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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 50 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 5 |
| 1860 | 11 |
| 1861 | 53 |
| 1862 | 56 |
| 1863 | 43 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 14 |
| 1876 | 9 |
| 1877 | 11 |
| 1878 | 7 |
| 1879 | 3 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 30 |
| 1884 | 10 |
| 1885 | 18 |
| 1886 | 10 |
| 1887 | 9 |
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 57 |
| 1890 | 8 |
| 1891 | 191 |
| 1892 | 61 |
| 1893 | 102 |
| 1894 | 17 |
| 1895 | 34 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 22 |
| 1904 | 2 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1909 | 56 |
| 1910 | 3 |
| 1911 | 11 |
| 1912 | 4 |
| 1914 | 11 |
| 1915 | 8 |
| 1916 | 9 |
| 1917 | 2 |
| 1919 | 1 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 8 |
| 1924 | 2 |
| 1925 | 10 |
973 stories
- The Political Smoke of 1891: Backroom Deals and Populist Uprisings
While Washington’s early legislature debated the direct election of senators and railroad regulation, backroom meetings at the Olympia Hotel signaled the enduring influence of corporate power.
- The Price of a Senate Seat: Inside the 1891 Power Struggle in Olympia
As a crucial U.S. Senate election looms, Seattle political figures and state legislators grapple with accusations of bribery, railroad monopolies, and the 'corrupt' influence of money in Washington’s halls of power.
- 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.
- The Senator Who Bought His Seat
A Washington State legislator admits to accepting $200 to sway his vote for U.S. Senator, sparking a scandal in Olympia that mirrors modern concerns about political corruption.
- The Man Who Took the Bribe to Expose It
Representative Metcalfe’s daring sting operation against Senatorial corruption has turned him into a hero for reformers and a target for powerful enemies.
- The Tragedy on the Bridge: How a Drunken Arrest Turned Fatal
A routine police arrest at a lodging house in Olympia ends in the shooting death of a gas worker, highlighting a volatile era of street-level policing.
- The Final Voyage of the Wildwood
A steamship captain recounts the harrowing night his vessel burned to the water’s edge while docked at Olympia.
- 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.
- Republican Deadlock Finally Broken in Olympia
After intense lobbying and political maneuvering, John B. Allen secures the support needed to likely become the next U.S. Senator.
- One Day Late: The Veto That May Hang a Man
A clerk's date stamp, a messenger who cannot recall which day he ran an errand, and a condemned Italian at Tacoma whose last chance at a new appeal may have expired in the paperwork.
- The Midnight Smuggling Ring at Oyster Bay
Customs officials track a clandestine operation smuggling Chinese laborers into Washington via the mudflats near Olympia.
- Lobbyist Admits to Bribing Lawmakers
A longtime lobbyist testifies that he received thousands of dollars from the Northern Pacific Railway to kill legislation in the Washington Territorial House.
- A Senate Seat, a Caucus, and a Yakima Ditch Deal
In Olympia, Republicans moved to settle the U.S. Senate contest between Ankeny and Wilson—while opponents circulated a story that Wilson had traded a Congressional favor for stock in a Yakima irrigation scheme.
- The Grange Declares Economic War
Washington state farmers and laborers forge a historic alliance to demand fair trade and challenge the monopoly power of the era.
- Street Shooting Over a Libel Allegation
A legislative-era street fight in Olympia leaves one man dying after an accusation of arson.
- Call for Cavalry Against the Snake Indians
A recruitment drive in Olympia seeks volunteers for the First Regiment of Oregon Cavalry to campaign against Indigenous resistance.
- Washington Territory’s 1854 Native Voting Rights Debate
In 1854, territorial lawmakers debated extending voting rights to Native Americans of mixed ancestry, exposing tensions over citizenship, race, and belonging.
- Territorial Legislature Debates Voting Rights and Prohibition
Early Washington lawmakers grapple with the rights of Indigenous voters, the push for a prohibition law, and the appointment of regional officials.
- The Ghost Rumors of Indian Conflict
Territorial officials mobilize as panic spreads across Puget Sound following unsubstantiated reports of violence.
- The Sabotage of Black Lake
A malicious attempt to breach a dike and flood the Olympia countryside by draining a massive volume of water into the Deschutes River was narrowly averted.
- The Late-Night Fight That Killed Washington's First University Building
A governor's-office showdown between the state auditor and the university building commission halted construction, left laborers unpaid, and pushed Olympia toward a special legislative session.
- A Blind Herb Doctor and the Death of a 14-Year-Old
An Olympia coroner’s jury found that Clara M. Linton died from the botanical treatments of Dr. William T. Campbell, a blind patent-medicine practitioner who promised her father a cure.
- The Treasurer Who Vanished, Then Wrote Home From Puget Sound
An Iowa county official disappeared in the 1870s. After his death, his family gathered at the Olympia Hotel to settle an estate—and letters revealed a hidden life, a bank failure, and a real-estate boom he hoped would make restitution possible.
- Liquor Dealers Organize to Capture City Council
A slim meeting at Columbia Hall reveals a saloon-backed push to elect Murphy and Grainger, as the liquor interests try to regain control after last year's defeat.
- A Chimney Sweep’s Fatal Fall—and the Hidden Injury That Killed Him
Joseph Bauer fell from Judge Henry’s roof while sweeping a chimney. He seemed merely bruised—until a ruptured liver killed him days later, prompting a rare post-mortem watched by Olympia’s doctors.
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