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Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 7 |
| 1883 | 42 |
| 1884 | 38 |
| 1885 | 60 |
| 1886 | 35 |
| 1887 | 43 |
225 stories matching refus
- The Battle for the Bottle in White River Valley
A local saloon keeper’s bid for a liquor license sparks a standoff with temperance-minded residents and sets the stage for a landmark court battle.
- When the Right to Strike Met the Power of the Union
An 1885 editorial examines the evolution of labor relations in Seattle, as workers shift from individual bargaining to collective power that forces employers to the table.
- The City Council’s Policing Scandal
Seattle’s city leadership sparked outrage in 1886 by refusing to support the Mayor's dismissal of a police officer accused of gross negligence.
- The Brutal Assault at the Brunswick Hotel
A woman details a violent confrontation after refusing a bribe to perjure herself in a scandal involving a local man.
- The Seattle Liquor Board's Battle for Moral Standing
A landmark 1886 legal challenge in King County forces a judge to define the limits of civic power when local officials refuse to grant a liquor license based on a claimant’s character.
- The Battle for Belltown's Fire Engine
A citizen's fiery demand that the city stop hoarding firefighting resources in the business district and grant the northern residents the protection they pay for.
- The Insurance Company That Refused to Pay
After his steamboat, the Wildwood, burned at the dock in Olympia, Thomas Quail publicly denounced the insurance companies that refused to settle his claim.
- The Captain's Peculiar Cargo
A maritime dispute reveals a ship captain’s bizarre refusal to transport freight after discovering a hidden shipment of 'stolen' or suspicious barrels.
- The City vs. The Citizens: A Sewer Standoff
Property owners refuse to pay for city improvements they claim were botched, poorly contracted, and overpriced.
- Chief Moses Demands His Land—and a Hearing
A Columbia chief says the government cannot take back a reservation just because his people refused to move onto it; the cabinet agrees he has grounds.
- The Tragedy of the Parks Children
An Auburn father faces arrest after his children succumb to starvation while he allegedly schemed to remarry.
- The Price of Seattle Real Estate
A speculative look at the rapid inflation of downtown land values on Front Street.
- Mutiny at Port Townsend
A newly arrived crew refuses duty and fights for their freedom aboard a bark in the harbor.
- The Battle of the Kittitas Toll-Gate
A road construction project in the mountains has sparked a local rebellion, pitting frustrated residents against the private toll-road operators.
- The Express War on the Tracks
A legal showdown in Seattle tests whether a major railway can unilaterally terminate its contract with an express service.
- The Street Contractor’s Gamble
When the city of Tacoma failed to pay up on street improvements, a contractor was left holding the bag—and a pocket full of worthless paper.
- A Fatal Jealousy in the City's Red-Light District
A jilted lover kills a woman at a brothel on West Third Street after she refuses his plea to return to him.
- The Price of Refusing the Knights of Labor
A Seattle tavern keeper finds his livelihood evaporating after he crosses a powerful labor union, proving the reach of social and economic pressure in 1886.
- Democratic Revolt in Washington Territory
Local Democrats are refusing to sign a call for a party convention, citing concerns that the move is secretly bankrolled by railroad interests.
- Seattle's Squabbling Firefighters
A newly constructed engine house on South Third Street sits empty because the local fire companies refuse to use it, preferring to keep their equipment on Columbia Street.
- Abandoned by the County: The Price of Survival for Injured Laborers
Two men, broken by the dangerous work of the local mills, were left destitute and homeless when the county authorities refused to bear the cost of their recovery.
- The Rogue Marshal of Tacoma
Citizens formally impeach the City Marshal for cozying up to brothel owners and ignoring the law.
- The Price of a Free Ride
Seattle's press praises legislators who refused corporate-funded train passes, calling the practice a form of bribery.
- The Fiery Wreck of the Enterprise
When the steamer Enterprise collided and burned on the Sound, panic ensued as passengers faced a desperate struggle for life, revealing the stark racial tensions of the era's emergency protocols.
- Federal Directive Protects Indigenous Land Occupancy
A government order instructs land offices to refuse entries by white settlers on land already cultivated by Indigenous people.