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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
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| 1886 | 1 |
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71 stories matching spar
- The Battle for the Yesler Fortune
Legal teams spar in the high-stakes probate battle over the estate of Seattle pioneer Henry Yesler.
- The Struggle for Walla Walla’s Gravity Water System
City officials and private citizens spar over the future of the municipal water supply as debates over Mill Creek and private rights boil over.
- The Battle for the City Charter
Seattle's charter revisers spar over whether to maintain a two-house council or consolidate power, highlighting deep tensions over political cliques and mayoral authority.
- The Palace for the Poor
Walla Walla County commissioners spar over a controversial, high-cost proposal to replace the county’s humble poor farm with a luxury-equipped facility.
- The Eight-Hour Day Battle in 1887
Washington territorial legislators spar over radical new labor laws, including mandates for an eight-hour workday and the end of company-scrip payment systems.
- The First Fight for Women’s Suffrage in Seattle
Before statehood, the 1887 Washington Territorial Legislature sparked a fierce, floor-level battle over the right of women to vote and hold office.
- The Sinking of the Underwriter
A tragic maritime accident in Port Townsend harbor leaves a local captain’s schooner at the bottom of the channel.
- The Price of a Union Ham
Everett labor organizers spar with the Carstens Packing Company, demanding a city-wide boycott of the firm's meat products.
- Seattle's Fire Engine Scandal
City officials spar over a controversial, expensive fire engine purchase, raising questions of incompetence and potential overpayment.
- Four Sailors, a Filthy Jail, and a Test of the Law at Port Townsend
A British crew refused duty after the ship changed course for Puget Sound. Their answer was a jail cell — and a writ of habeas corpus to see whether the territory could legally hold them.
- The Price of 'Progress' on Madison Street
Property owners spar with City Council over the ruinous costs and assessments of the aggressive new street grading project.
- The Sermon That Demanded a Vigilante Raid
Local clergymen spar over how to handle a notorious 'dive' in Tacoma, with one pastor inciting his congregation to take the law into their own hands.
- A Sidewalk Battle on G Street
Property owners spar over mandatory concrete upgrades in the face of recent plank-walk investments.
- Olympia Wakes Up: Subpoenas, Telegraph Rates and a Suffrage Amendment
The 1895 Washington legislature moved from political strife to lawmaking, passing investigative subpoena power and jury reform while introducing bills to cap telegraph tolls, save Columbia salmon and give women the vote.
- The Great Grain Rate War
Legislators in Olympia spar over a proposed reduction in railroad freight rates, setting Eastern Washington farmers against the powerful railroad corporations.
- The Custody Battle of Baby Augustus
A toddler causes a stir in Judge Osborn's court as separated parents spar over custody rights in a high-stakes legal drama.
- The Fight for Rail Dominance: Seattle vs. Portland
In 1877, Seattle newspapers were already sparring with Portland over land grants and regional infrastructure, revealing the early economic anxieties of a growing port city.
- Council Spars Over Land for Stubblefield Home
Walla Walla's city council debates a contentious land donation to secure a charitable legacy amid pressure from rival town Pendleton.
- The Deadly Cost of Saloon Boxing
Seattle dives are profiting from 'scientific' sparring matches that frequently turn fatal for the impoverished, untrained men forced into the ring.
- A Brawl at the Baldwin Hotel
Pro wrestler Clarence Whistler and a member of John L. Sullivan’s traveling entourage clash in a drunken tavern confrontation.
- The Great Hop Hype
Local dealers spar with growers over inflated rumors of global demand for Washington's prized crop.
- The Boomtown That Was: A Glimpse of Seattle in 1876
A survey of the territory paints a portrait of a frontier Seattle defined by the roar of sawmills, the promise of coal, and the ambition to conquer the Cascades.
- The 'Irish Lad' Meets His Match
An unexpected middleweight newcomer disrupts a high-stakes wrestling match at the Seattle Skating Rink.
- The Football Defense: A 19th-Century Debate on Brutality
Readers spar in the pages of the Post-Intelligencer over whether American college football is a ‘scientific’ athletic endeavor or a barbaric ‘prized-fight’ masquerading as sport.
- The Pugilists of Front Street
A boxing exhibition at the Seattle Theater draws hundreds for a night of 'scientific' sparring and amateur matches.