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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 8 |
| 1862 | 7 |
| 1863 | 4 |
20 stories matching like
- Life on the Edge of the World: A Dispatch from Tatoosh Island
A rare 1861 account of the desolate, storm-battered lives of lighthouse keepers and their interactions with the Makah people at the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
- 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 Gold Rush at Nez Perces
A local captain reports on the booming prospects for thousands of miners seeking quartz gold in the Blue Mountains.
- The Midnight Vandal at the Standard Office
An editorial office in Olympia faces a late-night visit from an assailant armed with an effigy and firearms.
- Settling Up for the Indian Wars
A breakdown of the federal government's payment schedule for property and services used during the conflicts of 1855-1856.
- The Tale of Jonathan Homespun's Granary
A cautionary tale of a farmer who learned the hard way that 'everybody's business' is nobody's business.
- The Call for Cavalry
Military authorities look to volunteers to secure the frontier as federal forces withdraw from the Pacific Northwest.
- The Chaos of Washington's Pre-Civil War Legislature
As the nation teetered on the brink of war, Olympia's Eighth Legislative Session descended into partisan bickering, salary disputes, and frantic attempts to define Washington Territory's loyalty to the Union.
- The Preacher and the Circassian Slave
A popular clergyman gets more than he bargained for during a trip to a local photography studio.
- Portland Press Labels Washington Territory Disloyal
A neighboring newspaper warns Olympia that unless the territory proves its Unionist fervor, federal support and favors will remain out of reach.
- The Bold Bid for a New Pacific Emporium
Speculators and city-builders are betting millions on a new town at the mouth of the Columbia River, hoping to eclipse Portland and Victoria as the premier trading hub of the North.
- Olympia Celebrates the Turning Point of the Civil War
Upon receiving news of Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the capital of Washington Territory erupted in days of wild, illuminated celebration.
- The Disappearing Superintendent
A scathing editorial accuses B.F. Kendall of mishandling over $35,000 in public funds and ignoring his successor's demands for an accounting.
- Olympia Rejects Disunion
While the nation moved toward the brink of Civil War in January 1861, local Olympia leaders declared their firm loyalty to the Union, even as some proposed renaming the capital city.
- The Gold Rush Mania: A Cautionary Tale for Settlers
As disheartened miners return from the upper Columbia, the Standard warns local farmers and mechanics that steady work at home is worth more than the speculative, dangerous 'El Dorado' scramble.
- The Mail Service Sabotage in Olympia
Local merchants and citizens are suffering as a political feud between the Postmaster and steamboat owners paralyzes commerce on the Sound.
- The Unlikely Enforcer of a Party Game
A jealous husband at a frontier social insists his young wife receives equal attention—or else he will settle the matter with his fists.
- The Brutality of T. W. Glasgow
After Olympia women organized against his domestic violence, a local man attempts a public defense, calling his wife 'deranged' and denying the physical abuse that witnesses reported.
- The Capital Crisis of 1861
A fiery letter to the editor captures the volatile politics of Washington Territory, as Pierce County residents accused the legislature of a 'corrupt bargain' over the location of the capital.
- The Divorce Dozen: Olympia’s Council Clears a Path for Broken Marriages
In December 1860, the Washington Territory Council processed a flurry of divorce petitions, including one from prominent local figure Carson D. Boren, revealing the fragile nature of domestic life in the frontier.