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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1860 | 11 |
| 1861 | 57 |
| 1862 | 65 |
| 1863 | 46 |
179 stories
- Stagecoach Plunges into McAllister’s Creek
A bridge collapse during a routine transit near Steilacoom leaves passengers shaken but miraculously uninjured.
- Portland Press Labels Washington Territory Disloyal
A neighboring newspaper warns Olympia that unless the territory proves its Unionist fervor, federal support and favors will remain out of reach.
- The Business of Mourning in the Civil War
As the casualty lists from the front lines grew, the private industry of embalming rose to meet a grim public need in Olympia and across the nation.
- The Speakerless Session: A Legislative Standoff
After seventeen ballots and tense debates over legal swearing-in procedures, the Territorial House finally elects a Speaker.
- Volunteers Needed for War Against Snake Indians
Recruiting efforts underway in Olympia for the Oregon Cavalry to secure frontier routes and retaliate against ongoing raids.
- Olympia Celebrates the Turning Point of the Civil War
Upon receiving news of Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the capital of Washington Territory erupted in days of wild, illuminated celebration.
- Call for Cavalry to Combat Snake Indians
Recruitment begins in Olympia for a regiment tasked with patrolling the frontier against the Snake Indians.
- Celebrating the Lunar New Year in 1863
Olympia's Chinese residents celebrated the New Year with traditional firecrackers and tea, an occasion marked by a local editor with a mix of curiosity and cultural commentary.
- Political Conflict in an Olympia Classroom
A student is driven from school after being bullied for his vocal support of the Union.
- Olympia's Legislative Logjam
As the eighth session of the Territorial Legislature draws to a close, a cynical editor chronicles the stalling of business, the maneuvering for position, and the technicalities used to avoid public votes.
- Corruption and Starvation in the Indian Service
Local creditors left unpaid while thousands of dollars in federal funds disappear under the Superintendent's watch.
- The Territory's Loyalty Crisis
A bitter partisan divide breaks out in the Legislative Assembly over a set of resolutions affirming support for the Union and the Lincoln administration.
- The Great Disenfranchisement Fight
Legislators clash over an apportionment bill that threatens to strip the growing eastern population of representation, sparking fears of a political outrage.
- The Violent Expulsion of a Black Resident from Olympia
A white resident publicly recounts his role in forcing a Black man out of town, illustrating the overt racism prevalent in the territory during the Civil War era.
- A New Territory Born from the Gold Fields
As the Idaho Territory is carved from Washington's eastern reaches, residents hope the split will bring order to the Salmon River mining region.
- The Ballroom Ignored the Flames: Olympia’s Nonchalant Dance Amidst Disaster
While citizens and firemen battled a blaze at the Washington Hotel on Friday evening, revelers inside continued dancing with startling indifference to the falling cinders.
- The Dollar Deed: How a Husband’s ‘Gift’ to His Wife Cost Him His Land Claim
In a dispute over who settled first on public land, the Register of the Olympia Land Office ruled that W.S. Fish could not claim priority because he had technically transferred his donation claim to his wife for just one dollar.
- The Divorce Dozen: Olympia’s Council Clears a Path for Broken Marriages
In December 1860, the Washington Territory Council processed a flurry of divorce petitions, including one from prominent local figure Carson D. Boren, revealing the fragile nature of domestic life in the frontier.
- The Wedding of Necessity in Olympia
A couple from Columbia County traveled to Olympia for the fair, found no vacancy in the local hotels, and sought a creative solution from the local Esquire.
- The Marriage Mill: Is Olympia a Haven for Runaways?
Legislative divorce bills in 1860 are turning Washington Territory into a 'by-word and reproach' as lawmakers bypass the courts to dissolve marriages for political favors.
- The High Cost of Borrowing in Territorial Olympia
An indignant citizen writes to the editor to protest the predatory lending practices bankrupting the territory's early settlers.
- Divorce by Legislation
In the 1861 territorial session, the Washington Legislature became a de facto divorce court, forcing members to adjudicate the intimate failures of local couples.
- The Great Territorial Rifle Scandal
Legislators in the late assembly faced public backlash for voting themselves government-issued military rifles as personal loot.
- Thurston County Rallies for the Union
As the Civil War ignites, Republicans in Olympia gather to declare their loyalty to the Union and choose their delegates for the coming struggle.
- Washington Territory Prepares for Civil War
Acting-Governor Henry M. McGill calls for a territorial militia to defend the Union, a symbolic gesture of loyalty from a frontier thousands of miles from the conflict.