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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 2 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 3 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1863 | 2 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1872 | 3 |
| 1876 | 39 |
| 1877 | 19 |
| 1878 | 16 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 7 |
| 1882 | 7 |
| 1883 | 47 |
| 1884 | 34 |
| 1885 | 22 |
| 1886 | 15 |
| 1887 | 24 |
| 1888 | 23 |
| 1889 | 38 |
| 1890 | 8 |
| 1891 | 56 |
| 1892 | 118 |
| 1893 | 132 |
| 1894 | 96 |
| 1895 | 158 |
| 1897 | 5 |
| 1898 | 9 |
| 1899 | 32 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 3 |
| 1903 | 64 |
| 1904 | 42 |
| 1905 | 5 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 27 |
| 1909 | 77 |
| 1910 | 13 |
| 1911 | 6 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1914 | 13 |
| 1915 | 16 |
| 1916 | 20 |
| 1917 | 20 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 13 |
| 1924 | 5 |
| 1925 | 3 |
| 1928 | 1 |
| 1929 | 1 |
1,256 stories matching contract
- City Council Members Dodge Responsibility on James Street
While private citizens were forced to fulfill their contracts, two city council members allegedly abandoned their own street improvement project without penalty.
- The Hop Industry and the 'Cinch Game'
As Yakima’s hop acreage nears 1,500 acres, local growers struggle against predatory contracts and one-sided dealer practices.
- Everett’s Sweetheart Printing Deal: The Supreme Court Said No
In 1894, Everett’s city council awarded its official printing contract to a bid nearly four times higher than a rival’s. The Washington Supreme Court reversed course, warning that public money was not the council’s to give away.
- Unsafe at Any Depth: Detillion Bridge Condemned, Emergency Contract Let
A joint inspection finds the Spokane River crossing beyond repair, forcing Stevens and Lincoln counties to rescind a contract and fast-track a replacement.
- The Swine Swindle Sweeping the State
A state professor warns farmers against sophisticated livestock contracts that promise riches but leave them holding the bag.
- Spokane Judge Rejects a Cut-Rate Pauper Burial Contract
A county deal that paid a premium on each pauper's grave is struck down as against public policy—even after another bidder offered to bury the dead for a penny apiece.
- The Struggle Over the Port Orchard Dry Dock
The federal government hesitates to award a massive contract for a key Navy project, citing doubts about the contractor's ability to deliver.
- County Saves Money by Re-bidding Road Contract
After rejecting initial high bids, local commissioners secure a $10,600 contract for the highway from Grant’s Corner to White Bluffs.
- The Printing Contract Scandal
The City Council awards a printing contract to a more expensive paper, sparking claims of hypocrisy against the self-proclaimed 'reform' administration.
- Who Gets to Work the Docks?
A court ruling on the labor of foreign sailors in local ports highlights the fierce competition for maritime jobs in 1890s Tacoma.
- Seattle’s Tide-Flats Canal Clears the Court
The state Supreme Court upholds the Seattle Lake Washington Waterway Company’s contracts, leaving only a $500,000 subsidy before dredging begins.
- The Eight-Hour War: Seattle’s Labor Law Hits a Legal Wall
As the state’s landmark eight-hour workday law takes effect, prosecutors and judges clash over whether it applies to private contractors like the Pacific Bridge Company, leaving workers in limbo.
- Two Million Bricks and a Hundred Jobs for the Cascade Gateway
The Union Brick Works of Tacoma wins the Northern Pacific's contract to line the Stampede Tunnel in fire-baked brick — a regional infrastructure job that will keep a hundred men working through the summer.
- The Piano Contracts That Were Really $400 IOUs
A traveling salesman for a Hartline piano house was bound over after Whitman County farmers signed what they thought were storage agreements.
- Private Money Wanted to Fill Smith's Cove—and Asked the City to Say Yes
A San Francisco syndicate lined up a state tide-land contract for May 7, with an injunction the only obvious obstacle.
- The Border Drawn Through the Hop Fields
First Nations pickers from British Columbia were crossing into Washington to bring in the hop crop. The Treasury ordered them deported — while the inspector admitted the growers could not do without them.
- The Court Rules Against Railway Union Contracts
A federal judge sides with the Lake Shore Road receiver, ruling that collective labor contracts do not bind court-appointed management.
- Seattle Engineering Firm Lands Massive Naval Dry Dock Contract
Moran Brothers Company secures the contract for the pumping station at Port Orchard's naval dry dock, promising local jobs.
- A Low Bidder Cries Foul Over Tacoma’s New Water Pipes
Charges of inferior material and work outside the contract were briefly cleared—until affidavits from a lower bidder forced a fresh council inquiry.
- The Great Spokane Labor Carnival Swindle
A labor organization finds themselves penniless after a predatory contract with a traveling carnival company nets them only $6.40 from $18,000 in gross receipts.
- Seattle Starts Building Its Own Ground
Contractors drive the first piles in the tide flats, launching a massive fill project that will remake the city’s waterfront and industrial south end.
- County Printing Contract Sparks Legal Fight
Stevens County commissioners award the county printing contract to the Colville Examiner, but a rival paper sues, alleging the process was unfair.
- Kennewick Bargained for Brighter Streets—and a Ten-Year Utility Deal
In December 1916, Pacific Power Light proposed replacing Kennewick’s carbon arc lamps with hydrogen lamps, but council members wanted guarantees that new technology and future rate cuts would reach the city.
- Power Cut: Newport Planing Mill Shuts Down in Contract Fight with Electric Company
The Coulter & Button planing mill went idle last week after Northern Electric refused to supply power, alleging a broken contract over February electricity.
- The Mayor's Cozy Contracts
Walla Walla’s mayor is accused of self-dealing, funneling city money into his own foundry while dodging newspaper scrutiny.