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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 42 |
| 1889 | 149 |
| 1891 | 89 |
| 1892 | 359 |
| 1893 | 359 |
| 1894 | 348 |
| 1895 | 449 |
1,795 stories matching counti
- The County That Forgot Its Southern Neighbors
Settlers south of the Nisqually say Lewis County has never spent a dollar on their roads or bridges, and now they want to bolt for Pierce County.
- The Political Erasure of Lewis County
Citizens in rural Washington cry foul as the 1889 constitutional convention districting map threatens to strip their county of political representation.
- The Struggle for a New County
Citizens in the Wenatchee Valley argue that traveling across the Cascades to reach their county seats is an unreasonable burden for local governance.
- A County Seat Fight With More Petition Signers Than Voters
Pacific County commissioners agreed to put the county seat up to a vote — then discovered that South Bend and Sealand had turned in 2,373 signatures from a county with barely 1,500 voters.
- City and County Spar Over Smallpox Care Costs
A simmering dispute between the Seattle City Council and King County over who should pay to treat the city's sick and indigent.
- King County Democrats Begged for Mercy on the Lake Washington Canal
At the 1892 state Democratic convention, Seattle's delegates surrendered their instructions and let Pierce County humiliate them over the canal project—a defeat the Post-Intelligencer vowed voters would remember in November.
- Snoqualmie Pass Becomes a Free Public Road
King and Kittitas counties reach a historic agreement to stop toll collection, opening the mountains to the public.
- The County Seat Was in the Courtroom
Defendants in a Snohomish debt suit tried to derail the case by arguing the county seat had moved to Everett—and that the court was therefore sitting in the wrong place.
- The Three-Way Split: How Bitter Feuds Carved Eastern Washington
In January 1891, the state legislature dissolved Lincoln County into three new entities—Grant, Big Bend, and remaining Lincoln—to settle a decades-long battle over county seats that once involved armed men holding courthouse keys.
- The County Courthouse That Wasn't: King County Sells Its Own Home
In a bizarre twist of civic bureaucracy in January 1891, King County is forced to auction off the very building housing its courts because the new one isn't finished yet.
- Who Should Pay for the City's Sick?
A legal dispute over whether the City of Seattle or King County is responsible for the medical care of the indigent.
- The Town of Gilman Demands its Share
When the town of Gilman incorporated, it stopped being under county jurisdiction—but now they want the county to hand over the saloon license fees collected before the split.
- King County Democrats Cry Foul Over a Rigged Delegate Count
The state Democratic Party cut King County's representation at the convention and handed its delegates to Pierce County — and the Post-Intelligencer was not about to let it pass quietly.
- The Canal Plank That Nearly Tore Washington’s Democrats Apart
In Olympia, King County delegates fought Pierce County over whether to endorse the Lake Washington canal. They settled on a vague promise, then spent the night shouting each other down.
- Pierce County Republicans Keep Censure of Canal Backer McGraw
A simmering regional feud between Seattle and Tacoma boils over as Pierce County Republicans move to condemn the proposed Lake Washington ship canal.
- The Fight to Trim King County's Fat
A committee of concerned Seattle citizens demands transparency and cuts in county government spending during a severe economic downturn.
- The Barn That Was a Courthouse: King County’s Shameful Jail and Office Conditions
An editorial exposé reveals that King County’s records are stored in a 'mere barn' and prisoners live in conditions 'a disgrace to a humane community,' urging the sale of bonds for new buildings.
- The City and County Spar Over the Poor
Seattle officials and King County commissioners reach a stalemate over who bears the responsibility for the city's indigent population.
- The County Surveyor’s 'Sweating' Scheme
King County Surveyor F.F. Ames faced official charges for systematically stealing a portion of his employees' wages.
- Mount Vernon and Anacortes Vie for County Seat
Skagit County faces a power struggle as petitioners move to shift the county seat from Mount Vernon to Anacortes.
- The $3,430 Hole in Spokane's County Books
A three-month audit finds ex-County Clerk Downing $3,430 short and his records 'kept in a very loose manner.' The National Guard captain and rising Spokane politician is held for embezzlement.
- The Bold Plan to Build the Lake Washington Canal
Facing gridlock in Congress, Seattle’s Chamber of Commerce pushed a local bill to authorize the county to construct the canal itself, aiming to transform the city into the 'first city on the Pacific coast.'
- The Fight for the Lake Washington Canal
King County Democrats suffer a setback at the state convention, but the paper praises their loyalty to the proposed canal project against opposition from Pierce County.
- The Battle for the Stevens County Seat
Colville fights to remain the seat of government as the county commissioners attempt to move it to Kettle Falls.
- The Price of Progress in Whatcom County
Farmers bear the burden of new road construction, but the infrastructure boom promises a prosperous future for the region.