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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 4 |
| 1858 | 2 |
| 1859 | 6 |
| 1860 | 6 |
| 1861 | 6 |
| 1862 | 3 |
| 1863 | 3 |
| 1865 | 2 |
| 1871 | 2 |
| 1872 | 12 |
| 1876 | 41 |
| 1877 | 43 |
| 1878 | 27 |
| 1879 | 4 |
| 1880 | 9 |
| 1882 | 11 |
| 1883 | 47 |
| 1884 | 20 |
| 1885 | 40 |
| 1886 | 16 |
| 1887 | 30 |
| 1888 | 36 |
| 1889 | 75 |
| 1890 | 6 |
| 1891 | 57 |
| 1892 | 95 |
| 1893 | 91 |
| 1894 | 119 |
| 1895 | 133 |
| 1897 | 4 |
| 1898 | 20 |
| 1899 | 22 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 58 |
| 1904 | 49 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1908 | 11 |
| 1909 | 52 |
| 1910 | 6 |
| 1911 | 5 |
| 1912 | 5 |
| 1914 | 8 |
| 1915 | 10 |
| 1916 | 18 |
| 1917 | 14 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1928 | 4 |
| 1929 | 2 |
1,246 stories matching cannot
- The Court Let Harbor Lines Reach Beyond the City Limits
Washington’s Supreme Court reversed a lower court and held that harbor-line commissioners had jurisdiction in front of incorporated towns like Ballard, not just cities—then sent the case back to be dismissed.
- The Futility of Prohibition
A skeptical legislator warns that strict alcohol bans in Washington Territory will lead only to evasion, black markets, and public distrust.
- Don't Bond the Valley to a Dry Ditch
A Wenatchee editor warns that a $100,000 Wright-law irrigation bond would repeat the Kennewick failure—leaving settlers with debt, abandoned orchards, and no water.
- The Cattle Partnership That Could Not Be Settled in Court
A landmark Washington Supreme Court ruling in 1872 reminded settlers that you cannot simply sue your business partner; you must account for the ledger first.
- The Fight to Retain Benton County’s First Agriculturist
As local agricultural expert Lee M. Lampson eyes an offer in a bigger field, the editor argues that losing his local expertise would cost farmers more than a salary raise.
- The Strawberry Wars: Can Kennewick Growers Cooperate?
An editorial plea for local strawberry growers and marketing agencies to standardize their pack and stabilize pricing before the season collapses.
- The Idle Crowd: Seattle's 1877 Moral Panic over 'Street Loafers'
A local editor observes the growing ranks of the unemployed and 'non-descript' men gathering on Seattle corners, questioning how they survive in a bustling, labor-dependent territory.
- The Moss-Cloaked Giants of Bay Center
A teacher’s letter from the Pacific Northwest frontier describes a landscape of colossal trees and lush undergrowth, challenging the myth of the harsh pioneer struggle.
- The Weight of Responsibility: A Victorian Lesson for Snohomish Parents
In an 1877 editorial, a Snohomish observer argued that character was a hereditary and domestic inheritance, placing the burden of societal progress squarely on the shoulders of the home.
- The Battle for Seattle’s Soul
Tensions boil over between labor organizers and the property-owning elite over the presence of Chinese workers, as the city teeters on the edge of mob rule.
- The Wharf King’s Victory: Yesler Wins Millions in Land Battle
Judge Lichtenberg rules that the state cannot seize waterfront property without paying just compensation, halting the Harbor Line Commission and protecting H.L. Yesler’s empire.
- The Rule of Law in the Face of Mob Violence
In 1885, a Seattle judge delivered a scathing rebuke to a grand jury and the public, condemning anti-Chinese conspiracy and defending the right of all laborers—regardless of race or origin—to equal protection under the law.
- The Campaign to Exclude Japanese Farmers from Seattle Markets
White truck farmers in the White River Valley organize a campaign to ban Japanese immigrant competition from the Pike Place Market.
- The Waterfront War: How Seattle's Property Owners Stopped the State from Stealing Their Land
A landmark court ruling in January 1901 declares that the state cannot redraw harbor lines and seize waterfront property without paying fair compensation, marking a major victory for private ownership against government overreach.
- The Supreme Court Halts Seattle's Street Grading
A landmark court ruling forces the city to stop leveling streets unless they pay damages to homeowners.
- The Capitol Riots: How a Bribery Scandal Shook Washington’s First Legislature
In the halls of Olympia, Republican lawmakers turned on each other with fists and threats over a U.S. Senate seat, exposing a brazen attempt to buy votes that disgraced the young state.
- A Forty-Foot Leap From a Burning Lodging House
A predawn blaze in a Terrace Street rooming house forces immigrant laborers to jump from windows; one is likely fatally injured.
- A Common-Sense Case for Public Waterfront Control
A heated civic editorial argues that Kennewick must build a port district to compete with neighboring towns like Pasco for the future of Columbia River commerce.
- The Clubhouse Seattle Would Not Rent
In 1923, a landlord was talked out of leasing a house to Filipino students after a University of Washington professor objected to living near them—prompting an editorial demand for a permanent home the community could call its own.
- The Pony Express Ends: Lincoln Wins, But the South Sees War
As the Pony Express delivers the shocking news of Abraham Lincoln’s election to a nervous Sacramento, Olympia residents mark local weddings and watch their market prices hold steady.
- The Right to Remain: A Victory in Federal Court
Judge Hanford rules that a Japanese laborer cannot be deported as a 'pauper' by immigration inspectors, asserting a right to due process.
- The Newcastle Riot: When Labor Turned Mob
An editorial from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer condemns a violent clash in Newcastle, Washington Territory, where Knights of Labor members allegedly used intimidation to stop non-union miners from working.
- The Tide Land Grab: How Seattle's Future Was Sold Before It Was Even a State
As Washington Territory inches toward statehood in early 1889, speculators are already circling the waterfront, buying up oyster beds and timber rights in a desperate rush to claim the city's most valuable real estate.
- The Tangled Web of Tacoma’s Water Scandal
Public confidence in Tacoma city finances erodes as taxpayers learn the treasurer's bondsmen are heavily linked to failed banks and dubious deals.
- The Navy Secretary Goes Down Into the Big Hole
Secretary of the Navy Herbert rides the lighthouse tender Manzanita across the Sound to inspect the giant new dry dock at Port Orchard, settles a bitter dispute over how deep to drive the pilings, and dances the night away at the Rainier.