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1. The Legislative Power Struggle in Olympia

   Republicans scramble to organize the House as a looming senatorial battle threatens to stall state business.

   Jan 7, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

2. The Political Fight Over Federal Jobs

   A brewing rebellion among Democratic legislators in Olympia threatens the leadership of Col. Griggs over the spoils of federal patronage.

   Jan 30, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia Hotel, Olympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

3. The Oyster Bed Loophole

   A Supreme Court ruling on tide lands inadvertently threatens the state's control over valuable oyster beds.

   Apr 24, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money

4. The $3,000 Offer to Salt a Washington Land Claim

   An Olympia land-office hearing turns on a state witness’s account of a bribe to fake a mineral discovery—and an expert’s verdict that the ground was worthless.

   Sep 7, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money · True Crime

5. A Minister Takes a Geologist's Hammer to Genesis

   Rev. Napoleon Hoagland tells a packed hall that the rocks do not show six days of creation, and that reason — not an infallible book — is the believer's best authority.

   Oct 13, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyStrange But True

6. Hot Ashes Nearly Burn Down Olympia’s Pride

   A carelessly discarded batch of hot ashes smoldered for hours in the Capitol Steam Laundry before bursting into flame beneath the Olympia Hotel.

   Oct 16, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia Hotel, Olympia, Thurston CountyDisasters

7. The Westside Railway Deal and the Councilman Who Didn't Read It

   Olympia's council weighed a cheaper route through C. M. Moore's block to reach the Westside Railway—until one committeeman admitted he had signed the report blind.

   Oct 17, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyBoom & Bust · City Hall

8. Colonel Haines Arrested Ahead of Olympia Court Martial

   Governor Ferry orders Col. J.C. Haines under arrest; his regiment passes temporarily to Capt. Joseph Green of Seattle as the court martial convenes at the Olympia Hotel.

   Oct 22, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia Hotel, Olympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

9. A Girl Is Dead, and Her 'Thompsonian' Healer Stands Charged Again

   Clara Linton died a few days ago; now her father has sworn out a second manslaughter complaint against the botanical practitioner who treated her, and Justice Rathbun's courtroom is packed for the hearing.

   Oct 24, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyTrue Crime · Snake Oil

10. The Midnight Murder Cry That Was Only a Baby

    Union Street neighbors grabbed clubs and prepared to storm a house after screams of murder—only to learn the household had just grown by one.

    Nov 4, 1891The Olympia TribuneUnion Street, Olympia, Thurston CountyStrange But True

11. A Court-Martial Ends in Smoke and a Handshake

    A state militia tribunal in Olympia was suddenly closed by the governor, its findings kept secret. Then the colonel apologized, the officers shook hands, and the state got a $1,000 bill.

    Nov 9, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall · Scandal

12. A Storm Cuts the Northern Pacific and Strands the Capital

    A weekend storm washes out the Northern Pacific, cuts telegraph lines, and leaves travelers—and would-be supreme court attorneys—stuck between Tacoma, Olympia and Montesano.

    Nov 10, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyBoom & Bust · Disasters

13. City Attorney Blocks Olympia’s Columbia Street Assessment

    A legal opinion found that street grading and planking done without contracts could not be charged to abutting owners beyond $500—putting more than $2,000 in assessments in doubt.

    Nov 11, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

14. The Brick Blocks That Told Olympia It Had Arrived

    In 1891, three pressed-brick buildings rose along Olympia’s business streets—and boosters read them as proof the wooden capital was becoming a real city.

    Nov 14, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyBoom & Bust

15. The Night Fourth Street Lit Up: Ellis's Furniture Warehouse Burns

    A fire breaks out above a frame warehouse after ten o'clock, the east side of the city glows, and firemen haul chairs and mattresses into the street until the heat drives them back.

    Nov 17, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyDisasters · Gone Forever

16. A $25,000 View, a Deed, and a Debt: The Land Fight South of Olympia

    Ben Turner says George A. Barnes took an 80-acre donation-claim tract as mortgage security—then refused to deed it back after Turner tendered the money.

    Nov 19, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money

17. The Railroad Beats the Steamboat on Puget Sound

    Olympia’s favorite steamer Bailey Gatzert makes its last run as Northern Pacific trains drain the passenger trade.

    Nov 25, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

18. The Quarter-a-Day Skim: County Surveyor Accused of Shorting Road Crews

    In 1891 Olympia, affidavits alleged the surveyor billed taxpayers $2.50 a day for chainmen but paid the crews $2.25—so Thurston County commissioners sent the matter to the county attorney.

    Nov 28, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyWork & Pay · City Hall

19. Olympia’s Streetcar Franchise Fight Heads for the Courthouse

    A requested extension for the Westside railway sparks a council move to forfeit the Savage Main Street franchise, with a two-year court threat hanging over the city.

    Dec 2, 1891The Olympia TribuneMain Street, Olympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money · City Hall

20. Murphy Forever: A Rival Editor Skewers Olympia's Perpetual Councilman

    Days before the First Ward election, the Tribune turns its sarcasm on Councilman John Miller Murphy — newspaper editor, theater proprietor, professed temperance man, and, by this account, a fixture in the council chamber and at the bar he once voted to close.

    Dec 5, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

21. Olympia Collegiate Institute Is Busting at the Seams

    With more than 175 students enrolled, a new lecture series underway, and a library outgrowing its shelves, the C.C.I. is already talking about a bigger building.

    Dec 5, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyBoom & Bust

22. Olympia Votes Out the Old Council — and Inherits a Financial Mess

    A day after the city election, the Tribune calls on the lame-duck mayor and council to resign so the city can untangle a debt larger than the law allows — and demands streetcars, street work and honest handling of the public's money.

    Dec 9, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyBoom & Bust · City Hall

23. Free Mail Delivery Is Coming to Olympia—If the City Numbers Its Houses

    Postmaster V. A. Milroy says carriers, boxes and three new routes will be ready by New Year’s Day, but two-thirds of the city’s houses still lack numbers and property owners must pay to add them.

    Dec 10, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

24. Loose Handbills Nearly Cause a Runaway—And a Housewife Demands Action

    A carelessly scattered pile of posters sends a horse bolting through Olympia, prompting a letter to the editor calling for a city ordinance to keep the streets clean.

    Dec 21, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

25. The Only Door Open to Olympia's Hungry

    On Christmas Eve 1891, the Tribune reminded readers that St. Peter's Hospital was the city's only refuge for hungry men—and asked for donations of food and clothing.

    Dec 24, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyStrange But True

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