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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 2 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1872 | 3 |
| 1876 | 7 |
| 1877 | 3 |
| 1878 | 14 |
| 1880 | 3 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 7 |
| 1884 | 5 |
| 1885 | 4 |
| 1886 | 7 |
| 1887 | 11 |
| 1888 | 5 |
| 1889 | 10 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 18 |
| 1892 | 35 |
| 1893 | 36 |
| 1894 | 33 |
| 1895 | 52 |
| 1898 | 3 |
| 1899 | 8 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1903 | 21 |
| 1904 | 12 |
| 1907 | 3 |
| 1908 | 5 |
| 1909 | 18 |
| 1910 | 6 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 7 |
| 1915 | 2 |
| 1916 | 15 |
| 1917 | 2 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1924 | 2 |
| 1925 | 2 |
| 1928 | 1 |
380 stories matching fees
- Aberdeen’s First Library Begins as a 'Nest Egg'
A modest collection of books and a donated office space mark the first steps toward a civic institution.
- The Fee Stopping Progress
A citizen writes in to protest the city's building permit tax, arguing it stifles growth rather than ensuring safety.
- Fifty Dollars for a Clean Bill of Health
A quarantine officer charged a sealing schooner $50 to steam over and inspect her — and shipping men say the fee was less public health than protection money.
- The Mediums' Trust: When Seattle's Spiritualists Tried to Fix Their Prices
A secret meeting of clairvoyants and mediums ended in failure as new arrivals undercut their rates, proving that even the spirit world is subject to market forces.
- The High Stakes of Seattle Tennis
Athletes from across the Pacific Northwest descend on Seattle for a high-tension tournament, as the city gears up to host the regional championships.
- The Price of a Day's Pay: Seattle’s 1887 Labor Brokers
A deep dive into the predatory practices of late 19th-century employment agencies that thrived on the desperation of transient laborers.
- The Strange Fate of a Goldendale Defendant
A legal dispute takes a turn when two attorneys realize their client paid them in horses, which he then traded away.
- Olympia Building Loan Association Reports 47% Profit and Three New Homes
The local building and loan association closes a successful first six months, announces a new series of shares.
- The Lumber Town That Held Worker's Luggage Hostage
A Grays Harbor mill company is exposed for a predatory scheme that left hundreds of laborers stranded without their personal belongings.
- The Foreclosure Auction: When the Bank Takes Your Land
A Benton County sheriff prepares to sell a farmer's property at the Prosser courthouse for over $1,300 in 1914, highlighting the precarious nature of land ownership during the early days of Washington's agricultural boom.
- The 'Free Lot' Scam
A Tacoma resident exposes a real estate scheme offering 'free' land to lure investors into paying high notary fees for worthless property.
- The High-License Gamble: Seattle’s 1886 Liquor War
Business owners threaten to shutter their doors in a high-stakes protest against the city’s new, aggressive liquor licensing ordinances.
- Seattle's Library Reopens — With a Fee for Taking Books Home
After slashing salaries, trimming the light bill and a landlord's six months of free rent, the library commission reopens the doors under a 10-cent-a-month borrowing charge.
- The Great Port Townsend Customs Scandal
A federal grand jury uncovers a decade-long scheme of extortion and record-tampering at the Port Townsend custom house, where officials pocketed fees and forced local shipping firms to play along.
- 47 Percent: How a Local Savings Club Put Three Olympia Homes on the Ground
The Olympia Building & Loan Association reports its first six months in business — 450 shares, a steep return for investors, and three new houses built around town.
- County Officials Take Voluntary Pay Cuts to Weather Hard Times
With business stagnant and fees falling off, the auditor and clerk cut their own salaries. Commissioner Heaton wants the treasurer to follow.
- The $5,000 Price of Freedom: Tacoma's Wilcox Trial and the Taxpayers' Burden
A detailed accounting of the Wilcox murder trial reveals the staggering cost of criminal prosecutions in 1899, from $137 for a witness from Los Angeles to the fees for 76 witnesses and a jury.
- The Cost of a Bridge Inspection
A protracted dispute over demurrage fees for the Puyallup River bridge reaches a compromise, leaving the contractor in the red.
- A $16 Sermon, a Political Pulpit, and a Hung Jury
A frontier preacher sued for his fee; the churchgoer said the sermon had turned into electioneering. Five hours later, the jury still couldn't agree.
- Olympia's Building-Loan Society Built Three Homes and Paid 4½ Percent
A half-year statement from the Olympia Building Loan Association showed 450 shares in force, a net profit of $634.50, and three new houses—then opened a new subscription series.
- The Constable Who Charged for Mileage on Every Duck
A local anecdote about a frontier constable’s creative approach to fee collection.
- The Boom is Over: Seattle’s Doctors Face Public Backlash Over 'Trust' Pricing
As the city settles into metropolitan growth, a newspaper investigation into exorbitant medical fees sparks outrage among patients and division among physicians.
- The Price of a Paint Job
A modest dispute over painting fees reaches the courtroom as a local painter and his client face off before a jury.
- The Transient Merchant Problem
A group of clothing peddlers skips town, leaving local brick-and-mortar merchants to foot the tax bill.
- The Right-of-Way Racket: How One Man Tried to Sell Seattle's Waterfront Twice
A legal battle in King County reveals the chaotic land grabs of early Seattle, where a single deed could claim ownership of deep-water access rights across the entire waterfront.