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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1876 | 5 |
| 1877 | 8 |
| 1878 | 5 |
| 1883 | 3 |
| 1884 | 5 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 7 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 10 |
| 1893 | 7 |
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| 1895 | 6 |
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| 1904 | 3 |
| 1908 | 2 |
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| 1911 | 1 |
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| 1916 | 6 |
| 1917 | 1 |
97 stories matching impass
- The Tears of the Courtroom
A three-week embezzlement trial in Everett ended in acquittal after an emotional defense moved jurors to tears.
- Democratic Convention Splits Over Ship Canal
A bitter political brawl at the state convention in Olympia ends in a stinging defeat for Seattle’s most ambitious infrastructure dream.
- Tacoma’s City Hall in Chaos
A standoff over missing treasury funds, salary cuts, and a power struggle at the Board of Public Works defines a week of municipal turmoil in Tacoma.
- The Fourth of July in Olympia at the Height of the Civil War
A fervent address by Elwood Evans calls for absolute loyalty to the Union as the Territory celebrates the nation’s independence during its 'most tearful trial.'
- The Great Border Horse Smuggling Escape
A persistent carpenter tries to outrun the law through a blind canyon to avoid customs duties on his prize stallion.
- The Populist Revolt in King County
King County Populists hold a fiery convention, demanding an end to the poll tax, attacking 'Pinkertonian' strikebreakers, and debating the merits of local newspapers.
- The County Treasury Lockdown
Whatcom County officials are at an impasse over a resolution to freeze outstanding warrants, sparking a legal and political battle.
- Steamboat Men Race the High Water to Open the Upper Columbia
Two veteran river captains came to Kettle Falls to scout a boat line from the Rickey rapids south to Fort Spokane — and meant to have a hull on the water within ten days, before the freshet made the obstructions impassable.
- Walla Walla Residents Demand Relief From Muddy Streets
An editorial calls for a city street-cleaning department and paved or graveled roads to address months of muddy, impassable streets.
- The Brewery Brawl
A local assault case reaches a strange legal impasse when a prosecutor is asked to define whether a beer keg constitutes a deadly weapon.
- State Highway Engineering or Political Theater?
A scathing editorial accuses the state highway engineer of prioritizing partisan optics over the crumbling roads of Benton County.
- Farmer's Alliance Convention Ends in Chaos
A political assembly in Dayton dissolves into a brawl after the president is expelled.
- The Mud That Stalled Seattle: Why Our Hills Are Unrideable
Four months of relentless rain have turned Seattle’s steep streets into impassable quagmires, halting commerce and terrifying travelers. As the city debates reform elsewhere, locals demand immediate graveling or paving before the mud claims another season.
- Digging the Big Ditch
A massive engineering project kicks off in Richland as the Wright Construction Company brings in heavy machinery and a crew to tackle the area's drainage needs.
- The Ballard Rail Wars
Ballard officials threatened to forcibly remove tracks from their city streets in a bitter dispute with railroad receivers.
- The Political Allegiance of the Black Voter in 1892
In an era of rising racial violence and disenfranchisement, H.R. Carroll makes an impassioned case for why the Republican Party remained the only viable choice for Black citizens.
- The Speakerless Session: A Legislative Standoff
After seventeen ballots and tense debates over legal swearing-in procedures, the Territorial House finally elects a Speaker.
- Seattle's Muddy Streets Stall Railroad Equipment in 1877
A local editor chronicles the impossible state of the city's thoroughfares, where wagon axles disappear into the muck.
- The Bottleneck of Yesler Way
A dangerous, debris-filled junction at Yesler, Front, and Commercial streets creates a daily traffic nightmare for Seattle's commerce.
- The Argument for Statehood: Washington's Manifest Destiny
An impassioned appeal for Washington Territory's admission to the Union, highlighting its timber, agriculture, and shipbuilding potential as proof of its readiness to become a state.
- The Mining Expert in a 'Bifurcated Garment'
Defying Victorian norms and treacherous high-water trails, Emily Knight heads into the mountains to develop Gold Hill.
- The Madison Street Blockade
A critical city thoroughfare is left in ruins after competing companies battle over franchise rights, leaving the public to pay the price.
- The Great Freeze of '92
Seattle and the surrounding region are paralyzed by record snowfall and freezing temperatures, leading to train delays, roof collapses, and a surge in labor prices.
- The Myth of the Unclimbable Mountain
Defying widespread reports that Mount Rainier had been rendered impassable by avalanches, two men successfully summit the peak to set the record straight.
- The White Ribboners’ Crusade in Cosmopolis
A local chapter of the W.C.T.U. mounts an impassioned campaign against the ‘despot’ of alcohol, labeling licensed saloons a failed experiment.