funded, a Central Board Killed
With ten days left, Washington lawmakers passed money for Cheney and Whatcom normal schools, killed a plan to consolidate state institutions, and left Cascade railroad routes in doubt.
- The Legislature Tried to Starve the Militia. Seattle’s Officers Rebelled.
A cut to $8,400 — and the abolition of commissioned officers — convinced Washington militia leaders that the state was quietly trying to disband its citizen army.
- Kennewick Faces Budget Cut for Local Roads
Legal wrangling with the county leaves city streets with a fraction of expected repair funds.
- The Pork Barrel Standoff
Washington State’s Representative John L. Wilson stops a Texas infrastructure bill until the needs of the Northwest are recognized.
- A Senate Candidate Brings Home the Bacon
Congressman John L. Wilson stops at Seattle's Butler Hotel to tout federal money for Washington—and admit he wants the Senate seat.
- The Proclamation That Never Was: How Seattle Almost Became a State in 1889
While Congress debated the fate of Dakota and New Mexico, a radical proposal to admit Washington Territory by presidential decree revealed the deep political fractures over statehood.