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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1860 | 2 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1862 | 17 |
| 1863 | 2 |
23 stories matching high
- The Town That 'Resorted to Flat-Boats'
A skeptical writer from Walla Walla mocked Olympia’s tide-swept landscape, prompting a sharp, defensive retort from the local editor.
- The Meadow Snake Fiasco
A bashful farmhand’s desperate attempts to avoid the local quilting party result in an unintended, high-speed chase with a black snake.
- The Strange Case of the Seized Horse
A Port Townsend magistrate attempts to settle a private debt by seizing a horse that didn't belong to the debtor, sparking a procedural standoff.
- Territorial Superintendent Critiques School Spending
A report to the Legislature highlights the tension between building a university and funding basic district schools in 1862.
- Federal Crackdown on Liquor Trade with Tribes
The Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Washington Territory warns traders that liquor trafficking on reservations is a serious federal offense.
- The Day the Legislature Tried to Unmake a Marriage
In December 1860, Washington Territorial lawmakers debated a private bill to dissolve the bonds of matrimony between Onon Connolly and Sarah Connolly, restoring her maiden name.
- The High Price of News
Skyrocketing costs during the Civil War forced the Washington Standard to raise subscription prices to survive.
- Political Conflict in an Olympia Classroom
A student is driven from school after being bullied for his vocal support of the Union.
- The Territory Opens Its First University Schools
A new collegiate and primary institution launches in Seattle under the leadership of A. S. Mercer.
- The Preacher and the Circassian Slave
A popular clergyman gets more than he bargained for during a trip to a local photography studio.
- The Strategic Move of a Custom House
Congress orders the transfer of the Port of Entry for Puget Sound from Port Townsend to Port Angeles, sparking local political controversy.
- The Editor’s Defense of a Federal Appointee
After losing his status as Public Printer, the newspaper editor takes up the cause of the embattled Port Townsend Collector of Customs, Victor Smith.
- Federal Notice Warns Traders Against Liquor Sales to Indigenous Tribes
The Superintendent of Indian Affairs warns traders that supplying alcohol to Indigenous people in the Territory is a serious federal crime.
- The Town That Lost Its Custom House
An observant traveler visits Port Townsend and finds a community reeling from political retaliation and questionable pulpit interpretations.
- The Bread and Water Diet
An Olympia man decides to test a traveling lecturer's advice on eating, but his wife has the final say.
- The High Cost of Borrowing in Territorial Olympia
An indignant citizen writes to the editor to protest the predatory lending practices bankrupting the territory's early settlers.
- The Beacon at the Edge of the World
A rare dispatch from the remote Tatoosh Island lighthouse reveals the technical marvel of the Fresnel lens and the isolation of the keepers guarding the Pacific entrance.
- Federal Warning on Liquor and Unlicensed Trade
The Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Washington Territory issues a stern directive against the illicit sale of alcohol and unauthorized trading on reservations.
- Federal Crackdown on Illegal Trade on Reservations
Superintendent of Indian Affairs issues a stern warning that trading, selling, or gifting liquor to Indigenous populations in Washington Territory is a federal crime punishable by imprisonment.
- The Federal Crackdown on Alcohol Sales to Indigenous Tribes
Superintendent Calvin H. Hale issues a stern warning to traders violating federal statutes against selling liquor on reservations.
- The Town Takes a Stand Against Domestic Abuse
Forty-three women in Olympia sign a resolution formally denouncing a local man for his history of violence against his wife and children.
- Federal Crackdown on Liquor Trafficking in Indian Country
The Superintendent of Indian Affairs warns traders and settlers that selling alcohol to Indigenous people or operating on reservations without a license is a federal crime punishable by seizure and jail.
- The Pre-emptor’s Ledger: A Blueprint for Owning Olympia
In November 1860, the federal government issued a rigid, almost theatrical checklist of requirements for settlers hoping to claim land in Washington Territory. It wasn't enough to just show up; you had to prove your worthiness through a litany of domestic and agricultural details.