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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 7 |
| 1883 | 32 |
| 1884 | 45 |
| 1885 | 60 |
| 1886 | 35 |
| 1887 | 27 |
206 stories matching committe
- The Art of the Political Stall
A look back at the legislative gridlock, railroad lobbying, and fierce parliamentary maneuvering in the Seattle council of 1887.
- Seattle’s Chamber of Commerce Grapples with Anti-Chinese Riots
In the wake of the 1886 anti-Chinese expulsion, the city's commercial leadership convened to discuss the city's reputation and its stance on 'law and order.'
- The Expulsion at Seattle: Vigilante Committees Force Out Chinese Residents
A report from the Seattle 'Committee of Fifteen' details their campaign to coerce the Chinese population to leave, as local business leaders and the 'Knights of Labor' consolidate power.
- The Campaign to Exclude Chinese Workers
In 1885, a newly formed committee of Seattle citizens launched an aggressive effort to purge Chinese labor from the city, circulating petitions to prevent property owners from leasing to Chinese residents.
- Congress Moves to Forfeit Railroad Land Grants
A House committee prepares to claw back millions of acres from the Central Pacific Railroad, citing failed construction promises.
- The Fight to Reclaim Northern Pacific Lands
A Senate committee report argues that the Northern Pacific Railroad failed its contractual obligations, leaving millions of acres of public land ripe for forfeiture.
- The Great Seattle Church Lottery Scandal
Local merchants clash with church committees over a raffle scheme that allegedly inflated prices and exploited their goodwill.
- The Seattle Bar Confronts Its Own
A committee of influential attorneys seeks to disbar colleagues Junius Rochester and George Venable Smith for their roles in the violent expulsion of Seattle's Chinese population.
- The Fight for a Statehood Canal
Seattle boosters press Congress for infrastructure funding to link Lake Washington to Puget Sound.
- Tumwater Secures Its Future With Railroad Deal
Local committee reaches agreement with railroad company for depot, water rights, and machine shops.
- The Railway vs. The Town: A Forcible Relocation in Yakima
When the Northern Pacific Railroad tried to bypass the original town of Yakima to force residents and businesses to relocate to a new site, the citizens formed a committee to resist—and were met with cold corporate indifference.
- The Czar of Russia Would Not Dare
A Seattle city councilman publicly lashes out against the Territorial Legislature's overreach in appointing local officials without popular consent.
- Seattle Merchants Raise $150,000 to Bypass Monopoly Rails
Prominent citizens meet at the offices of McNaught, Ferry, McNaught & Mitchell to secure a standard-gauge rail link to the Green River coalfields.
- Committee Upholds Northern Pacific Railroad Land Grant
A government committee weighs in on whether the Northern Pacific Railroad forfeited its massive land grant by failing to meet construction deadlines.
- A Call for a New Asylum
Legislative committee finds territorial asylum buildings beyond repair, recommending a new site in Eastern Washington.
- The 'Committee of Fifteen' and the Struggle Against Chinese Labor in Tacoma
An archival look at the exclusionary 1886 resolution that fueled the violent campaign to purge Chinese residents from Tacoma.
- The Great Iowa Editor Invasion
Seattle prepares for a high-profile visit from Midwestern press barons, signaling the city's growing importance as a gateway to the Pacific.
- Seattle's Local Musicians Sidelined for Outside Talent
The Seattle Cornet Band expresses public indignation after being passed over for a local celebration contract in favor of an expensive imported band.
- Steerage Passengers Stage an Armed Strike for Better Food
Twenty-five Texas cowboys on a steamship to Portland organized an armed takeover of the kitchen to force the captain to improve steerage rations.
- Seattle Braces for the 'Iron Spike' Celebration
Mayor and committees prepare for the arrival of Henry Villard and his entourage of Eastern journalists as the Northern Pacific railroad nears completion.
- The Forgotten Dry Dock: Seattle's Missed Opportunity
In 1887, a committee’s failure to finalize a dry dock project drove local jobs away, forcing the city to reckon with the consequences of industrial stagnation.
- The Palace Coup at the Young Men’s Independent Club
A political faction attempts to seize control of a local club through backroom deals and 'gag rules,' only to be met with a revolt by the membership.
- Seattle and Port Townsend Vie for Methodist University
Before the University of Puget Sound was established, Seattle’s founding elites fought a bitter, public battle over which developer’s land would house the city’s next great institution.
- Seattle Fires Back at 'Rough Town' Slander After a Sandbag Robbery
A Vancouver paper reported a traveler was sandbagged in Seattle and sneered at the city's vigilance committee. Seattle's editor says the whole thing is false.
- The Politics of Exclusion: A Night at the Bijou
In 1886, a raucous meeting at Seattle’s Bijou theater formalized the 'Committee of Fifteen,' marking a volatile era of organized expulsion and nativist labor politics.