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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 5 |
| 1858 | 2 |
| 1859 | 4 |
| 1861 | 7 |
| 1862 | 5 |
| 1863 | 3 |
| 1864 | 2 |
| 1871 | 2 |
| 1872 | 17 |
| 1876 | 56 |
| 1877 | 46 |
| 1878 | 23 |
| 1879 | 7 |
| 1880 | 16 |
| 1882 | 7 |
| 1883 | 41 |
| 1884 | 30 |
| 1885 | 38 |
| 1886 | 16 |
| 1887 | 23 |
| 1888 | 16 |
| 1889 | 76 |
| 1890 | 10 |
| 1891 | 80 |
| 1892 | 112 |
| 1893 | 117 |
| 1894 | 122 |
| 1895 | 162 |
| 1896 | 1 |
| 1897 | 8 |
| 1898 | 25 |
| 1899 | 31 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1902 | 5 |
| 1903 | 80 |
| 1904 | 43 |
| 1905 | 5 |
| 1907 | 2 |
| 1908 | 27 |
| 1909 | 92 |
| 1910 | 30 |
| 1911 | 11 |
| 1912 | 5 |
| 1914 | 19 |
| 1915 | 21 |
| 1916 | 41 |
| 1917 | 12 |
| 1918 | 6 |
| 1919 | 1 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 9 |
| 1924 | 5 |
| 1925 | 3 |
| 1928 | 1 |
| 1929 | 2 |
1,534 stories matching practic
- Surveyors Blocked by Federal Red Tape
A new federal funding measure renders land surveying in Western Washington practically impossible, stalling pioneer settlement expansion.
- The Birth Pangs of Washington’s Constitution
As the territory prepared for statehood in 1889, the local press scrutinized the new constitution, exposing the tension between civic optimism and the looming shadow of corporate greed.
- The Farmers' Road Rebellion
When fencing blocked access to town, the local farmers took the road-building into their own hands.
- The Struggle for a Coal Railroad
Business is stagnant, and a local editor argues that the only path to prosperity is building a city-backed rail line to the Green River coal fields—despite opposition from the Northern Pacific.
- The Brutal Politics of the Benton County Bench
An editorial endorsement attacks a rival candidate, arguing that splitting the vote would hand the superior court seat to an outsider.
- The Practical Joke of the Frontier
A settler’s terrifying encounter with two armed Indigenous men concludes not with the massacre he feared, but with a surreal—and expensive—demanding of his household supplies.
- The Panhandle's Longing: A Century-Old Border Dispute
Before Washington became a state, Northern Idahoans fought for annexation, citing mountain barriers and shared economic interests with the Columbia River basin.
- The Unmaking of Women’s Suffrage in Washington Territory
A Supreme Court ruling overturns the territory's suffrage law, branding the move an 'unconstitutional' legislative trick.
- The Wage War in the Schoolhouse
A fiery public disagreement erupts in the press over whether teachers are overpaid or simply under-appreciated laborers.
- New Emergency Hospital Opens in City Jail
The ward previously designated for female detainees has been converted into a clinical space for medical emergencies.
- Legislators Target Predatory 'Loan Sharks'
Senator Cotterill introduces a bill to curb abusive salary-assignment lending practices.
- The Guilland House Advertises 'No Chinamen'
A local hotel uses xenophobic hiring practices as a primary marketing hook to attract guests.
- The Log Jam in Lake Union
How an innovative timber operation cut a channel through the lake to reach salt water, forever changing the Seattle landscape.
- The Struggle for Better Roads in 1870s King County
Frustrated residents call for a centralized superintendent to replace the inefficient and disjointed road-building system of the Washington Territory.
- The Great Seattle Property Map Scandal
A scathing editorial reveals that King County’s property assessments are so riddled with errors that the tax rolls are essentially worthless, leaving the local government in a state of administrative paralysis.
- The Forgotten Safety Practice of 1885
A century and a half before GPS trackers, a Snohomish County editor offered a simple, low-tech solution for the perennial heartbreak of a lost child: use indelible ink.
- The Art of Living Well in 1877 Seattle
While Seattle’s pioneer merchants touted their iron stoves and fine whiskies, the local press offered practical, timeless advice on navigating life’s demands.
- The Shadowy Harvest of a Disgraced Register
A local editor calls for the disbarment of Ira M. Krutz, a former land office official accused of 'champerty and maintenance' by leveraging insider knowledge for legal fees.
- The Paradise of Thieves: Seattle’s 1876 Corruption Crisis
When the Territorial Legislature legalized gambling to fund a mountain road, Seattle residents warned that the city was becoming a lawless playground for criminals.
- The Rise of Seattle Football
Three months ago the game was unknown; today, the city is a powerhouse on the Pacific Coast.
- The Spoils System Must Go
In an 1880 letter of acceptance, a presidential candidate lays out a radical vision to dismantle political patronage and return to a government based on merit rather than party service.
- The Street-Grading Graft
A shocking report from Tacoma reveals that city street foremen were shaking down laborers for job security.
- The Iron Stranglehold on Seattle’s Waterfront
A powerful railroad uses its monopoly on transportation to freeze out competitors and strangle the city's independent growth.
- Seattle’s First Water Wars
When freezing pipes and open faucets threatened the city’s water pressure, the superintendent didn't mince words.
- The Midnight Ambush on the Northern Pacific Line
When an informal poker game at a remote sawmill camp turned into a violent robbery, the patrons initially thought it was all just a practical joke.