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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 53 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 7 |
| 1860 | 13 |
| 1861 | 59 |
| 1862 | 65 |
| 1863 | 46 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 14 |
| 1876 | 9 |
| 1877 | 11 |
| 1878 | 7 |
| 1879 | 3 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 36 |
| 1884 | 11 |
| 1885 | 18 |
| 1886 | 10 |
| 1887 | 9 |
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 57 |
| 1890 | 8 |
| 1891 | 221 |
| 1892 | 194 |
| 1893 | 107 |
| 1894 | 18 |
| 1895 | 113 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 23 |
| 1904 | 5 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 94 |
| 1910 | 7 |
| 1911 | 11 |
| 1912 | 4 |
| 1914 | 11 |
| 1915 | 8 |
| 1916 | 11 |
| 1917 | 3 |
| 1919 | 1 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 13 |
| 1924 | 2 |
| 1925 | 10 |
1,310 stories
- 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 Fight Over Who Can Vote: Half-Breeds and the 1854 Legislature
A heated debate erupts in the Council over whether 'half-breeds' should be granted the elective franchise, revealing deep tensions over literacy, race, and colonial control.
- 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.
- The Street Commissioner's Bribe
A local man faces a libel charge after accusing a city official of soliciting a bribe in exchange for a municipal job.
- The Cowcatcher Lifted Her Into the Air, and Then They Took Her Home
An elderly Native woman walking the Northern Pacific tracks below town is swept up by the overland express — and walks away from it, carried off by her mother and son.
- 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.
- A Dead Unmarried Worker Was Worth Nothing—Until This Law
Washington's legislature finally let dependent parents and siblings sue when a provider was killed on the job, ending a rule that made unmarried workers cheaper to kill than to maim.
- Head-On in the Tunnel: A Fatal Collision Beneath Olympia
Two Northern Pacific trains met inside the Olympia tunnel, killing Engineer Warren of Tacoma and wrecking freight cars and tunnel roof.
- Women, Workers, and a $40,000 School Bond
Olympia prepared to vote on a new high school, with women at the polls and labor demanding that local hands build it.
- Olympia's Electric Road Begins With a Land Drive
The Olympia Electric Light Power Company wants land donations for a streetcar line, while engineers prepare to grade Main Street from 26th to 29th.
- Olympia Rallies for the Union
Citizens of the Second Judicial District gather in Olympia to pass resolutions against secession and the threat of a Pacific Confederacy.
- The Phrenologist's Wedding Scandal
A self-proclaimed doctor and phrenologist attempts to marry a woman without legal authority, leading to a public arrest and a heated courtroom spectacle in Olympia.
- Found Destitute on a Float at the Foot of Franklin Street
Fever takes an infant on Sunday and the mother on Monday, and a subscription pays for the burial.
- The Day the Territorial Supreme Court Killed Women's Suffrage in Washington
In a landmark test case from May 1902, Judge Sash ruled that the Organic Act of Washington Territory only granted voting rights to males, effectively striking down local efforts to enfranchise women.
- The Last Midnight of the Washington Constitutional Convention
After fifty days of grueling debate and back-room maneuvering, delegates in Olympia finally finish the document that would define the state’s future.
- The Birth of Washington State: 1889 Constitution Draft
A rare look at the foundational text that set the rules for labor, public education, and state governance upon Washington’s entry into the Union.
- Washington State Bans Private Mercenary Guards
New legislation makes it a serious crime for companies to employ private detective agencies like the Pinkertons to suppress strikes or intimidate employees.
- The Day Washington State Went Dry
After a hard-fought political battle and a landmark Supreme Court ruling, the state's 1,200 saloons were ordered to shutter their doors as statewide prohibition became the law of the land.
- The Bitter Fight for Workers' Compensation
How Washington's landmark industrial insurance law survived a $100,000 corporate sabotage campaign.
- The Great Washington Oyster Land Grab
In a defiant legislative maneuver, the state senate pushed through a bill ceding valuable tide lands, sparking accusations of corruption.
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