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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 3 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 4 |
| 1861 | 6 |
| 1862 | 3 |
| 1863 | 2 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 3 |
| 1876 | 25 |
| 1877 | 19 |
| 1878 | 5 |
| 1879 | 2 |
| 1880 | 3 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 12 |
| 1884 | 12 |
| 1885 | 13 |
| 1886 | 8 |
| 1887 | 7 |
| 1888 | 5 |
| 1889 | 41 |
| 1890 | 13 |
| 1891 | 39 |
| 1892 | 45 |
| 1893 | 65 |
| 1894 | 67 |
| 1895 | 90 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1898 | 3 |
| 1899 | 16 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 33 |
| 1904 | 9 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 14 |
| 1909 | 71 |
| 1910 | 8 |
| 1911 | 16 |
| 1912 | 5 |
| 1914 | 4 |
| 1915 | 4 |
| 1916 | 10 |
| 1917 | 7 |
| 1923 | 9 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1925 | 1 |
| 1928 | 1 |
716 stories matching session
- 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.
- The Court-Martial That Laughed Up Its Sleeve
In closed sessions at Olympia, Col. J. C. Haines faces charges of foul and abusive language—but his supporters say the fix is already in.
- Hasheesh, Absinthe, and a Human Pelvis in the Page Murder Trial
Defense experts told a Seattle jury that a drug could explain Page's condition on the morning he shot Fraser, while the state argued he remembered everything.
- The Night Seattle’s Mayor Nearly Fired His Police Board
An executive-session showdown over Chief Rogers ended with Mayor Phelps handing a commissioner his own removal papers — then taking them back.
- 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 1863 Legislative Session Wraps Up
A look back at the territorial assembly's busy session, featuring a major overhaul of the legal code, debates over the Idaho statehood movement, and the struggles of members waiting on federal pay.
- State Governor Rescues Tacoma Water Infrastructure
A last-minute bill from Governor Hay saves the city's waterworks project from financial collapse.
- No Appropriation, No Warrants: Washington's 1891 Budget Standoff
The state treasurer refuses to honor university and militia warrants the legislature never funded, the Supreme Court backs him up, and Governor Ferry — in poor health — lets the idea of an extra session die.
- The Governor Wants Every State Office in His Own Hands
Governor Hay will ask the legislature to make every statewide office but his and the lieutenant governor's appointive — a cabinet government for Washington — while a commission tries to untangle a legal code nobody can read.
- The Pioneer Struggle to Fund Washington's Common Schools
An 1877 legislative session in Olympia debates selling off University lands to fund the territory's school districts, highlighting the precarious nature of public education in the early days of the Washington Territory.
- The Silent Delegate: Why Washington Territory Is Falling Behind
While Montana’s representative aggressively lobbies for statehood and investment, Washington’s Delegate Voorhees remains inexplicably quiet, missing crucial opportunities for federal patronage and political clout.
- A Mock Legislature and a Midnight Meltdown in Olympia
In the final hours of Washington's 1893 session, lawmakers cut a railroad freight rate, fought over a harbor commission, and staged a mock legislature as the clock struck midnight.
- The Divorce Factory of 1861
Tired of a legislative session flooded with endless divorce petitions, the Washington Territorial Council finally moves to curb the practice.
- The First State Legislature Closes Shop
After passing tide land bills and appointing regents, Washington's first-ever state legislature adjourns amid whispers of a necessary extra session.
- The Legislative Power Struggle in Olympia
Republicans scramble to organize the House as a looming senatorial battle threatens to stall state business.
- The Legislature’s Endgame: Normal Schools Funded, a Central Board Killed
With ten days left, Washington lawmakers passed money for Cheney and Whatcom normal schools, killed a plan to consolidate state institutions, and left Cascade railroad routes in doubt.
- Seattle’s Suspended Fire Commissioner Skips His Own Hearing
George T. Masel is a no-show before a joint session of the city council, and the rumor is he would rather face charges than let creditors see his property.
- The Great Odd Fellows Sleep-In: A Night of Fractured Rituals in Seattle
When the Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows convened in June 1909, a bizarre mix of procedural delays and social distractions turned a solemn ceremony into a chaotic spectacle that spilled onto the dance floor.
- The Women Who Would Remake Seattle, One Vote at a Time
King County’s temperance unions met in Fremont to report on missions and the White Shield Home — then nearly every woman in the room stood up for equal suffrage.
- A State Board Told Dentists to Sign Away Their Ads — One Seattle Man Refused
At the 1903 licensing exams in Tacoma, Washington's dental examiners demanded applicants sign a code-of-ethics contract before they could sit down. Edwin J. Brown of Seattle said no — and the whole profession waited to see whether he'd be barred from practice.
- The Mayor Moves Against the Fire Commissioner
Mayor Phelps suspends Fire Commissioner George T. Masel, files five counts of incompetence and meddling with the chief, and calls a special session to hear them.
- The Moral Gatekeeper: Snohomish’s New Battle Over Who Gets to Sell Liquor
A new state law requires liquor license applicants to prove 'good moral character,' turning county commissioners into judges of private virtue and sparking a fierce debate over who gets to define morality in the Territory.
- The Bear That Wasn't: Seattle’s War Department Scandal
A federal court of inquiry clears the city of corruption but exposes a bizarre military blunder involving refrigerated beef and embalmed meat during the Spanish-American War.
- The Judge Who Warned Seattle Not to Sell Its Waterfront to a Canal Company
In 1894, Judge John J. McGilvra urged Congress to build the Lake Washington Ship Canal and warned that a private company's tideflat scheme would put tolls on the water and enrich speculators at public expense.
- The Secret Courthouse Bond Deal Benton County Tried to Ram Through
Commissioners Clements and McNeill authorized $125,000 in bonds for a Prosser courthouse after a closed-door plan their own lawyer admitted was designed to keep taxpayers in the dark. A Kennewick lawsuit put the deal before Judge Grady.