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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 40 |
| 1889 | 94 |
| 1891 | 26 |
| 1892 | 80 |
| 1893 | 89 |
| 1894 | 120 |
| 1895 | 178 |
627 stories matching import
- Tacoma’s New Business Plan: Import High-Grade Opium for the Whole North
With the tariff cut, Tacoma entrepreneurs predicted they could supply wealthy opium users from Oregon to the Atlantic—and collect thousands in customs duties.
- The Forgotten Constitution: Seattle's 1889 Apathy
While Washington territory scrambled to establish statehood following the Great Seattle Fire, the public was so consumed by the disaster's aftermath that the upcoming constitutional convention went almost unnoticed.
- A Company Turns to Black Miners to Break the Roslyn Strike
With 165 Roslyn miners signing contracts to return, the Northern Pacific's manager admits importing Black laborers as a last resort — and promises to keep the number small.
- The Great Goat Gambit: Seattle's First Angora Import
A local merchant imports the territory's first genuine Angora goats from Mexico, betting that their mohair will be worth more than the meat.
- The Warehouse That Wasn't: Seattle’s Missing Link to Global Trade
Two importers walk away from the city because it lacks a bonded warehouse, exposing a critical infrastructure gap that threatens Seattle's economic future.
- The Petty Feud Over the Lake Washington Canal
While Seattle lawmakers pushed for a monumental canal to connect the lakes to the Puget Sound, Tacoma’s boosters fought the project simply to spite their rival neighbor.
- The Tacoma Typographical Union Declares War
Local printers launch a total and rigorous boycott against the Tacoma Ledger, accusing it of undermining labor and importing 'scab' and contract labor.
- A Coal Company's Strikebreaker Gambit in Roslyn
A Northern Pacific manager admits the company is importing Black miners from the East to break the Roslyn coal strike—and hints the miners' refusal of a pay cut left him no choice.
- The Strike of the Tacoma Printers
A morning paper imports out-of-state non-union labor to break a local typesetters' walkout.
- The Steamer Wilmington’s Illegal Cargo
A ship captain faces federal charges for allegedly importing Japanese contract laborers to work on his vessel.
- The Seattle Waterfront Fight
Prominent local Democrats break ranks with their state party to endorse Republican John H. McGraw, citing the critical importance of the Lake Washington canal project.
- Roslyn Coal Strike: Company Threatens to Import Black Strikebreakers
As the 1894 coal strike drags on, Roslyn miners refuse a 20 percent pay cut. The company’s answer: import Black workers from Chicago to break the union, a move that would reshape the town.
- Political Chaos and the 'Colonization' of Tacoma
As municipal elections loom, accusations of bribery, fraud, and the importation of 'heelers' from Seattle turn Tacoma politics into a desperate power struggle.
- The Argument for a Railroad Commission
Advocating for constitutional oversight of rail monopolies to curb corporate influence in Washington politics.
- Constitutional Convention's Tide Land Committee Draws Lobbyists
As Seattle prepares for the constitutional convention, a fierce political tug-of-war erupts over the control of valuable tide lands.
- The Great Northern Moves into Seattle
After securing land for its terminal, the railroad prepares to transform the city into a major transcontinental hub.
- The Fight for Seattle’s Tide Lands
Boosterism clashes with civic control as a proposal to alienate tide lands sparks fears of corporate monopolization.
- Tacoma Printers' War Against the Ledger
A standoff in Tacoma pits union printers against a newspaper management that replaced them with imported 'rat' labor.
- The Governor Vetoes the Anti-Vivisection Bill
Washington's governor refuses to sign a sweeping ban on animal dissection in public schools, arguing that medical progress and anatomy lessons depend on it.
- The Railway Stakes: Great Northern Picks Seattle
A massive land-buying spree signals that Seattle is set to become the Pacific terminus for a new transcontinental rail giant.
- The 'Bullpen' at the Roslyn Mines
When the Northern Pacific Railroad imported scab labor to break a strike in 1888, the local Democratic convention issued a blistering condemnation of the 'armed police' used to coerce workers.
- The Strategic Dream of a Nicaragua Canal
A 1894 editorial argues that the United States must build and control a canal through Central America to project naval power and secure the Pacific coast.
- The Navy Puts Puget Sound Coal to the Test
Federal authorities order warships Yorktown and Monterey to Seattle to determine if local coal can power the U.S. Navy.
- A Railroad Clerk's Side Hustle: 150 Pounds of Opium Land in Tacoma
M. M. Perl, chief clerk to a Northern Pacific superintendent, imported prepared opium from China aboard the Kingston—while federal agents seized a rival shipment under an 1881 treaty.
- The Sheriff Who Would Be Governor
A political endorsement of John H. McGraw, framing his tenure as sheriff and his 'moral courage' as the ideal preparation for state leadership.